Chu Qiao's fingertips turned white, and the voice of the old armored soldiers echoed in her mind again, like a beautiful wind music.
"My lord, will you follow me?"
Chu Qiao shook her head and smiled faintly, "I want to stay here."
He Xiao nodded, bowed and saluted, "My lord, take care."
There is a little dew outside the window, and the moon is big and white at night. Chu Qiao looked at the quiet moonlit night and murmured, "The wind is going to blow."
The Zhuge family sent three noble ladies with curly hair, but Chu Qiao dismissed them all. An older woman from the Jing family also asked for it, but Chu Qiao didn't agree. In the end, it was still Mei Xiang who was sent to the bedroom the night before her wedding.
Mei Xiang, who has always been strong, had her hands trembling slightly, and she put on the Jinsi Begonia Wen Jinxiu Yunji Clothes for her. , purple blood jade, gold medal and purple ribbon, head full of pearls and emeralds, and golden luan colorful wings, under the shining lights, it looks resplendent and splendid.
Mei Xiang's tears rolled down from her eyes, but the corners of her mouth were raised high, her smile was as bright as a cloud of smoke.
Chu Qiao stretched out her hand to wipe away her tears, and hugged the woman who had been by her side for many years. The rouge on her cheeks was like maple red in September, with a golden radiance.
"Miss." Mei Xiang hugged her, her voice trembling, crying uncontrollably, "Miss, miss..."
She was speechless, just hugged Chu Qiao, called Miss, and then shed tears wantonly.
Early the next morning, Chu Qiao finally ushered in her big wedding day.
Bian Tang's ceremonial officers and guards were by his side, completely following the etiquette of a princess's wedding. The luan car set off from Zhuge's mansion and came to Bian Tang's other courtyard in Zhenhuang. First received the imperial decree from the former emperor Li Ce, and then received the gift from the current Tang emperor Li Xiuyi, and left Zhuangyi Gate and Qiankun Gate. The drums are beating together, the mantle is red and silk, the brocade is as red as red, and the gold leaf is scattered like frost and snow along the way. Zhenhuang sent a large number of ceremonial officials to accompany him, and the sound of drums and music was all a gift of marriage.
The people are crowded together, densely packed like mountains and seas. Eighty brides and grooms were sitting in the small luan chariot. Behind the luan chariot were all the sisters and noble ladies of Zhuge's family. Chu Qiao's palms were slippery, and she seemed to be sweating a lot. The red hipa covered her sight, and she could only hear the joyful sound of gongs and drums.
Chu Qiao's heart became tense, the motorcade gradually approached Sima Mansion, the road was already familiar to her heart, Chu Qiao knew that if nothing happened, on the Peacock Bridge in front, Bian Tang's ceremony officer would hand over the wedding sedan chair For the ceremonial officer of Daxia, Zhuge Yue will meet the bride on the Peacock Bridge.
However, as soon as they reached Yueliu Lake, the luan car suddenly stalled and stopped.
Chu Qiao's heart skipped a beat, and almost at the same time, a simple and melodious bell sounded suddenly from the direction of Shengjin Palace. Fourteen desolate and solemn bells echoed on the wide long street, five long and nine short, different from the nine long and five short emperor's voices that I had heard before, the sound at this moment sounded solemn and depressed, as if there was a blue sky The sound of the wind roared across this luxurious and beautiful land.
All the sounds of walking, standing, looking into the distance, and being busy stopped at the same time, and there was a moment of silence between the sky and the earth, and even the birds in the sky seemed to have stopped flying. I don't know who was the first to react, followed by everyone kneeling on the ground, prostrating in the direction of Shengjin Palace.
A huge cry burst into the sky, and came from the direction of Ziwei Square.
Chu Qiao pulled off her hipa, opened the curtains, and the breeze blew on her temples, shaking her hair gently.
Until this moment, she suddenly understood one thing.
Emperor Xia, passed away...
The ceremony officials of Daxia burst into tears, while the accompanying ceremony officials of Bian Tang were dumbfounded, not knowing how to deal with such an emergency.
Zhuge Huai came from behind on horseback, commanding the team to return the same way with a solemn expression.
As the breeze blew through the car curtain, Chu Qiao looked at the Peacock Bridge across the blue lake from a distance, and the chaos in her heart was like the tide of a lake, rolling in waves one after another. As the convoy drifted away, the Peacock Bridge was vaguely transformed into a stone pier in a cage of smoke, covered by layers of flowers, red willows and greenery, which could no longer be seen clearly.
Chu Qiao suddenly became flustered, she didn't know where she was, as if she had returned to the winter day in Qianzhang Lake, the two gradually drifted away, and were finally covered by snow, boundless.
She lifted up the hem of her skirt and pushed open the door of the Luan car.
"Your Highness!" A pair of thin hands suddenly held her tightly, Yu Xiaohe looked at Chu Qiao who was about to jump off the car in shock, and shouted in panic, "What is Your Highness going to do?"
At this moment, a person in front of him turned his head, his slender eyes were like a cold deep pool, he was three points like Zhuge Yue, it was Zhuge Yue's elder brother Zhuge Huai.
Chu Qiao's movements gradually froze. Facing thousands of armored soldiers, she slowly closed the car door, then sat on the back of the chair and remained silent.
Chu Qiao was brought back to the Bian Tang post house, and she sat in the room for a whole day without taking a step out. In the evening, Ping An came to report that there were frequent mobilizations of soldiers and horses outside the city, and the cause of the emperor's death had not yet been announced in the Shengjin Palace.
After the sky was completely dark, the Bian Tang post house was completely surrounded by people, and even Ping An couldn't go out to inquire about the news.
On the branches of the moon, there was a sudden noise of footsteps outside the post house, as if a large number of people surrounded the post house layer by layer. Ping An ran out to negotiate, but only a slender man came in.
Zhuge Huai stood at the door, still smiling modestly, but his attitude was not as good as before.
"The city is chaotic, please wait here for His Royal Highness King Xiuli, and don't walk around casually."
Chu Qiao nodded, and replied very gently: "I understand, brother, don't worry."
Zhuge Huai smiled lightly, turned around and walked out without making a sound.
In the middle of the night, there was a sudden sound of fighting in the sky from the direction of Shengjin Palace, the sound of crossbows, screams, and the deceptive but more chaotic sound of gongs and drums, all mixed together.
Ping An anxiously ran in and shouted: "Sister, we are surrounded by people!"
Chu Qiao was still in her wedding dress, sitting on the main seat, holding a teacup, she didn't move when she heard the words, only frowning slightly, which proved that she heard what the child said.
"Sister! We will protect you and kill you!"
Jingjing put on a samurai uniform and carried a small bow and arrow. Several elderly Bian Tang officials stood aside in panic, their faces pale with fright.
Chu Qiao shook her head, looked out the door, half-clenching her fists, her bright red auspicious outfit looked so coquettish under the candlelight that it seemed to be stained with blood.
"Miss, that Zhuge Huai is not a good person, he is putting us under house arrest." Mei Xiang also stepped forward and said.
At the second watch, the shouting and killing outside gradually stopped, Zhuge Huai came to the door again, this time without any cover-up, he said frankly: "Please come with me."
"How's Rong'er?"
"Don't worry, I have no grievances with Li Ce, as long as you are willing to cooperate, I guarantee that the kid will be fine."
Chu Qiao stood up and said straightforwardly, "I'll go with you."
Zhuge Huai glanced at her appreciatively, and said approvingly, "The fourth son's vision is pretty good."
"Aren't you afraid of retribution for betraying your family?"
Zhuge Huai laughed. His forbearance for many years must have finally been vented today. He smiled lightly and said, "Betrayed the family? How do you know it wasn't the family who abandoned him?"
Chu Qiao's eyes narrowed immediately, she meditated for a moment, and finally nodded and said: "I understand."
"Sure enough, he is a smart person, and he can understand it with one click."
Chu Qiao asked: "What benefits can Zhao Yang give the Zhuge Clan, is it worth taking such a big risk for you?"
"It's no good." Zhuge Huai said lightly, "It's just that if Zhao Yang is in power, Daxia will still be Daxia, and the clan will still be a clan; if Zhao Che is in power, Daxia will become Qinghai, Donghu, where the clan will go, I'm not sure."
really. Chu Qiao nodded and stopped answering.
"The fourth child has been surrounded in Ziwei Square, and he only has the 3,000 soldiers with him. The other soldiers are outside the city. The Gyeonggi Army, the Xiaoqi Battalion, and the Green Battalion are all ours. Now Zhao Che's Donghu Army has left the city and headed east. Fleeing, he has no way to return to heaven, and if he persists, he will die. If you can persuade him to surrender, I can still save his life."
Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows, looked at him fixedly, and asked, "Are you serious?"
Zhuge Huai smiled, "There is absolutely no falsehood."
"Okay, winner and loser, I have nothing to say, let's lead the way."
Zhuge Huai said: "Then I have to wrong you."
Chu Qiao stretched out her hand and said, "Come on."
Two guards with swords came forward, holding ropes, and were about to tie up Chu Qiao.
The room was brightly lit, and the shouting outside had stopped, Chu Qiao was dressed in auspicious attire, with a calm expression. Two burly men stood beside her, holding her arm with one hand. Zhuge Huai stood opposite her, followed by four personal guards.
Candles are crackling, the wind is whistling, in the dark, it seems to have passed through the white time, and heard the earnest teachings of the old instructors.
The shot must be quick, the position recognition must be accurate, the mentality must be stable, and the strength must be ruthless...
At the moment when the rope was knotted, Chu Qiao's figure flashed, she squatted down, and staggered the guard's hand. She shot very quickly, and pulled out the sabers of the two big men with both hands like thunder. Splash, red light suddenly appeared!
Before the two screams pierced the eardrums, the two steel knives were pulled out and thrown, piercing the hearts of the two guards who rushed forward. Chu Qiao stepped forward, stretched out her hand and grabbed a man's neck, and fell over her shoulder. She clasped her wrist badly, and there was a sudden clicking sound, and the man's body fell to the ground in a strange posture.
Seeing that Zhuge Huai was about to run away under the protection of the only remaining guard, Chu Qiao pulled out a red hairpin and threw it away. He jumped up neatly on the spot, grabbed the guard's hair, dragged his hands, tore off a large piece of bloody scalp, wrapped around the man's neck, twisted it hard, the man struggled with his legs twice, and immediately rolled his eyes.
Everything happened in an instant, Chu Qiao took care of the last guard, walked slowly to Zhuge's arms with a red hairpin stuck around his neck, took out a dagger from his boots, and said calmly: Cole, do you have anything else to say?"
Zhuge Huai opened his eyes wide and struggled desperately. Chu Qiao swung down the blade suddenly, and a streak of blood flew out immediately.
The gate was opened with a bang, and the night wind blew flatly, whistling and rolling up the yellow sand and fallen leaves.
All the soldiers in the courtyard looked up at the same time, and saw a woman in a red auspicious uniform standing coldly in front of the door, holding Zhuge Huai's head in her hand, her eyes were cold, and she threw the head on the ground with a flick of her hand
The sound of horses rattling outside the post house, a large number of torches gathered around, the guards looked back in panic, but saw a red cloud flag with a white background flying among the torches all over the sky, with the word "Xiuli" written on it. He Xiao rode his horse into the door, holding a one-year-old child in his arms, and said loudly: "My lord, it's a good luck not to disgrace my life!"
Chu Qiao walked into the crowd fearlessly, and a general wearing the uniform of a high-ranking officer realized it at this moment, and shouted loudly: "Brothers! Avenge Young Master Huai! Kill this..."
However, before he could finish his words, a sharp arrow shot over with a whizzing sound, piercing his throat precisely, and bringing out a strange crimson in the dark night.
He Xiao was expressionless, followed by countless black-armored sergeants, everyone holding crossbow arrows, like a group of stones who could not speak, looking at everyone in the field coldly.
A gloomy atmosphere lingered in the venue, Chu Qiao was dressed in a red auspicious dress, embroidered with the pattern of the first-rank princess Jin Luan. She casually picked up a saber from the ground, turned over and jumped onto the horse that He Xiao had brought, her eyes swept over the people in the arena, wherever she went, the air pressure was low, like a layer of icy sea water.