"What do I want you for?" Xiao Ba's eyes swept over sharply, she smiled coldly, with a trace of disdain and chill on her young face, she said slowly, "Sixth Sister is now a noble person, since Yan Bei General Xiuli, King Xiuli of Bian Tang, and Mrs. Sima of Daxia soon. I, a little slave, came here rashly, wouldn’t I embarrass Sixth Sister?”
Xiao Ba's eyes were cold, especially when he said the word "Mrs. Sima", his eyes could almost burst into flames.
The incense in the censer was lit little by little, and a thin line of smoke rose slowly. The light golden light was like sparse water, flowing in layer by layer, casting a mottled and fragmented light and shadow on the clean floor. There was silence in the room, Chu Qiao looked at Xiao Ba silently, her hot heart cooled down little by little, and the words that came to her mouth finally swallowed fiercely, her heart was bewildered, like the white snow in Yanbei , a piece of cool.
She heard herself asking in a calm voice, "Then what's the matter with you today?"
"His Royal Highness is leaving, I want to ask you to get me a document to release the royal slavery, so that I can go with His Highness."
Chu Qiao was slightly surprised, "Where is Zhao Song going?"
"Where else can I go? Go to the barrier to guard the racecourse. A majestic Prince of Xia, the son of the empress, was demoted to guard the racecourse."
Xiao Ba's expression became gloomy, she gritted her teeth and said coldly, the great anger in her voice was almost irrepressible.
"Why?"
"Why else? Isn't it because of you?" Xiao Ba turned his head and said coldly, "Since an arm was cut off by the Yanbei dog, His Highness has been reclusive and never paid attention to any disputes between the government and the opposition. The battle for the throne, The princes of each family are busy fighting for power and profit, and no one pays attention to him. However, a few days ago, he used the government's soldiers and horses for you, and he clearly showed his favor to you. Do you think His Royal Highness and those people can let him do this Does your identity stay in the capital?"
Chu Qiao's hands were extremely cold, and her mind was buzzing, only to hear Xiao Ba's voice piercingly ringing in her ears, and said angrily: "I don't ask you to find a way to keep His Highness in the capital, I just ask you to help me Get a piece of paper. Your Highness won't take me there, so I'll go by myself. At least I can serve the soup in the morning and evening, so that he won't be left alone on the road. Your Highness is kind to me, and I won't repay my kindness like some people ,ungrateful."
After a long time, Chu Qiao raised her head, fixedly looked at Xiao Ba's picturesque face, and said indifferently: "Xiao Ba, do you have to be born like this with me?"
"What is Sixth Sister talking about, what is your identity, what is Xiaoba's identity, how dare I climb above you? What's more..."
"If you talk like that again, leave me immediately, don't beg me for anything, I'll pretend I don't have your sister!" Chu Qiao suddenly said angrily in a cold voice.
Xiao Ba was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at the furious Chu Qiao, unable to say a word for a moment.
"What are you complaining about, what are you angry about? Are you angry that I couldn't protect you and take you away? Or angry that I can't avenge Zhixiang and Linxi today, but also consider the thief as my husband and commit myself to the enemy?" Chu Qiao was angry. Said, "Over the years, you have had a hard life, and I may not have a happy life. I thought you were dead, and I blamed myself for fourteen years. But today you came to the door, sneering and sarcastic, is this the sisterhood between you and me? ?”
The midday sun shone in, casting bright white spots on the ground. Chu Qiao stood up, looked at her coldly, and said, "It's been fourteen years, how many things have happened in the meantime? All you think about is your own misfortune and sorrow, and then blame everything on others. I I really doubt that you are still the strong and brave sister I knew back then. You named yourself Wuxin, so is it really heartless?"
Xiao Ba stood where he was, his face pale. Chu Qiao suddenly felt very tired, as if every piece of skin in her body was clamoring for fatigue.
She turned around slowly, and said lightly: "You go, I will take care of Zhao Song's matter." Then she turned around and ignored Xiao Ba.
After a long time, Xiaoba left. Chu Qiao watched her leave the Sima Mansion under the escort of Mei Xiang and others through the window paper. Her back was thin and her clothes were snow-white, as if she was about to melt into the boundless snow.
Chu Qiao watched and remembered what she said just now: under house arrest, wandering alone, falling into prostitution...
She bit her lips tightly, her heart became more and more sad, and she sat alone until the dusk.
Zhuge Yue hugged her from behind, and a deep voice sounded from behind, with a trace of reproach, "Why didn't you eat tonight?"
Chu Qiao just leaned against his arms like a fish swimming in water, so relaxed. She held his hand, not wanting to speak in a dull mood, just looking at his hand like that, counting the calluses in his hand carefully.
"Xiaoba is here?"
"Well," Chu Qiao nodded, "You already knew, why didn't you tell me?"
"I've always wanted to say it, but I didn't find a chance." Zhuge Yue smiled and said helplessly, "Believe it or not, this matter has always been on my mind, and it's also a heart problem. After all, I didn't treat her very well in those years. Well, she ran away a few times, and I beat her. I had a weird temper back then, and I kept holding her after I rescued her, but I just didn’t want to let her go. When I’m in a good mood, I teach her to read, write, and practice martial arts. Because she looks like you, show her face. In those years on the mountain, there was no maid by her side, and she always served by her side. She has a weird temper now, and I think it is also the reason for me."
"How long has she been with Zhao Song?"
"It's been two or three years." Zhuge Yue recalled, "I heard that Zhao Song dotes on her very much. She once accidentally killed one of Zhao Song's favorite concubines, and Zhao Song didn't pursue it."
Chu Qiao was silent for a long time before slowly saying: "Maybe she is interested in Zhao Song."
Zhuge Yue smiled and said, "It doesn't matter who she is interested in, as long as you don't get angry with me."
"What about Zhao Song?"
"Don't worry, Zhao Yang wants to cover the sky with one hand, and he still wants to ask if we agree. But I don't think there is anything wrong with Zhao Song leaving the capital. Sooner or later there will be chaos in Zhenhuang City. For him, it is better to leave than to stay. It's much safer to go down."
Chu Qiao actually thought of this, and frowned slightly, "Then what should I do?"
"I plan to let him go to Qianghu. Firstly, it is close to the Northland and within Zhao Che's sphere of influence. Secondly, it is the gathering place of Qiang people. They live a prosperous life and the coastal climate is still mild."
Chu Qiao nodded and said, "Just do as you say."
"Then I'll make arrangements tomorrow. Do you want to send him off and see him?"
Chu Qiao thought for a long time, but still shook her head, "Maybe he doesn't want to see me, so don't worry about it."
Zhuge Yue said: "But I think you should go see him."
Chu Qiao raised her head and frowned at him. Zhuge Yue smiled and said, "Don't look at me like that, I don't mean anything else, I just don't want you to blame yourself like this all day long, what happened back then can't be blamed on you."
then? Chu Qiao's vision gradually became hazy, and the day on Xiangzhi Mountain flashed in her mind. The man stood tall, his clothes danced lightly, his black hair was stained with frost, and his empty sleeve looked like a rootless catkin.
The memory has long been dusty, and now it is torn apart, things are different, only the red maple is dyed, just like back then. It snowed all night, and the entire Zhenhuang City was shrouded in a vast expanse of white. Opening the door early in the morning, the snow was more than a foot thick, and it fell to the knees. The white snow was flying on the flat ground, and the white hair was blowing so hard that people could not open their eyes. The soldiers guarding the city yawned and opened the heavy city gate before the sun rose. They seemed to see a vague shadow in the muddy light. When they wanted to open their eyes and take a closer look, they kept going The people waiting at the gate of the city had already swarmed up.
A simple blue-cloth carriage with ebony doors and shafts, the sound of the wheels rolling up the white snow on the flat ground, rolling down two deep ruts on the long street. The carriage looks unpretentious, and there is no complaint when following the crowd of people in line. The guards at the city gate take it for granted that this is by no means a dignitary of Zhenhuang City, and take the expensive carriage fee as a matter of course, shouting and shouting. He drank and played a few times with prestige.
After waiting for about an hour, the carriage left Zhenhuang City. The sun rose lazily, shining white through the morning mist. The migratory birds have already flown away, and the rest are hardy eagles, howling and flying across the sky, their wings are all white, and occasionally they fly into the clouds and disappear, only the long howling can be heard Echoes on the snow field.
When the carriage arrived at Xiema Ridge outside the city, they saw a young girl standing quietly on the Yangguan Bridge. She was wearing a white fur coat, Su Qing's small riding boots, and her eyes were picturesque, probably because she had stood in the cold wind for a long time, her cheeks were flushed, she was a little less harsh and cold than usual, and she had a little more of a rare look. Gentle. Seeing the carriage approaching, she smiled and took a step forward. The horse followed obediently, and the snow on the ground creaked under the feet.
The coachman was also a young man, only sixteen or seventeen years old at most, he seemed a little surprised when he saw her, and turned his head to say something to the people in the carriage. A thin hand stretched out, slightly raised the curtain of the carriage, revealing the man's good-looking eyes and a pair of tightly furrowed eyebrows.
"Why are you here?" Zhao Song's voice was no longer clear and sunny as it used to be, but became a little deep. For so many years, it has always been like a pool of stagnant water, without any waves.
But that's okay, after all, he was like this when she first met him, calm, gentle, and not interested in anything. So he gradually withdrew from Daxia's political arena, from a royal heir with infinite glory, to the embarrassing and lonely one where no one sent him off even when he was sent on a long journey.
Maybe apart from her, no one in the entire imperial city will remember him anymore.
Xiao Ba smiled quietly, the corners of his mouth still habitually showing a bit of sarcasm. She took a step forward, handed the reins to the boy in the carriage very naturally, and said, "A Jiang, go and harness the horse."
Zhao Song frowned slightly, and said in a deep voice, "What are you doing?"
Xiao Ba raised his eyebrows and smiled at him, with clear eyes, and said very naturally: "Of course I will go with you."
Zhao Song was still frowning, his face was a little gloomy, with a rare trace of impatience, "Wuxin, don't mess around."
Xiaoba is now called Wuxin, Wuxin Wuxin, that is, without heart.
In her life, she has had countless different names. She no longer remembers the days when she was in the Jing family when she was a child, and the only relatives she remembers are Zhixiang and Linxi. Because of her young age, she is not the child of the wife of the Jing family, and her name has even been forgotten by her brothers and sisters of the same age. Seven, little eight, and little nine, like animals, are just some cold numbers, not even as good as a purebred war horse.
Later, she was rescued by Zhuge Yue, and lived with him under Mr. Wolong's family for nearly seven years. In those few years, she also had a name, but this name was chosen by Zhuge Yue in order to prevent people around her from knowing her identity, and the purpose was nothing more than to protect the elder sister who lived in Shengjin Palace.
The moment she heard the news of Zhuge Yue's death, she actually cried. This was the most unforgivable thing she had done over the years.