At that time, the palace of Ganzhou had never been built.
The craftsmen sent by Chang'an had already divided up the money for the construction of the palace, and each fled, but the money allocated by the local government in Ganzhou has not been released.
Although Xiao Kezhi is the prince and the king of Qin, his life is not as good as that of ordinary people. He can only find an ordinary farmhouse on the outskirts of the city with only a dozen guards around him.
This stay is nearly three years. At first, the provincial governor of Ganzhou and other local officials treated him respectfully, but later, when he found out that he was a down-and-out prince who was no one cared about, he didn't even care about that.
In the winter of the third year, Ganzhou was hit by a snowstorm that had not been seen in twenty years, and was also suddenly attacked by the Beirong people.
Xiao Kezhi, who lived outside the city, also, like many ordinary people, faced the iron cavalry of the Beirong people and watched them use their iron hooves to flatten the village, shoot cold arrows into the chests of the people, and beat them with long whips. They unscrupulously killed the people of Great Liang, and looted all the property that the people had accumulated after a year of hard work.
In the flying snow, the sky and the earth are vast, and the world that should have been covered in silver was covered with shocking blood.
Fifteen-year-old Xiao Kezhi was far away from Chang'an, which was like a dragon pool and a tiger's den, but he saw a more straightforward and bloody cruel reality on the border.
He was hidden in a water tank in the farmhouse by more than a dozen guards, and watched these closest and trusted warriors fall one by one, but he couldn't make a sound, because he knew that if he also suffered, the dozen or so people would fall. His life was paid in vain.
He stayed in the water tank for an unknown length of time, until he felt frozen all over, and then he shivered and crawled out in a dead silence.
There was a bloody mess, but he felt numb for a while, so he could only stumble in the wind and snow, trudging step by step towards the direction of the government office.
The borderlands are sparsely populated, the land is vast, and the distances between the villages are extremely far. He walked for an inexplicable amount of time until his legs were soaked by the melted snow, and he lost consciousness from the cold from the soles of his feet, and finally fell into the snow unsupported.
In the deserted wilderness, the snow is still falling.
He was lying on his back, and he could no longer feel the cold. He only felt that the white in front of him was gradually dazzling, and suddenly turned into pitch black.
He thought this was the end of his life.
In the haze, he thought of the dozen or so bodyguards who died, as well as his mother who died in Chang'an. The last emotion in his heart was only guilt and helplessness...
I don't know how long he woke up from the coma, half of his body was covered with snow, only the numbness of the right fingertips came from the vague warmth and wetness.
It was a small, gray wolf cub.
It was probably separated from its mother, or perhaps it had lost her mother, and it appeared alone in the wilderness, watching him curiously.
For some reason, he remembered the story he had heard from his neighbors, that he could only see the Buddha's manifestation in a desperate situation. He didn't believe it, but today this little wolf cub was like a light that pulled him back from the darkness.
He didn't want to die, he didn't want to let the dozen guards protecting him die in vain, and he didn't want to let his mother's efforts go to waste.
He struggled to get up from the snow, and with his last perseverance, he took the little wolf cub and continued to trek in the direction of the administration. When I was tired, I stopped and took a break. When I was thirsty and hungry, I picked up the snow on the ground and ate it.
The little wolf cub is very spiritual. As soon as he sees the sign that he is in a coma again, he will bite his hand with the teeth that have not yet grown, and pull him back from the trance.
After two days and two nights, he finally collapsed outside the government office before he was exhausted.
…
"In that case, it really saved Your Majesty's life." When Chu Ning heard him explain these things, his heart was sour. Although he knew that he might have a bad life there, he didn't expect that even the palace No, at a young age, he had to face the brutal killing alone.
"Is the name of 'Vimo' also named by His Majesty?"
"That's right," Xiao Kezhi nodded, pulled the reins to turn the horse's head, and walked onto a snow-covered path, "when it appeared, it reminded me of the story of Buddha, Vimalakirti is a role model for laypeople, even though he lives in the world However, it is not contaminated by mundane and filth, and still achieves the achievement of the holy fruit. I yearn for it, and hope that no matter what happens in the future, I will not forget everything I experienced in the past, so I named it this name and carry it with me from now on."
"Vimalakirti" is the provincial name of Vimalakirti, a famous Mahayana Buddhist layman, known for his cleanliness and cleanliness.
When he said these words, his tone was normal, as if he was not talking about himself at all, but was telling someone else's story.
Chu Ning thought for a while and said, "So, it's already ten years old, and it's not too young!"
In the cold wind, Xiao Ke carefully controlled the horse under his crotch and sighed: "Yeah, it has been ten years, and among the wolf cubs, he is also a sixtieth old man, and now it is time to enjoy the happiness with me. "
The slightly heavy atmosphere gradually eased, and Chu Ning laughed and said, "It is indeed enjoying itself. It is well cared for in the Tai Chi Palace every day, and no one dares to collide with it."
"Next time, I will bring you closer to it. You were frightened by it a few times before."
Chu Ning remembered what the beast looked like when it approached, and still shrank into his arms in fright.
Xiao Kezhi noticed her subconscious little movements, a smile flashed across his lips, and a feeling of being depended on by her also appeared in his heart.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
After a while, the horse came to a stop on a narrow, slightly elevated slope.
Xiao Kezhi rolled over with Chu Ning in his arms, tied the horse aside, and dragged her forward.
"Your Majesty, where are we going?" Chu Ning looked around and recognized that this should be a highland in the west of Mount Li.
Xiao Kezhi smiled without saying a word, and took her on the slope that was not very wide, and pushed aside a pine and cypress branch to go in. After a while, he arrived at a place with a wide field of vision. Looking around, he could see the entire Tangquan Palace. All in all.
"I have only been to Tangquan Palace twice before, but after that, I could only take a sneak peek at the place. After watching more, I will know where it is easy to walk up, and I can see the best and most complete scenery."
Chu Ning couldn't help but took another step forward, unable to move his surprised eyes away.
Tangquan Palace was built by moving mountains and has a huge shape. Now it is sunny again after the snow, and everywhere is covered with a layer of white snow.
"When has Your Majesty been here? It's so familiar to this day."
Behind Xiao Kezhi's hands, Gao Jun's straight body stood in the snow, blocking most of the cold wind for her: "For the past eight years, I have come every year."
"The past eight years? Your Majesty is not in Ganzhou..." Chu Ning looked back at his profile in surprise.
"If you want to achieve something, naturally you can't just be trapped in that closed place. Thanks to the obscurity over the years, other people in the DPRK and China have long forgotten about me. I successfully entered the military camp, so I can walk outside unimpeded."
Over the years, no one has taken him seriously. Even those who originally went to Ganzhou with him, but actually went to monitor him, left after only two years.
It sounds abject and ridiculous, but it is indeed giving him a chance.
"It's a blessing in disguise..." Chu Ning didn't know whether to feel sorry for him or be happy for him.
Xiao Kezhi looked at her, knew what she was thinking, and said solemnly: "I brought you here on a whim, just to relax, people's experiences are inherently determined, but the situation can be determined by one's own response. It's changed. You've only had a bad two years, and you'll get better in the future."
After listening to his words, Chu Ning nodded lightly and took a deep breath, as if he had spit out all the stagnant qi that had accumulated in the past two or three years.
Compared with the hardships he experienced, hers were nothing.
"Okay, it's almost time, it's time to go back." Xiao Kezhi reached out to her and seemed to be waiting to hold her.
Chu Ning looked at the wide palm in front of him, stunned, and slowly put his small hand on it.
"Let's go." There was a smile on his lips, and he quickly disappeared. He turned around and took her back to the horse.
In the Taoist temple, Zhao Yanzhou and several servants and guards have returned.
He saw that Chu Ning was riding with a strange man with extraordinary bearing, his face stiffened, but fortunately, he suppressed the horror in his heart, and he did not show any strangeness, but stood in the same place and bowed and saluted.
He had seen those guards before, and knew that the person who lived with her in the Seven Saints Temple last night was today, so he naturally guessed that the man with her was Emperor Xiao Kezhi.
For a moment, he didn't know whether to be more frightened or more sad.
"Your Majesty, the mountain road has been cleared and can be passed." Jin Jiang knew the inside story long ago, so he was not surprised.
"Understood." Xiao Kezhi said, holding Chu Ning down and adjusting the cloak for her, "You go first, I will leave later."
Chu Ning immediately understood that he was trying to avoid suspicion, and nodded immediately. After saluting him, he hurried to Zhao Yanzhou's side and said softly, "Let's go, it's time to go back."
According to Xiao Yu's temperament, I am afraid that people will come to find him. If he is encountered, it will be troublesome.
Zhao Yanzhou opened his mouth, pressed down what he wanted to ask, led her to the carriage, and walked some distance along the mountain road all the way, until he could no longer see the shadow of the Seven Saints Temple, then followed the carriage and asked softly, "Your Highness, just now thing-"
He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was very clear.
There was silence in the carriage for a moment before Chu Ning's voice came: "Brother, A-Ning once asked you, if you did something wrong, brother would forgive me. Today, I was wrong."
Zhao Yanzhou was also quiet.
He understood that this was what she had done wrong - as a crown princess, she secretly communicated with her husband's uncle, the current emperor.
This is a shameful thing that cannot be tolerated in the world, and it will be ridiculed and ridiculed by countless people.
But can he blame her? He can't.
He knew her intentions, and he had no right to accuse her of anything she did.
"I understand." Bitterness and sourness flashed in his eyes, and he said softly, "As long as you are fine, Brother A will not blame you."
In the snow, there was only the sound of the chariots and the horses treading on the snow.
"Thank you." Across the car curtain, her voice was low, with a hint of choked sobbing, as if a drop of hot tea fell on his heart, which made him hurt.
After a while, Tangquan Palace was approaching. Sure enough, a servant from the prince's side came to him. When he saw the team, he hurriedly greeted him: "His Royal Highness is finally back. The prince has asked the slave a few times this morning."
"Understood, go back quickly, don't teach His Royal Highness to wait for a long time." Chu Ning let them get up with a smile, and immediately asked the driver to hurry up, but he didn't feel expecting.