Noon on the seventh day.
Ye Qingxuan saw a dark outline appearing at the end of the horizon. A dense crowd of pedestrians, carriages and horses passed by on the dirt roads on both sides of the avenue. He looked at this group of people curiously from a distance.
The transportation system in Sinian is better than Ye Qingxuan imagined. There is a post station fifty miles away. The avenue is wide enough to carry five carriages parallelly. The roads are smooth and even paved with stone slabs in some places.
Apart from the fact that ordinary people cannot walk, there are simply no other shortcomings.
Even though it is close to a prosperous country, the avenue is still empty, but there are people on both sides.
Coming and going is like a visit.
Seeing Ye Qingxuan's white hair, he looked away in awe.
Some people were not sure why, and pointed at Bai Hengzhi in the prison car from a distance, unable to recognize that this was the once powerful regent, and did not know what happened.
The news of Bai Heng's surrender seemed to have been blocked. Everyone was still on guard and vigilant, and few people knew who was coming here.
The nine-story city tower is already in sight.
Outside the imperial capital, there is already a dazzling and prosperous area... It would be better to say that there are more people and buildings outside the city than expected, which is not normal at all.
Most of the people walking on the street have black hair, and dragon-blooded nobles are rare.
The closer Ye Qingxuan got, the stronger his heartbeat became.
It was not until he reached the Baizhang City Gate that he felt the distant and vague tingling sensation that he recalled this familiar feeling.
"Did you feel it?"
Bai Heng looked at him with a smile. Only now did Ye Qingxuan understand why there were so many people outside the city... It wasn't that they liked being outside, but that they couldn't be inside.
—Decaying iron.
Ye Qingxuan felt the sting of the decaying iron. Although the location was still far away from the city gate, it was clear enough. For the common people of Cathay, their ability to resist the iron of decay is far less powerful and terrifying than that of the Dragon Vein nobles, and there is always a limit.
I'm afraid that even in the city, civilians would not go deep into the middle city, right
During the hundreds of years of rule by the nine surnames of Longmai, although there were times of wisdom and integrity, there were also times of tyranny and mediocrity. Resistance from the common people did not happen, but in the end it was still the nobles of Longmai who controlled the world.
For ordinary people, let alone sitting on a chair, even if they step into the gate of the palace, they can already arrange their funeral arrangements. Even if there are thousands of troops, it is still useless if they cannot enter the imperial capital.
What's more, the imperial guards and the palace attendants almost all have the blood of heaven and humans, more or less inherited from their ancestors. In front of the heavenly beings who possess high-end power, thousands of troops are nothing but chickens and dogs.
These nearly infinite amounts of decaying iron guard the rule and secrets of heavenly beings. They are highly toxic substances to others. At this moment, Ye Qingxuan actually felt as comfortable as a fish in water.
It was as if a traveler who had been parched by the dry foehn wind in the desert had returned to his hometown by the sea.
But it was another thing that really made him cheerful and cheerful after his gloomy mood for the past few days.
Here she is.
Ye Qingxuan rode his horse through the corridor under the city gate and stared at the palace in the distance.
—Bai Xi is here.
After being separated for so long, I don’t know how she is doing now.
Suddenly, he was a little panicked. He didn't know how Bai Xi was doing, or whether she was okay. He didn't know what he should say after seeing Bai Xi.
Soon, the meditation was interrupted.
Behind him, the eunuch who had greeted him early in the morning took white silk and covered the prison cart, while another person came up.
"Thank you, Lord Marquis, for escorting us all the way. We will return to the palace to resume our duties." He said respectfully: "Your Majesty will host a banquet for you in Changle Palace tomorrow. Please take a rest."
Ye Qingxuan was silent and looked at him.
No words were spoken.
The eunuch's smile stiffened, and he lowered his waist a little more, lowering his head, sweat dripping from his forehead to the ground.
"I've figured out some things these days, and I'm getting more and more fed up with your Majesty..."
Ye Qingxuan looked at him on the horse, "I helped her guard Tianmen Pass and brought Bai Heng back. I have given her enough face, and I hope she can give it to me. So, you go and tell him that I don't have time to wait until tomorrow. .”
"tonight."
He said: "If I can't see Bai Xi tonight, I will go to the palace to find someone in person."
The eunuch knelt down and was about to say something when Ye Qingxuan turned the reins and left.
Half an hour later, the eunuch who delivered the order hurried to Ye Qingxuan's residence and knocked on his door.
Ye Qingxuan got his satisfactory answer.
"tonight… "
Ye Qingxuan leaned on his bed and stared at the outline of the palace outside the window. His thumb subconsciously rubbed his index finger, showing the traces left by the Nine Heavens Ring.
For some reason, he suddenly felt lucky that he still had some time.
Let him think about it carefully...
When we meet, what should we say
…
…
Deep in the palace, among the layers of pavilions and halls, a eunuch walked out of the palace, stepped on the jade steps, and announced to the man kneeling below.
"Your Majesty summons Bai Heng to see you."
Under the steps, Bai Heng, who was being escorted by Jinwu Guards, remained motionless, as if he didn't hear anything. He just lowered his head, looked at the shackles in his hands, and raised his brows slightly.
After the eunuch was silent for a moment, he pointed at the shackles and ordered Jin Wuwei, "Get rid of these eyesores."
Jin Wuwei hesitated for a moment, then at the eunuch's urging, he untied his shackles and bowed back.
"Please come with the Za family, Mr. Bai, and don't keep His Majesty waiting."
The eunuch turned around with a smile and led the way: "My lord knows the rules in the palace better than the Za family. I just ask you to take pity on me, a servant like me, and never make your majesty angry again. Today is different from the past. If there is any trouble again, Come on, I’m afraid I won’t feel well either.”
"Yes, indeed, today is different from the past."
Bai Heng sighed softly and glanced at the eunuch: "A dog like you dares to raise his head and speak in front of me."
The eunuch's smile froze.
Bai Heng passed the eunuch and walked straight into the palace.
In the dim space, candles were lit on both sides, and through the soft gauze curtains, they illuminated the gorgeous decorations on the dome and columns. Just in the corner of the hall, there is a dressing table that is completely incompatible with this majestic and noble hall.
In front of the mirror, there was someone with long hair, who seemed to have just woken up from a nap. He raised his eyes with a hint of sleepiness and stared at Bai Heng's reflection in the mirror, his slender eyes raised slightly.
"Long time no see, Mr. Heng's style remains the same as before."
The emperor nodded slightly: "Very good."
"Long time no see...?"
Bai Heng thought for a while and nodded: "It's true."
"It's been almost half a year, right?"
He shook his head and sighed. He did not kneel down, but bowed casually: "The guilty minister Bai Heng has met your majesty. I hope that your majesty will be in good health for eternity..."
No one responded.
Bai Heng sighed, stood up, and walked towards the emperor with gentle steps.
In the corner, the eunuch lowered his head deeply, not daring to look. He just stepped back on his knees and quietly closed the door from the outside.
"I thought His Majesty would have something to say to me."
Bai Heng stood behind the emperor and looked at the emperor dressing up.
"Can't you be quieter?"
The emperor stared at himself in the mirror and put down the eyebrow drawing pen, showing no interest at all.
"It seems I arrived at a bad time?"
Bai Heng reached out and picked up the comb, walked behind the emperor on his own, and combed the white hair on the back of her head. The white hair was like flowing silver, running through the black teeth of the wooden comb.
As if he had done it countless times, Bai Heng skillfully combed and rolled up his hair, and took out a jade hairpin from the table. The sharp hairpin gently passed across the emperor's slender neck, bringing A slight chill.
Finally, it was inserted into the bun.
I don’t know whether this was a “failed assassination” or a success.
"Someone, get some blush!"
Bai Heng bent down with satisfaction and looked at the emperor in the mirror: "Unfortunately, although the disease is good, it is not the appearance of a king. Your Majesty is in the prime of his life. Don't stay up late all the time and make your face pale. This is not good. .”
The emperor glanced at him indifferently: "If you don't cause me any trouble, I will probably look better, right?"
Bai Heng smiled, blew a breath into the emperor's ear, and whispered softly: "I just want to see His Majesty look angry."
A ripple was stirred indifferently.
The emperor's brows wrinkled imperceptibly.
Bai Heng nodded with satisfaction.
"It's a pity that such a scenery can only be seen by me, a sinner."
He held the emperor's shoulders and said softly: "If a beauty like your majesty were born into a commoner family, I'm afraid your majesty would have already left the government by now, right?"
When he said these words, he didn't look like the scheming regent. He didn't even look that old. You could vaguely see his romantic appearance back then.
"Why force yourself?"
He raised his finger and swept it gently over the beautiful and majestic face, his eyes becoming pityful: "The jade seal is too heavy, why don't you let me help you carry it? I will rebuild Cathay for you. , you just need to sit on that chair and be your eternal wise king... Isn't it better for the king and his ministers to meet each other than to meet each other with swords and soldiers?"
Snapped!
A ray of lightning burst out from Bai Heng's fingertips, burning his arrogant and unreasonable fingers to pieces.
Bai Heng's expression remained unchanged, he just shook his head, waved his fingers that no longer felt anything, and said nothing more.
The emperor stood up in front of the mirror.
"I'm always bored talking here. Please go out for a walk with me."
"I honor your orders."
Bai Heng bowed and obeyed the order, without any impatience or pain in his expression.
Just wait quietly.
The ending arranged by the emperor for himself.
…
In the silence along the way, he followed the emperor's steps, passed through the gates, and marched quietly on the road.
Until finally, we came to a courtyard with beautiful scenery, like a health resort. However, this courtyard is controlled by Jinwu Guards at every level, making it difficult to approach.
There were more than a dozen white-haired heavenly beings sitting lazily and dejectedly in the courtyard, either reading or drinking and having fun, while the sounds of strings, bamboos and singing girls continued.
Seeing the emperor walking through the door, all sounds suddenly stopped.
Amidst the sound of kneeling down, the emperor looked at Bai Heng behind him.
"Is it familiar?"
"It's natural."
Bai Heng bent down and reached out to touch the marks on the threshold. The traces of scratching in the past were still visible. "After all, I have been imprisoned here for more than ten years."