Changes in the sky
Volume 2: The Edge of Heaven
Chapter 180: Siege
The last person who flashed through my mind and had nothing to do with what was happening was Pei'er. I thought to myself that she was carrying my flesh and blood, and I was about to be in danger, but I couldn't send a message to her from thousands of miles away. And there were so many people around me, they also had families, what would happen to their families
I couldn't help but look up to the sky and cry out: "If wisdom is so great, what about the people?"
After the roar, he took his weapon and rushed forward, charging into the dark shadows emerging from the corridor.
As far as I can remember, the first person to fall was hit in the face by me. I can't describe what happened after that. I never talked about this in front of Yinling Pei'er, so these memories and everything else before and after were all lost without any warning.
All I know is that I want to survive, and that's enough.
There was a sudden burst of shouting and screaming from all directions. In the midst of wind, rain, thunder and lightning, many people dressed as eunuchs also joined the battle, but they were my helpers.
The thieves were dressed in black and were clearly separated from us. Most of them were ordinary people. Although they were ruthless, they wielded swords without any rules. The only one who looked like a chief was really skilled and easily injured several people dressed as eunuchs. He shouted loudly, slashed and killed with great force, cut a bloody path, approached the thief, and shouted: Get out of the way, leave this thief to me. The chief began to evade and retreat, not wanting to fight me, which made me suspicious. Since he came here, why did he do this
I felt something was wrong, so I ordered my men to continue to deal with the bandits. I was even more surprised when I saw the bandits escaping to the corridor, so I chased the enemy leader alone. I thought that this place had been visited by me all the time, so I thought that they would not be able to set a trap to harm me in such a short time.
As we got closer, there were only two of us left in the corridor, and the sound of killing suddenly became louder. I was a little afraid that there were still thieves beside me, so I slowed down my pace. The thief leader also stopped and turned around, took another step back, stabilized his body, and stabbed with his spear. I thought to myself that it was a good opportunity, so I loosened the handle with my left hand and went straight to grab the spear head, and handed the stick to my right hand, and the wolf fangs attacked his face, thinking to myself, this is the only skill I can show off.
The thief dodged backwards, but the door cloth was caught by my sharp weapon.
I know this guy! He took a few steps back in panic, gritted his teeth, and was about to go forward again.
"Are you not hurt?... Go! Go quickly! Consider this my return of the favor." Looking at him, I immediately understood one thing.
“… Thank you, sir, please leave quickly. There are still people behind who are trying to cause trouble, and they are too numerous to stop.” He also paused, and when he saw my waving gesture, he was even a little moved.
"I knew it when I saw you. And... don't see me when you go out. I was only scraped off my mask by a g-faced man with a weapon. I was afraid of revealing my identity, so I quickly escaped into the corridor and left in the dark. If you ask if it's me, you just seem to be a little short in stature, but maybe I bent my knees and did it on purpose."
"Thank you, Lord Yuehou... Take care..."
So he turned back and joined the others to kill the bandits. In less than a moment, all the bandits were dead. Those who were not dead bit their tongues to commit suicide. Only the chieftain escaped. Looking at their faces, most of them looked like rough men. Although they were dressed neatly in black, their hair was dirty and messy, and their beards were messy. Thinking of the fight just now, they were only brave and fierce but had no sword skills. They didn't look like soldiers, but more like bandits in the mountains.
Fortunately, I know the chief.
Several watchers left behind in the four directions returned in response to my order. One in the northwest corner saw people coming out of the kitchen, but there were so many people, so he obeyed my order without saying anything. I nodded and said yes. They also reported that they saw nothing unusual behind the wall behind the fight.
I felt much more at ease, at least it was not out of my control for the time being.
If we don't allow them to make any noise, the people outside will not know the real situation. If we don't leave anyone to guard the outer courtyards and houses, they will not be able to send signals to inform the outside world of the situation inside. The outsiders will not dare to rush in to reinforce. When the thieves go deep inside, they will be defeated by us. Even if the outsiders have the intention, they will not dare to act rashly because they only know the real situation inside.
“I am sorry for offending all the imperial guards and for making you wear eunuchs’ clothes. Please forgive me if this is humiliating.” Before I could even catch my breath, I bowed.
"Just obey the orders of Lord Yue." Their voices finally returned to normal.
"I don't know where those damn eunuchs have gone." I decided to make them laugh.
Everyone did laugh and spoke freely and happily.
"Okay, heroes, please lead everyone down the mountain quickly, hold torches, lead the horses and walk, with the horses on the outside."
Finally, one of the leaders asked me: Why doesn’t Lord Yue want to go with us
"If I stay, no one will attack you. Remember, walk with your head held high, but don't rush. Even if it rains and blows, go back slowly with me. Fortunately, the rain is not heavy, so you must walk with candles and lanterns. I have a clever plan that you haven't seen. Two groups of people escaped a few days ago and both left safely."
Then, I gathered all the people and asked them to leave together. I told them to look after each other and to make sure they all went down the mountain together without any warning.
The garden was deserted, but the surroundings were still quiet. I could calculate that no one would come until everyone left far away.
They would not ambush this team, because they could not find me or other important people in it. In the drizzle, surrounded by torches, it is impossible for me to hide. And if they cannot find me, everything they do is meaningless. What is the point of attacking this team? It may only make the emperor angry, but there is no other meaning.
Until now, I firmly believe that they do not have an absolute advantage in numbers, otherwise they would not have appeared in so many twists and turns. And I have a biggest advantage, this is the Royal Forest, the longer the time, the better for me. I believe that the reinforcements will arrive soon. The reason why they have not arrived yet, in addition to the fact that I asked them to go slowly, there is another most critical problem. I asked them to find another person, and it is really difficult to mobilize troops for this person. But I have to do this, because I have considered a very serious problem. I don’t know if it exists, but once it is as I think, it can only be so. Even if it does not exist, all I need to pay is more patience and more confusing delay time.
When they saw this group of people, they must have guessed that the two important people had left earlier. I was probably stamping my feet in regret. Of course, if the target was really me, I had no idea how they would guess. They were not allowed to think that I had left without knowing when. In short, at the beginning, I was in the light and the enemy was in the dark. If I didn't want to be manipulated by others, I would hide myself in the dark in advance, forcing the enemy to show up. Because they really have less and less time, and they should still be a little confused at the moment. If someone of them has been monitoring this garden, the first time they saw me after I entered the garden should be on the observation tower before the first two groups of people left. The last time they saw me, except for an old friend who I let go, was also on the observation tower after the two groups left. After dark, I never appeared in public again.
Let them guess!
Silver bells are always knocking on my head, and I am right. I have been taking risks, and it seems that I have never changed. But if I am not taking risks, others will definitely guess it. I take risks so that others will not be able to think of it, or even if they do think of it, they will not understand it. In the end, when they know it, they will definitely think I am a lunatic.
But I think this is the safest way. Of course, if my parents knew about it, they would definitely scold me for making trouble.
But what those people did was the most invisible. I was wasting time, and they were waiting. I would be more and more advantageous, and they would be more and more disadvantaged.
Their chance to succeed in one blow has passed, but my chances of exposing these thieves are increasing.
At this moment, I took off my hunting clothes, removed my crown, put on a frown, and waited quietly in the stable. I wanted to wait for them to come and search, and play hide-and-seek with them. The garden is so big, I want to see how they search this dead and silent garden that seems to be empty no matter how you look at it.
The reason why I chose the stable is that except for one side against the wall, there is almost no shelter on three sides. It is a place that can be seen clearly in the daytime, but now there are no stars or moon, it is raining, and it is dark all around, but I can blend in with the blackened wall behind me.
I have to admit that wearing black clothes is sometimes really convenient.
The place that can hide people the most is not necessarily the most remote and deep place, but the place you least expect. As an expert in playing this game, I nestled in the scattered grass and waited for changes.
The rain was not heavy. Apart from the dripping water under the eaves, no sound of rain could be heard. Instead, the mountain breeze came in gusts of inexplicable sadness and went away in loneliness.
After a while, a dark shadow entered the yard in the rain, which made me nervous for a moment, but I soon recognized it as a black horse, which ran in by itself and lingered around me for a while, expressing its confusion about my behavior. But soon it ignored me and ate the hay in the trough by itself.
It seems that I underestimated Hei's courage. I remember that I let someone take Hei away. How did he break free by himself? I must admit again that having a black but overly courageous mount sometimes makes me feel at a loss as to what to do.
It was very quiet, which meant that the danger seemed far away, but its appearance might very well tell the thieves that I was in the garden!
But this time I overlooked one thing and underestimated a person's courage.
Perhaps this kind of detail is really not my forte.
So my good luck ended, at least temporarily, and my troubles began, and they are far from over.
Just as I was looking at the black butt, feeling amused and not knowing what to do, another short and thin black shadow flashed into the yard.
Hei did not feel uneasy at all. He continued to eat grass peacefully, without paying any attention to the suspicion of the people behind him.
The black shadow seemed to have noticed Hei as well. He moved closer to the stable and grabbed the reins, as if trying to lead Hei away. However, Hei was obviously more interested in the things in the trough and was very uncooperative. He shook his head away in an unceremonious manner.
This person obviously didn't know how to lead a horse. The horse's head swayed slightly, which actually frightened her. She screamed "Ah" and quickly let go and stepped back.
Hearing this sound, I was really scared even though I had been able to remain calm.
She quickly pulled off the black veil from her upper body, walked out of the stable, and tried to keep her voice down: "Princess, how did you get here?"
Just as I walked out, the princess screamed again in surprise, and squatted on the ground with her head in her hands. When she heard my voice, she suddenly jumped up, and I didn't know whether she was happy or crying, and she jumped directly into my arms.
"I couldn't see you, and your black horse ran away, so I ran away too. They didn't recognize me in my current appearance and didn't care about me. They just treated me as a eunuch who went to change clothes..." The princess seemed to be suddenly frightened, and her tears were probably heavier than the rain.
But I suddenly felt that I had messed up this time.
I couldn't get angry at this princess sister. But I was really upset. All my plans were dragged into a direction where I couldn't imagine the consequences because of this accident.
I dragged her hand and walked into the room next to me, wiping away the footprints on the wooden steps and the floor. I felt it was inappropriate for me to bring the princess into a place like a stable, although the situation was already quite urgent and I shouldn't have considered it. I opened the door and looked outside through the crack, calming down my irritability. I didn't feel that the room was brighter after opening the door, but sometimes there would be some lightning in the sky, which would slightly outline the tables in front of me, and then there would be muffled thunder. I could feel that someone around me shivered after each flash, although I hadn't heard the thunder yet.
Yinling told me the story of the God of Thunder and the Goddess of Lightning in the sky (the title of God of Thunder has existed since the Warring States Period, but the official title of Goddess of Lightning did not exist until the Song Dynasty. In this book, it is considered a folk legend that is not included in the history books). It seems that their situation is similar to that of our family. If Goddess of Lightning does not show her power, God of Thunder dares not even fart. So I am still stronger, at least I dare to fart.
I feel more balanced and a little more relaxed.
The princess asked me why I opened the door while sobbing.
If a thief sees the door of a house wide open, he will be less cautious in checking the house. If the door is bolted from the inside, it means someone is inside.
Oh, yeah.
I think the princess is much braver than I thought. She can still say such things now. I just relaxed temporarily after playing a trick on Lei Gong and Dian Mu. Faced with such a dangerous situation, she really didn't seem to take it seriously, although she still sniffled from time to time.
Seeing the princess's mood, I decided to talk to her about the following plan.
Now the bandits see the princess coming in, they will surely follow. If only a few of them come in, I am still confident that I can kill them. I will wait for their clothes, and when all the bandits swarm in, I will take the opportunity to ride away on horseback and head straight for Taiyi Mountain.
Why are you going there? You are passing by a place where someone has set an ambush.
The forest there was dense and dark, and it was impossible to see. Moreover, since there were originally huge trees blocking the path, they did not expect us to cross. On the way back, we were more likely to be ambushed.
In fact, I didn't have another way. Besides, I was already familiar with the way to Mount Taiyi. When I led people to rescue Ziyu before, and when I went from Shanghe to Luoshui to bypass the pass, I had considered the winding paths in Nanshan (today's Qinling Mountains). Although I had not walked many of the paths, I had walked these paths countless times in my mind. In addition, Zishi and I arranged the Taiyi Ceremony together, so these paths were more firmly imprinted in my mind. There was only one way for me to go down the mountain, and when I went into the mountain, I was like a fish in the river and the sea. Even if they wanted to catch me, it would be difficult to find such a big net.
Of course the drawback is that these thieves can also hide in it.
If Ziyu brings people with him, it will be difficult to catch these thieves.
I don't know why Ziyu is so slow, the news should have reached his ears. Unless... if that's the case, he trusts me too much.
It was still quiet outside the door, as if nothing would happen.
The princess leaned against me and seemed a little cold. I took off my coat and wrapped it around her, then gently put the gun on the floor.
I didn't choose to report the news to Zishi.
Because I thought there might be thieves hiding in the Yulin Guard, I sent all the people with Qingzhou accents down the mountain in advance, considering their tip-offs. And letting them go to Ziyu instead of Zishi, who actually still holds the power to mobilize troops in Shanglin, is not only to prevent those around Zishi who may be unfavorable to me from getting any wind, but also for a deeper consideration.
I only asked the Second Prince to bring a verbal message, and there was no other emergency document.
"My second brother is dressed up as a princess and looks quite like a girl." The second princess felt warmer and her sobbing stopped at some point. She calmed down for a moment and suddenly thought of this sentence.
"Because he's still good-looking, with delicate features, he hasn't grown up yet, he doesn't have a beard, and his voice is still that of a boy. He will look like that after putting on a woman's makeup."
"How did Brother Zirui come up with this idea?"
This involves a past memory that I don't want to talk about - when I was very young - of course, Yinling must have been among the perpetrators, and the group of sisters in the neighborhood couldn't escape. As for Pei'er, it seems that she never came to Xiangyang after I stopped crawling on the ground. After chasing them and being written all over by them, I finally grew up. It seems that I was able to speak at that time, but unfortunately, they seemed to have reached the age to learn how to dress up; even more unfortunately, they lacked confidence in dressing up, and when they didn't know what to do, I passed by them at an inopportune time and was successfully discovered by them, and at the same time inspired their inspiration. It is unknown who came up with the evil idea first, but the result is obvious: Yinling and her girlfriends' curiosity and evil thoughts overwhelmed the moral sentiment of caring for the young, so they received good dressing training. Now think about it, it should be the last madness of the group of sisters before getting married.
Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang always laughed out loud when they mentioned this. I felt a little embarrassed and tried to find something to change the subject, but Yinling said that everything was just empty talk.
My life is really rich and colorful. In addition to the things that will be recorded in history books and known to everyone in the world, in fact, in my early years I was a hound searching for handkerchiefs, practicing calligraphy on bamboo slips, a dressing puppet, and so on. Well... it would be better to add "etc.", because there were still a few years before I turned fifteen.
I started to miss Yinling, but when I thought of the person next to me, I felt a sense of hidden danger.
Compared with this, the thieves outside who may appear at any time are really not worth mentioning.
But I have to mention it because they really showed up.
Between the cracks of the door, a black shadow flashed on the wall, followed by a muffled cry from Hei, and then a person jumped in. This person's footsteps were light, as if he was a person who traveled through the mountains all year round. This person seemed to look around, and only felt that this black shadow was swaying in the yard like a headless fly, and seemed to swing his arm to throw something outside. I only heard a sound of tiles on the wall, as if someone climbed in from the walls everywhere. This person first went to the stable to check Hei, but couldn't find anything unusual, so he turned around and searched, and seemed to go to this side of the house. After entering the house, it seemed that he didn't intend to light a light to watch, but just looked for something everywhere. He didn't notice our presence at the door at all. I was a little afraid that the princess would call out, and just when I was about to grab the gun, I found that the princess was holding my sleeve tightly, looking at the vague outline on the side, as if looking at the thief, but didn't make a sound.
The thief seemed to want to take advantage of the situation to steal some valuables, so he searched the tables and wooden shelves inside the house for some valuables, but he seemed to find nothing, and made some smacking sounds in anxiety.
The thief suddenly stopped, as if he realized something. He seemed to turn around, but his movements were not fast. He seemed to stay still for a moment, as if he was listening to some sound, and suddenly turned around and looked at the door. I think the princess also saw it, a pair of red eyes in the dark!
I never thought I would see such a scene in the dark. A person's eyes were red in the dark!
As expected, the princess took a long breath, but in such a quiet room, it almost sounded like the cry of a hawk.
I immediately raised my spear and stabbed at the three inches below the pair of red eyes. I didn't want to know where I stabbed him, and I didn't want the princess to know. I just knew that I couldn't let him make a sound, and I knew that I could do it this way. I slowly put down the spear, stepped on the thief and pulled out the spear tip. I reached out to where I had been hiding, but was immediately grabbed by someone.
I led my sister down the wooden steps, holding her in one hand, and headed towards the inner courtyard. I put her down under the porch of the neighboring courtyard. I peeked around and saw that no one seemed to be walking around, so I waited at the door. The princess leaned against the porch, squatted beside me, and said nothing.
I don't know when the rain stopped, the wind stopped too, and a drop of water occasionally fell from the eaves, clear and melodious, like the sound of a bell or stone. The garden became even quieter, as if no one had ever come in. The garden gradually seemed to be brighter, perhaps the clouds had opened up, letting in some starlight, but perhaps that was not a good thing.
After a while, an unknown bird chirped rhythmically from the outer wall. I didn't know if it meant to withdraw the troops. But I couldn't hear anyone responding, and it seemed that no one was walking around in the garden.
I guess someone was asking if they had noticed my whereabouts. If they had, they would respond and others could come closer.
I was in a passive position and could only stay still to avoid being exposed. The reason I had to come out was because I had stayed in the corpse house for too long, and I was afraid that the princess would not be able to hold back her tears. If I put myself in her shoes, it would not be fun for a girl to be with a dead body.
It's a pity that I sent Tie Tianlang away, so the gun in my hand is not very convenient to use.
Outside the wall, there was another burst of melodious bird calls, and the sound of birds roaming in the mountains was like the etiquette of hundreds of birds paying homage to the phoenix.
My staying away was a torment to them. They probably felt that my reinforcements were coming very soon. If they let me escape, all their efforts would be in vain and they would also be in danger of being exposed by me.
I originally guessed that the thieves who entered the yard were people who could not reveal the mastermind behind them, because once they failed, if someone who could prove their identity appeared, it would be a capital crime. How many of these mountain thieves could be gathered in a short time, and how many could really be counted as fighting forces, which was the main reason why I dared to do all these things before. But the appearance of that old friend meant that my consideration was wrong. Suddenly, thinking of the past of this old friend, I felt that I had figured it out.
Suddenly, I heard the noise of some dead branches being crushed outside the wall. It seemed that many people were quietly gathering here, just outside the wall of the stable.
I immediately guessed the mystery.
He made a prompt decision, picked up the princess with one hand and walked straight towards Hei, ignoring the noise outside, which was already starting to get a little noisy, with the sound of footsteps on grass and stones, as if someone was trying to climb the wall to get in. He put the princess on Hei, then he turned over and climbed up, slapped Hei's hand to break open the gate of the garden, and ran away.
The person who entered my courtyard was the first among the thieves. It might be because they saw a horse enter first, and then a "eunuch" ran in, so they chose the stable as the first path to explore. He gave orders after finding nothing to do, and everyone entered the wall and searched inside the courtyard. After a while, the birds outside the wall chirped as inquiries, and then each courtyard responded in the order of entry, indicating whether I was in this courtyard or not. If they left quietly, it must mean that they had been killed by me, or that they had discovered me and were not convenient to make a sound. In this way, as long as the bird chirping stopped in a certain courtyard, it would mean that I was there.
That's why they added a melodious and rhythmic sound. They wanted to gather the thieves who were originally scattered everywhere to come here to find me. The other thieves were scattered in various courtyards. Once they saw me, they only needed to hide in the dark, or attack by surprise, or report the news, and they would be able to show my whereabouts.
There was no time to lose. He put one arm around the princess to protect her and with the other hand, wielding his spear, he rushed out.
When I opened the door, I suddenly felt an arrow flying from the side. I just managed to push the princess' head away, but the arrow just happened to get stuck on the side of my robe. I felt a cool breeze blowing in through the torn clothes on my side, which really shocked me. I leaned over to protect the princess and ran towards Taiyi Mountain.
I heard a few more arrow shots behind my ears, but they were eventually drowned out by the sound of horses' hooves hitting the wooden plank road. All I could hear was the sound of the wind, and the plank road was like a shining ribbon floating in the dark night.
The princess couldn't utter a word, and I couldn't utter a word either.
After running for a while, I felt that no one was chasing me, so I thought about the direction to start running. The road to Taiyi Mountain is good, but you need to change to walking at the end of the plank road, or go to an unnamed valley meadow halfway. Although there is nowhere to go, you can ride a horse. When I was studying the itinerary earlier, I also planned to rest on the meadow before accompanying them up the mountain, so that they can look around and see the scenery. I didn't expect that this early preparation would be used here. To get these, I have to go back to the first days of Shanglin. I heard those blind garden magistrates, chancellors, and other officials mention the path to Taiyi Mountain and the fun places there. In addition to the previous calculations, this time it happened to be used at this critical moment.
Considering that the Taoist temple on Mount Taiyi might not be safe, I decided to go into the mountains. As long as I wait until the next day, everything will be fine.
After walking for half an hour, the right side climbed up the steps and it was the road to Taiyi Mountain. The left side of the road also opened up. Without hesitation, he walked to the left. It was steady in the dark. Although it was slow, each step was firm. He was afraid that it would be too tired. He saw a downhill road ahead. It had just rained. He was afraid that it would be slippery and cause an accident. He dismounted and led the horse to walk slowly, leaving the princess on the horse. Fortunately, it seemed that the rain was not heavy and did not fall through. The rocks were not slippery and the soil was not muddy. The road was stable. Only then did he have time to pull out the arrowhead from his left armpit and throw it into the quiver on the saddle.
The princess was probably really frightened. After a long while, she suddenly asked, "Is Brother Zirui injured?"
I wanted to tell you the truth, but suddenly I felt that I needed to make some arrangements in advance, so I dodged in a hurry and only got a few scratches. Now I am fine. The princess reined in her horse and dismounted swiftly. She insisted on seeing it. I thought we were still in danger, so it was okay. I would go first. The starlight was dim. I only knew that I would enter a valley in the mountains. There would be many streams and caves along the way. The scenery was very beautiful during the day, but now it was just a dark door of different shades. Passing by the rocks and streams, it was easy to wash away the traces of our past.
After walking for a long time, the sky in the east gradually turned white. I heard the sound of water and approached a stream. I thought I had been walking for a long time, so I went to drink some water and asked the princess to dismount and stretch her legs.
The sky was still dark, and only some spots of flowers could be seen on the ground. The fragrance that appeared and disappeared in front of the nose did make people feel more relaxed. It should be more beautiful here during the day. I even thought about bringing Yinling to visit here in a few days. It seemed that all the troubles had left us far away.
After resting for a while by the stream, the princess wanted to see my wound again, but I refused.
"Brother Zirui, are you still going to reject me now?" In the dim morning light, the princess said with red eyes: "I don't know him, I just think Brother Zirui is good! Brother Zirui is not avoiding me now..."
Thinking that trouble had indeed come, he did not bother to talk to her and quickly pushed the issue away: "I have lived in the deep palace for many years and have not seen many young men. The ones I have seen are some palace officials or your two princes. It is only because I have seen you more often and have been closer to you that we have talked. In addition, we have heard many stories about me, so we have become familiar with each other. It would be better if you could meet more men from outside. In fact, my teacher's eldest son is gentle, respectful and kind..."
"Shi didn't listen. My mother originally wanted me to get married to Zirui... but she changed her mind later... Shi has never seen him, and she doesn't want to see him anymore..."
I stopped her from talking. I felt that this would not work. If I omitted the eldest brother after Zirui, something serious would happen. So I decided to tell a lie, a big lie. I felt that I was out of my mind tonight. Jiecai was using me to this extent, which was definitely not good.
"Sister, don't you know?" I held her hand and looked straight at her, as if what I heard was true: "Sister Ru and I are twin siblings, do you know? I am your eldest brother!"
Oh my god, what have I done!
The most damnable thing is that I continued with a righteous indignation.
"After my mother gave birth to my sister Ru, she gave birth to me a few days later. But at that time, my mother had no power in the country. The queen's relatives did not want to let your brother go, so they wanted to kill me. Fortunately, Lord Shen worked hard to save me and I was able to escape."
I told the girl, whose eyes were filled with more and more disbelief, what the Queen thought was the truth.
"This is why Queen Mother adopted me as her adopted son. Because I am your biological brother." I sighed, as if complaining about God's cruelty. Of course, in reality I was just complaining about God's constant troubles. However, what I thought was definitely very different from what the princess thought God was doing.
The girl obviously couldn't believe it. She looked at me with wide eyes and suddenly said, "Then does that mean brother Zirui is the crown prince? No wonder father has always been reluctant to give him the position of crown prince." This last sentence sounded familiar to me. I always felt that something was not right, but I put it aside for the time being, picked up her words, and quickly tried to stop her.
"No, it was your brother's fate to violate the prophecy. He was the Xiezhi, the divine beast in front of Gao Yao, who came down to the mortal world. His life was predetermined, and he can only protect our Han Dynasty and not usurp the throne. After the empire is settled, I have to return to heaven, which is why I was born a few days late. I should not have come to this world. It was only because there was a change in the palace of the Han Dynasty, and the nine states were about to fall, that your brother was sent down from heaven to support the Han Dynasty." It would be a pity if I didn't go to the Imperial Academy to open a school dedicated to teaching people to bluff.
I think if I continue to write, I will go crazy. But for Yinling and Pei'er, I am willing to continue.
The girl was silent for a while, then she murmured to herself, "It turns out that what the eunuchs and maids in the palace said was true. No wonder my mother spoke in a strange tone when she mentioned you, and no wonder my sister has been talking incoherently when she mentioned my brother recently."
"Sister, promise your brother not to go out with others. Mother and sister know everything, so I am not afraid to tell you today. Just know it. Don't reveal my identity again, or I will be recruited. Don't even mention it in front of mother and sister. They know it in their hearts, but they won't say it. Why? You also know that the eunuchs and palace maids have sharp ears and will spread it. If they hear it, I may have to leave. From now on, I can only watch you from heaven."
The girl immediately shook her head vigorously.
"Look to the north. The clouds there have not yet dispersed, and you can't see the stars. I used to live there, next to Yaoguang." Even after being deceived to this extent, I was still a little surprised that I had made up some new nonsense.
"Uh... what does it look like there?" The sister had tears in her eyes, but she continued to be deceived very seriously.
"Those were told to me later by some Taoist priests who had attained the Tao. I myself have long forgotten them. I only remember that the first people that came to my mind were your sister Yinling and your sister Pei'er who were looking at me. Later, those Taoist priests told me my life story one by one, and told me everything about my past life. Because different people told me so at different times, and there was no mistake in the cause and the end, I couldn't help but believe it. Those Taoist priests also said that your sister Yinling and sister Pei'er were here to help your eldest brother complete this task. That's why your eldest brother always survived disasters and married them both. If I died, it would mean that Gao Yao believed that I could go back." Even when I was bragging more and more mysteriously, I could still decide to leave a tail that could overturn everything, and shift the responsibility to those so-called Taoist priests when necessary, and repeatedly emphasize that they were "enlightened" Taoist priests. After all, for so many years, the art of prophecy and divination has been something that the people of our Han Dynasty firmly believe in. As for the court, according to what I have seen and heard among the officials in the palace, it seems that the officials do not believe in it very much, but the emperor does believe in it a little. So I think that prophecy and divination are mainly designed by the court, at least some people in the court, to deceive the emperor and the people, and sometimes they can also deceive princesses.
I still feel that I am becoming more and more shameless.
But my talent is such that usually by the time I figure out why I should do something, I've already thought of doing it, and before I even think of doing it, I've already done it.
Because of the emergency, the princess' unexpected return ruined all my thoughts of waiting for an opportunity. Sometimes, in order to act immediately, I can only carry the princess like a bag to speed up the process. If she and I were not siblings, my behavior would be too disrespectful and even disrespectful. Since there are so many rumors, why not make up a story that I am her biological brother? I will stay to overturn the tail of these rumors. Even if she understands that she is not allowed to have a child with the teacher's eldest son, what happened tonight should be forgotten.
The sky gradually brightened, the clouds gradually opened up, and there was no wind in the valley, which was not bad for us. The princess leaned against a big rock, wrapped tightly in the clothes I gave her, but for some reason she was in a daze, her eyes seemed to be fixed on the gradually brightening peaks in the west.
The clouds gradually faded away, reflecting the red halo, as if sending off the goddess of lightning and the god of thunder far away. The light fragrance in the breeze was still intoxicating, and my mood gradually relaxed again. I loosened the bridle of Hei a little and let him find some food by himself. Although he had not stopped eating for an hour or so, I knew that he had the same nature as me: a glutton, and he would definitely not mind adding a picnic.
It really jumped into the grass and started eating. I wonder if it has ever been full in its life. The grass should be wet now, so it seems unsuitable for feeding horses. I was about to pull it, but seeing Hei happily chewing, I thought its appetite was probably about the same as mine, so I let it go.
I didn't want to rush the princess, maybe she was really sleepy, she curled up into a ball and her eyes seemed to be slowly closing.
I was afraid that she would catch a cold, so I took off another piece of clothing and covered her with it. To her, my clothes were just a thin blanket.
After taking off my two coats, I started to feel cold. I had nothing in my stomach, and I couldn't eat the same food as Hei, although Hei didn't seem to mind sharing with me. There were some unnamed flowers and plants everywhere, and it seemed to be eating happily, but I felt that it was difficult for me to have any common language with it in terms of food selection. Really, I was very energetic at first, but after taking a break, I suddenly felt a little sleepy. It was also because of this nighttime mess and not being able to rest, I was really tired. If it wasn't for the cold that made me need to keep walking to warm myself, I was afraid that I would have planned to find a stone and lie down, just like the princess, this girl seemed to have fallen asleep.
"Oh, no, no." A shout from afar startled me, and I immediately raised my spirits, and quickly raised my gun to protect the princess. The princess was also awakened, and quickly crouched on a stone and peeked out.
After a while, a man with a basket on his back appeared from behind the woods. His clothes were tattered and untidy. Although there were rocks and weeds in the mountains, he was able to walk very fast. In a short while, he was close to me, but he was not rushing towards me. He quickly pulled the black reins that were several dozen steps away from me and then looked at me.
"How could you let your horse eat them? These are good medicine! We were waiting to pick them after the rain, and now a lot of them are damaged." Although his tone was a little anxious, he didn't seem particularly angry.
But I felt really embarrassed, so I stepped forward quickly with my gun on my back, but the princess stood up warily and hid behind a rock.
He took the reins and bowed to apologize, "I don't know how to identify herbs, so I ruined your herbs. I'm really sorry. But I didn't bring anything valuable, so I can't compensate you."
"Alas, ignorance is not a crime... Hey, you are quite polite, such a big guy." I always felt that this person was not simple. He was not wary or afraid when he saw me, just like usual. Could he be a strange man like Hua Tuo or Zuo Ci, hiding in the Nanshan Mountains and making a living by collecting herbs
"Since I really did not do it right, what else can I do?" I checked my clothes, and then remembered that my outer clothes were all on the princess, so it was inconvenient to search for them. I had to be more polite: "I really didn't bring them. Where else can I get this herb? My horse is quite strong, you can drive it away."
The man didn't refuse, "Okay."
But I still stopped him and pointed to the west. "There are thieves there now. It's dangerous to ride this horse there. You can go east."
"Are you avoiding these thieves?"
"Their target may be me. At least don't go west for the next few days. Their whereabouts are secretive and treacherous. They probably don't want to leak the news. If we meet other people, they will ask us where we are going and then kill us to silence us."
"Give me your horse, aren't you afraid that I will ride it away and never come back?" He didn't seem to listen to me, but he had already climbed onto the horse, quite skillfully, and I became more and more curious about him. However, after he got on the horse, he didn't urge the horse, but seemed to be looking at Hei with curiosity. Hei was not shy, and didn't try to push him, but he didn't plan to run either, and his four hooves stood firmly on the ground. His head was still buried in the grass, but he didn't seem to be eating grass anymore, just dragging his mouth to search for something in the grass.
"If this horse makes a mistake and eats the people's fields, I can't protect it. It's better for you to discipline it. If you don't return it, it will be regarded as compensation for your medicine."
"Actually, this horse can't be ridden for the time being..."
"But why?"
"This medicinal herb originates from the Western Regions and can only be planted in cool valleys. Back then, Marquis Bowang (Zhang Qian) brought back seeds and planted them everywhere in Shanglin, but there are only remnants in the valleys nearby. The fragrance of the flower has a calming and sleep-inducing effect, and eating it can make people fall asleep... You see, it really works on horses, too." As he spoke, he got off the horse again. After all, he was a person who traveled in the mountains, so it was too easy for him to get on and off the horse.
In a few moments, Hei Guo really fell to the ground with his hooves curled up, his eyes half-closed, and slowly his whole head drooped.
"I'm sorry, brother. It seems that this mount can't help you. I can only apologize later. Please go east instead of west to avoid any accidents.
"I came from the east, and I picked all the flowers along the way. These flowers can only be picked in the next few days. After noon, or if the weather is too hot, they will wither. I can only go west."
"Then I'll go with you. If you run into thieves, leave quickly. They're mainly looking for me, so they probably won't chase you."
"You are such a weird guy, aren't you afraid of death?"
"If you die when you should, but you kill an innocent person before you die, it's a great sin." Actually, I have my own thoughts. If these thieves look carefully, they will find our traces in the bushes sooner or later. They will find us anyway, and it doesn't seem worthwhile to kill a person who seems to be a wise man. But if I am so honest and put myself in his shoes, wouldn't it be better if he can help me escape
At least after talking for so long, I really feel that this person is not a simple herbalist. Most of the time, being honest with people is never a bad thing.
"Is that woman your beloved?" The man suddenly lowered his voice, as if he didn't want the princess to hear.
"No, sister."
"From your eyes, she does look like her, but she definitely isn't your sister, because her eyes definitely don't look like that."
"My new sister, I have already married, so I must not have any affairs outside of my marriage."
"Your name is Zhi, so is your last name Xie?"
I was shocked by this statement, and even tightened my grip on the gun behind my back. I felt that I might be starting to trust this guy who looked like a herbalist too much. But I still tried to calm myself and considered various possibilities in my mind.
But it turns out that neither is true.
"How do you know?"
"Come with me!" The man turned and left without any intention of waiting for us. I quickly called the princess, temporarily left Hei who was sleeping soundly, and followed him.
He was considerate of the princess and walked a short distance before looking at her and then slowing down his pace.
"Well, a woman came here a few days ago. Um... No, it should be two."
I immediately thought of who it was. The only people who could be related to me and described in this way were her or them. But what made me feel uncomfortable was the attitude of this person, as if everything came and went with the wind, and everything was meaningless and had nothing to do with him.
But the man's words made the princess who followed him very confused: "Why is it one, and then two?"
"Because she is one woman at one moment and another woman at another moment." I said to myself. She has been like this many years ago, how could I not know.
"Then you are indeed Xie Zhi, also known as Ping'an Fengyun Hou... Hmm." He didn't seem to want me to answer anything, nor did he need to prove anything. He seemed to be just talking to himself, and his tone was as flat as if he was just talking about boring trivialities in the countryside.
I didn't want to ask anymore. Although I was still following him, I felt a little confused in my mind. I didn't know what I should say if I saw her soon. I didn't expect that she seemed to be about to be with Brother Zhongdao, so why did she suddenly run into the mountains again.
But just because I don't want to ask doesn't mean no one wants to ask.
"What... happened between her and you... my brother Zirui?" The princess looked at me, and at the man who was picking herbs. She seemed very interested in this matter, completely ignoring the fact that she was already a little out of breath.
"I can't tell you." The man stopped and looked at her, saying seriously.
Then the guy pointed at me and said, "But I can tell you."
"I don't want to know. Please don't mention it anymore." This was a serious answer. I'm not a heartless person. I'm even a soft-hearted person. I especially can't stand seeing girls cry, but I don't want to soften at this time.
This is good for all of us.
In the Weiming Valley of Nanshan Mountain that year, I was twenty years old and Huang Xin or Huang Yi was nineteen years old.