The lights flickered, and the swaying light quietly illuminated the furnishings in the hall. Dugu Jialuo rolled up her sleeves, stood up, and looked around. Not to mention seeing any human figures, there was not even a trace of unnecessary movement. The palace maids and eunuchs on both sides who were bowing their heads were also motionless, like clay sculptures.
"Your Majesty... I didn't hear the Imperial Master's voice."
She didn't dare to say that the emperor had heard wrongly. She turned around, shaking her pearl hairpin. Her husband, who was leaning against the head of the bed, stretched out his legs and actually had the strength to sit on the edge of the bed.
Seeing this scene, the queen no longer cared about the imperial teacher or the voice, and hurriedly went up to support him, squatted down with her long skirt dragging, and helped Yang Jian put on his shoes while persuading him.
"Your Majesty, you haven't recovered yet, how can you go out... You will easily catch a cold if you touch the ground barefoot..."
As he spoke, the corners of his eyes became wet and red, and his words choked up. The emperor, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, looked at his wife who was concentrating on helping him put on his shoes and socks. He unconsciously stroked her black hair, his fingertips passing through strands of hair, and could not help but sigh.
"Jia Luo, you still have black hair, but I have a head full of white hair."
“I am only pulling out the white hair that has grown, one at a time…” Dugu Jialuo raised her face, forced a smile with red eyes, went over to take down the dragon robe hanging on the rack, came over to put it on her husband, and tied the jade belt on it.
"If I don't pull it, it might be more than your Majesty's gray hairs."
This made the emperor laugh, and he pointed at me: "You... you are the one who knows how to make me happy... You are the only one who knows what I like to hear."
Feeling his wife turning behind him to adjust his robe and take off his imperial crown, Yang Jian waved his hand.
"That's not necessary. We're just meeting the Imperial Master. There's no need for such a grand ceremony. Queen, please go back to the palace and rest."
"yes."
There was probably something else Dugu Jialuo wanted to say, but she knew that her husband did not want her to stay here, so she had to bow, open the door and walk out. When she raised her head again, in the dim light of the hall, Yang Jian's figure was gradually obscured by the slowly closing doors until it disappeared.
"Your Majesty..."
Dugu Jialuo covered her mouth and almost cried, but did not leave. Instead, she walked to the side of the palace door, and her son Yang Guang helped her sit on the chair that was brought over.
"Mother, it's okay. The Imperial Master will be here soon. Father will definitely be fine."
Over there, the woman didn't say anything, just shook her head.
The civil and military officials below, many of whom had followed Yang Jian to conquer this magnificent land, saw the woman weeping, and one by one they raised their heads, closed their eyes, and sighed.
Amidst silence and sighs, everyone suddenly felt a breeze blowing past them. Someone looked up and saw a blurry figure passing by between the civil and military officials on both sides.
"Yes... Imperial Master..."
Before the man finished speaking, Min Changwen covered his mouth with his hand: "Don't say anything at this juncture."
Under the palace eaves, Yang Guang, who was comforting his mother, probably also felt it. In his sidelong sight, a blurry figure condensed under the lantern under the eaves. It was Lu Liangsheng who had rushed back all the way exhausted.
He nodded to the empress and the prince on the side, and without pushing the door open, he walked straight through the palace door and followed closely with his whole body.
In the dimly lit bedroom, Yang Jian, dressed in a dragon robe, sat on a large chair surrounded by carved golden dragons. Hearing light footsteps, he slightly opened his eyes and a smile appeared on his face.
"The Imperial Master is here?"
"Your servant Lu Liangsheng is late."
The scholar who came in through the palace gate saw the figure sitting there. In the candlelight, even though there was some color on his face, it was still grayish white, and his lips were blue and black, which was a sign of death.
"Hehe... No one can predict this. Even I don't know when I will fall. Imperial Master, please sit down and talk."
Yang Jian raised his hand and asked the palace maid to bring a chair and invited Lu Liangsheng to sit down. Seeing that he also had a solemn expression, his chuckle turned into a loud laugh.
"Life and death are predetermined by heaven. Besides, he is not dead yet, so why should the Imperial Master have the same expression as them?"
The resounding laughter was heard outside, startling the ministers, the queen, the crown prince, and clan members who were waiting outside. For a moment, they did not understand why His Majesty laughed so loudly.
"Maybe he was thinking of something happy..." someone guessed in a low voice.
Sleeping hall.
After the old man finished speaking, there was silence for a while. Lu Liangsheng stretched out his hand and pulled out a ray of magic power, and touched the other person's wrist. He felt that it was a body that was about to lose its vitality. His face was a little gloomy. Although he was a cultivator, he could not practice Taoism for dozens or hundreds of years. He could not be indifferent to the death of others. Moreover, only when people have joys and sorrows can they be considered human beings.
"Your Majesty, can you really face life and death calmly?"
"Haha... Of course I can't. If I had dared to go to the battlefield, I would have died at any time. I had seen through it a long time ago."
Yang Jian smiled, then pursed his lips, his eyes wandering again. He looked at Lu Liangsheng opposite him and shook his head slightly.
"But... I am also afraid that my time is too short. I haven't taken a good look at this country and society I have conquered, and I haven't made it more beautiful."
Looking straight ahead, tears flowed down and wet the collar of the clothes.
The flickering candlelight shone on the old man's face. His skinny hands wiped the tears from his cheeks. His body, leaning against the back of the chair, trembled slightly, and he hunched over weakly.
"The world is dangerous, and wars are everywhere... I can't see how far the Sui Dynasty will go, State Master... I'll leave the rest to you. A-Mo is very smart and capable, but... the more he has to do something... the more he wants to do it as quickly as possible... he's a little impatient... From now on, restrain him for me, and if he can't hear what people say, beat him for me... until he wakes up!"
Lu Liangsheng looked at the old man, sighed, closed his eyes slightly and nodded.
"Your Majesty, don't worry."
In the candlelight, Yang Jian saw the scholar nod in agreement and smiled again, as if he had used up his last bit of strength. He said nothing more, put his hands on his knees, sat up straight, and slowly closed his smiling eyes.
The old man completed the last journey of his life.
…
A few miles away from Chang'an, Yang Su rode his horse through the mountains and dense forests. Suddenly, he let out a "whoosh", tightened the reins, and stopped his horse by the Wei River. He looked up at the starry sky, and then a bright star dimmed, dragging its long tail as it fell into the night sky.
"Your Majesty..."
Yang Su's lips were trembling and tears were welling up in his eyes. He jumped off his horse, knelt on the ground facing the direction where the stars were falling, and banged his forehead. He choked and cried out.
"Your brother is here to see you off!!"
The man's hysterical cries echoed for a long time in the night.
…
Chang'an Imperial City.
In the quiet bedroom, Lu Liangsheng could see the old man opposite him, his vitality disappearing bit by bit. This was the first time he faced the death of an old man. When his mentor passed away, he was still in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and the feeling he had was far less intense than it was now.
After a while, the scholar stood up, spread out his sleeves, raised his hands, and bowed to the old man sitting on the dragon throne.
"Your Majesty, I will see you off."
Next second.
Yang Jian, who was sitting on a chair, suddenly opened his eyes, saw the scholar bowing opposite him, and stood up from the chair.
"Imperial Master! I am not..."
He reached out to help Lu Liangsheng, but his hand went straight through the other's arm. His expression froze for a moment, and he looked back at the dragon throne he had just sat on.
His body was still sitting there, his eyes closed and he was dead.
"I... I... am really dead?"
The old man looked down at his palms, which were no different from usual. At this moment, Lu Liangsheng's words rang in his ears.
"Your Majesty, he is indeed dead."
Lu Liangsheng was standing over there, and naturally saw the emperor who had turned into a soul. However, in the eyes of the dead emperor, the imperial teacher opposite him looked different from what he had seen with his naked eyes in the past.
A circle of light blue Dharma light emanates from his body, and in the middle of his eyebrows, there is a vertical eye like a human eye. Behind him, there are many stars twinkling faintly, arranged into different large and small constellations.
"Master, you look..."
"This is because your Majesty has just passed away, and the souls of the living and the dead are mixed together, so I can see this appearance of mine. People who practice Taoism call this the appearance outside the body."
Lu Liangsheng explained that perhaps the old man’s words before his death had touched his heart, so he reached out and took the emperor’s hand.
"Your Majesty, the City God has not come to pick you up yet. I will take you to see the prosperous night scene of Chang'an for the last time."