Yujing was in chaos. When Su Huaijing was fighting with Sheng Chengli and his son in the palace, Rong Tang stayed in the Wentian Tower.
Huimian asked him, "Aren't you going to be with Xiaoqi?"
Rong Tang thought for a moment, his heart moved slightly, but he finally shook his head: "He will be distracted."
Su Huaijing has succeeded twice. Even if there is no one around him, he will achieve final victory.
Rong Tang really wanted to go and accompany him, but at least he knew his own limitations.
With such a frail body, falling into such a scene, if Su Huaijing was caught by someone and used to threaten him, his mood would be disturbed.
He even sent Mu Jingxu to Jiangnan, so he might not be willing to let me stay with him at this time.
not to mention…
Rong Tang bent down and slowly brewed a pot of tea, whispering, "There's something he doesn't want me to see."
Huimian was stunned for a moment, not knowing what he was thinking about. He lowered his eyes and chanted a Buddhist name softly.
Rong Tang did not mention it again, but asked him: "Can that little thing be saved?"
Huimian nodded and shook her head: "It depends on fate."
Rong Tang raised his eyebrows and looked at him in confusion. Hui Mian said, "Wait patiently."
When the situation in the capital is stabilized and the story comes to an end, we will know what fate has brought us.
Rong Tang didn't know how Su Huaijing operated. For seven days in a row, almost every household in the capital stayed indoors and only heard the messenger shouting in the streets.
First, it was said that the Crown Prince was not His Majesty's blood and had been beheaded in court; then it was said that the Emperor was seriously ill and issued an edict to abdicate the throne to the fifth prince Sheng Chengli.
Just when everyone thought the situation was going to stabilize, the Jinwu Guards posted notices all over the city, stating that the Fifth Prince actually had evil intentions, that the edict of succession was a forgery, that he had personally poisoned Emperor Renshou, and that Prince Rui was now following His Majesty's orders to capture the rebels, and that the people should not panic.
It's hard not to panic.
Rong Tang sat on the seven-story pagoda, looking out at the mountains and clouds. Huimian drank tea and discussed scriptures with him, and he started painting the next day.
Rong Tang was a little curious when he saw him sketching a small courtyard on the paper.
Just as Rong Tang was waiting for him to put pen to paper, Huimian had already put down his brush and started drinking tea.
He painted a part every day, starting and ending it as he pleased. On the third day, when he finished sketching the courtyard, he began to paint the figures.
Then Rong Tang finally understood what he was drawing.
This is a picture of chrysanthemum appreciation in autumn. Various chrysanthemums are in bloom or in bud in the courtyard, and each flower is bright and beautiful.
If the painter was not a high monk, and the painting was circulated among the people, people might say that it was done by some romantic wanderer who had never associated with the world.
Almost as soon as the first character in the painting took shape, Rong Tang knew who he was drawing.
—His parents and blood relatives.
The first one to take shape was Su Huaijing. The time spent on this character alone was more than the time spent on all the previous scenes combined.
Rong Tang looked at the lifelike little prince in the painting, his brows unconsciously stained with a smile, and he joked: "Brother is a little partial."
Huimian did not comment, but only said: "I am a mortal after all."
When he painted Su Huaijing, his eyes were clear and bright, and he was gentle and affectionate enough. He did not have the unattainable divinity of a holy monk on the mountain. He was just an ordinary brother who favored his youngest son.
Rong Tang smiled and said nothing more. On the fourth day, when Huimian began to paint Mu Jingxu, he realized that he was not biased.
He was very frugal with his ink and paint when painting flowers, but he was not at all restrained when painting the young prince.
Rich red and dazzling yellow, the most eye-catching colors in the world, he piled them on Mu Jingxu's gorgeous clothes almost without paying any attention to them. He used a brush as thick as a hair to carefully paint the repetitive and luxurious patterns on the lapels and sleeves, bit by bit, without any negligence.
His expression was so serious that he didn't seem to be painting, but rather worshiping Buddha.
Rong Tang stopped and watched for a moment, unable to utter a single joke of "biased".
This is not partiality at all, this is just the selfishness of an older brother.
Rong Tang was looking forward to what kind of characters he would use in the next day, but after waiting for a long time, he only saw a golden hairpin, a palace skirt, a string of hand-held jade beads, and a pair of mandarin duck lanterns...
Everything has its owner, but Huimian was unable to sketch out the outline of those characters until the end of the painting.
Only Su Huaijing and Mu Jingxu are vivid in my memory and bright in the paintings.
On the day the painting was completed, Rong Tang stared at it for a long time and somehow understood what Hui Mian had not said.
He never expressed the secret expectation in his heart, but Huimian knew it.
This painting is both a way for him to commemorate his relatives and a reminder for Rong Tang.
The dead should not be resurrected, and there is no reason to change established history. Otherwise, what is the difference between this and "the way of heaven"
Rong Tang would only feel a little regretful and remorseful occasionally when it was late at night and everyone was asleep. He would involuntarily wonder if he had stopped it at the beginning, could all the grudges of all these years have been wiped out
But it seems not to be the case.
He looked at the painting for a long time before he turned sideways and asked Huimian, "There's something I don't understand."
Huimian: “Please speak.”
The sound of fighting outside the building had stopped. Huimian washed her hands and asked softly, "Why do we need to think about a nightmare that has already happened?"
It was a nightmare, enough to make one sink and disappear, whether in reality or in dreams.
To others, it is an unfinished obsession, but to Su Huaijing, every step he takes is perfectly in line with the plan. All the revenge he wants to carry out is over, and the meaning of his existence in the world has also come to a perfect end on the day when everything was settled.
It's tiring enough to walk once. What you wanted to do has been done, the obsession has long dissipated, and all relatives and friends are dead. Naturally, there is no reason to think about it anymore.
Rong Tang was silent for a moment, then understood the meaning of Huimian's words, and an indescribable emotion surged in his heart.
There seemed to be the sound of carriages approaching downstairs. Huimian chuckled and said softly, "My Lord, go pack your luggage. Someone is here to take you home."
Rong Tang was startled, and looking out from the railing, he saw that the fireworks on the walls of the imperial palace had been extinguished.
He felt relieved, yet inexplicably nervous.
All in all, it’s only been eight days since I last saw Su Huaijing, but my longing for him has already grown overwhelming.
He stood up and instinctively went downstairs, but Huimian asked casually, "Donor, is there anything else you want to tell me?"
Rong Tang paused and looked at him in confusion. His thoughts had already drifted downstairs and for a moment he didn't understand what he meant by this sentence.
Huimian waited for a moment, then smiled softly and said, "That's all right, there is cause and effect."
He stood up, lit three sticks of sandalwood, sat on the futon, and faced the vast world outside the attic: "Donor, please go downstairs. Lord Su has a lot of blood and energy in his body, so it is not suitable for him to enter the pagoda. Don't make him wait anxiously."
Rong Tang frowned slightly and asked in confusion: "What are you going to do?"
"Recite the sutras," Huimian said. "Recite the mantra for the deceased to send him off."
We bid farewell to the old friends from twelve years ago, to those who died unjustly in the past twelve years, and to those who died in this battle that finally came to an end twelve years later.
Rong Tang was shocked all over, and he stood there for a long time before finally coming back to his senses. He bent down and bowed properly.
Then he left silently and walked down the stairs he came from step by step.
The sound of carriages and horses outside the tower was getting closer and closer, and Rong Tang unconsciously quickened his pace. After being sick for several lifetimes, he rarely walked fast, but as he went down the stairs one floor at a time, his speed was several times faster than when he came here.
A white horse galloped in from outside the door. The young man was full of vigor and covered in dust. The wind passed by, blowing the rays of the morning sun. All the favorites in the world gathered in one person.
In the past few days, Rong Tang had been thinking about how to settle accounts with Su Huaijing when they met. He also thought it would be best to scare him so that he would remember his lesson. But when this man really ran towards him in the autumn morning sun, with a large group of people behind him and a white horse with blood-stained mane in front of him, he instantly forgot the ideas he had originally conceived in his mind.
She acted entirely on instinct and ran towards him regardless of anything.
There were still steps in front of the tower. After Rong Tang finished walking up the six steps, he had lost his patience to go down one step at a time. He almost jumped down the last few bricks and almost lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Su Huaijing was startled and had no time to get off the horse. His heart tightened and he immediately grasped the reins, bent down, grabbed Rong Tang's arm with one hand, pulled him onto the horse and hugged him.
Rong Tang stumbled into his arms. The breeze blowing past carried a strong smell of blood, but his back was pressed against a warm and strong chest.
Su Huaijing did not blame him for his recklessness, nor did he think of his impatience. He just held Rong Tang's waist tightly with one hand, lowered his head, and rested his head on his shoulder as if he had been tense for a long time and finally dared to relax.
The heart in the chest was beating violently, breaking through the obstruction of clothes, flesh, blood and bones, and making the two hearts beat in the same rhythm.
The hunting male beast returned to the lair, sniffing the scent of his mate anxiously to relieve his restless heart after the fight.
Su Huaijing opened his mouth, his voice extremely hoarse: "I am very dirty and smell very bad."
The blood was splattered and solidified repeatedly, making it impossible to tell which piece belonged to whom, or how many pieces were involved. The smell was extremely pungent.
"But I miss you very much." Su Huaijing whispered, "I want to see you so much..."
"I should have bathed, fumigated myself, and changed into clean clothes before coming to see you, but I couldn't help it. I'm sorry."
He rubbed Rong Tang's neck, rubbing his scent on him. His voice was low and hoarse, and his wrist clearly did not loosen at all, holding the person in his arms so tightly that he could not move at all. However, he said in a coquettish and pleading tone: "Tang Tang, please don't dislike me. Please."
After chopping off Sheng Xuyan's limbs and cutting off his ears, his longing reached its peak in an instant.
He wanted to see Rong Tang, wanted Rong Tang, wanted to hold him in his arms, wanted to bite off his flesh and blood, wanted to hide him in his body.
Many crazy, secret and unspeakable thoughts were roaring in his mind. Su Huaijing restrained himself for a long time and calmly saved Sheng Xuyan from the brink of death and kept him alive with elixirs.
And the moment his hands were free, the desire surged and burst out.
He wants to see Rong Tang, now, right now!
Rong Tang should stand beside him, and he should hold Tang Tang's hand.
Just like every time in the past four years when they had slept with their feet touching and their necks intertwined.
Rong Tang should be with him, see him get his revenge, and ascend the throne with him.
"I miss you so much, Tangtang..." In the morning breeze, Su Huaijing whispered softly in Rongtang's ear.
The longing that was beyond words was blown away by the wind. Ordinary people could only see one tenth of it, but it was already thrilling and overwhelming, making people almost breathless.
(End of this chapter)