Let me talk about the first encounter between Zhong Wenjin and Xie Zhaoxue.
The first time he met this nominal little uncle was in the garden gazebo of Xie's family when he was four years old.
It was the twelfth lunar month at that time, and there was a lot of light snowfall. Zhong Wenjin was wearing a thick cotton padded coat, and insisted on not letting the nanny hug him, and staggered on the road in the garden by himself.
He walked to the gazebo, looked up, and saw a young boy sitting in the center of the gazebo.
The little boy was wearing a vermilion cloak, and the snow-white fox fur was pressed against the collar and sleeves, making his skin whiter. His beautiful eyebrows and eyes moved slightly, and he turned his gaze to the little person under the stairs.
"Who is this?" Xie Zhaoxue asked the people around her.
It was Zhong Wenjin's first visit to Xie's mansion, none of the servants had seen him before, they all shook their heads and replied, "I don't know."
Zhong Wenjin's nurse had a very good look, knowing that his wife had a younger brother who was very different in age, so she guessed that it was the young man in brocade clothes, so she hurriedly stepped forward to salute, "Master Xie, our little master is brought by my wife when visiting relatives." Yes, according to seniority, you should call the young master uncle."
Xie Zhaoxue also knew that she had a little nephew, but when sister came back, he was still in school, and when she came back to see sister, the little nephew went to play by himself again.
He searched around just now, but couldn't find anyone, but now he ran over by himself.
Xie Zhaoxue bent her eyes and smiled, her eyes melted with spring water, she got up and walked in front of Zhong Wenjin, squatted down, and asked, "What's your name?"
"Zhong Wenjin." His lisp was serious, but he pronounced his name unambiguously.
Zhong Wenjin stared at him blankly, then suddenly turned his gaze to the red ribbon tied in his hair, stretched out his small hand to touch it, his round eyes remained motionless.
Although Xie Zhaoxue was only seven years old, seeing that he liked it, she was not stingy at all, so she immediately took off the red silk and gave it to him, "Do you know who I am?"
Zhong Wenjin shook his head as soon as he got the red silk.
"I'm your little uncle." Xie Zhaoxue said with a smile, "When you see me in the future, remember to call me, you know?"
Zhong Wenjin nodded, not knowing if he understood.
He didn't go to Xie's mansion many times, but in Zhong's mansion, all the servants who served Zhong Wenjin knew that this young master liked her little uncle Xie very much. , on his wrist for eight years.
At first, Zhong Wenjin only thought that his little uncle had a good temper, always smiling when he saw everyone, rarely had a temper, and always looked like a handsome young man no matter where he went.
But then again, when he saw Xie Zhaoxue knock out the teeth of a servant next to him, he realized that his little uncle was not as gentle and refined as he appeared on the surface.
Zhong Wenjin felt that only he knew this secret, as if he had a huge attraction, Zhong Wenjin always wanted to explore the other side of Xie Zhaoxue.
These curiosity were completely shattered after the misunderstanding on the shore of the East Lake. Zhong Wenjin lost the red silk belt that he had worn for eight years. After returning home, he cried upside down.
Just an argument between kids, everyone thought so.
But this incident changed Zhong Wenjin. He was obviously innocent, but no one cared about the truth. Even Xie Zhaoxue believed his words and misunderstood him.
It shouldn't be like this, Zhong Wenjin thought, I have a noble status, why should I be wronged like this
Then the little overlord of the capital was born. When he was young, he was domineering on the street. If anyone didn't have eyes, blocked his way or bumped into him on the road, he would be scolded.
If he heard someone whispering about him, he would rush up to beat people and overturn their stalls. No one would persuade him. Even if the government came, he could only stand aside and wait for him to finish his fire.
Since everyone said that he was arrogant and evil, he would use actual actions to prove those rumors.
It is much easier and more comfortable to be a bad person that no one dares to provoke than a good person who has been wronged.
It wasn't until Xie Zhaoxue appeared in the yamen that everyone sighed, finally someone can control this little overlord.
Zhong Wenjin was very annoyed to see him, every time he had a cold face, obviously he was so gentle to others, and spoke softly, but he was full of disgust towards himself, so he got very angry and made more fuss.
But Xie Zhaoxue always had a way to control him, because of his status, Xie Zhaoxue overwhelmed him and took him with the guards of the yamen to arrest him and lock him in the yamen for a whole day and midnight, and the Zhong family couldn't say anything.
The more times he suffered losses in his hands, Zhong Wenjin also learned to be smart. Every time he ran into Xie Zhaoxue, he immediately stopped and only cursed a few words without touching Xie Zhaoxue's bottom line.
By chance, Zhong Wenjin learned a great secret—Xie Zhaoxue was not his own little uncle.
Naively, he thought that Xie Zhaoxue was adopted. He thought, Xie Zhaoxue is so pitiful, so it doesn't matter if he lets him down.
So Zhong Xiaobawang hid a big secret in his heart, every time he saw Xie Zhaoxue, he always felt that he was kind.
As the two grew up in the capital day by day, Zhong Wenjin suddenly found himself suffering from a strange problem—that is, the so-called robbery of civilian women.
In fact, not all of them are folk girls, some of them are young ladies, he will spend all kinds of thoughts to get close to that girl first, if some girls fall in love with him because of this, he will feel bored and give up by himself, if some girls don't follow, he will He began to coerce and lure again, and began to use various means.
The consequences of doing these things naturally added to Zhong Wenjin's notoriety. Those girls always cried and said how much Zhong Wenjin bullied her, but only Zhong Wenjin knew that he had never done any transgressive behavior to them.
Besides, he's already notorious enough to care.
It was only after meeting Ding Ziyun that Zhong Wenjin really realized the seriousness of this strange problem.
Looking back on the past, all the girls who were provoked by him were all in love with Xie Zhaoxue, without exception.
At first, Zhong Wenjin would comfort himself because he could not understand Xie Zhaoxue.
But later, he already understood that this was just deceiving himself. A wonderful emotion had grown in his heart long ago, from a small sapling to a towering tree.
By the time he realized it, it was too late.
He finally began to understand the emotions hidden in his heart. For example, when he saw Xie Zhaoxue's figure, he would be involuntarily happy; when he saw Xie Zhaoxue's cold face, he would be afraid again; He was extremely uncomfortable.
This very, very common emotion is like a scourge to Zhong Wenjin, both strange and frightening.
His first reaction was to run away, and he didn't dare to go out to do evil for a long time, for fear of seeing Xie Zhaoxue.
But after a long time, he had strong thoughts again, dreaming about him day and night, and the desire to see him became stronger and stronger.
He has never been a person who knows how to restrain himself, so he went out again, wandering all over the street, looking for the person who made him worry.
Zhong Wenjin has heard of a drug that can numb the wound and reduce the pain sensation, but it is addictive, if you use it too much, you will be addicted, and you will feel extremely uncomfortable after you stop it.
He felt that Xie Zhaoxue was like this drug, and he was already addicted.
Zhong Wenjin doesn't know how long he can hide, maybe it will continue like this until Xie Zhaoxue gets married and has children.
One day, a man named Liang Yanbei appeared in their lives.
Zhong Wenjin was a little disgusted with him at first, but this man always put on a smile, so he couldn't find anything wrong with him. The only thing that bothered him was that Liang Yanbei and Xie Zhaoxue got very close.
However, it was this person who brought Xie Zhaoxue to the battlefield, but failed to bring him back.
When Zhong Wenjin heard the news of Xie Zhaoxue's death, he fell into a trance, as if someone had hit him hard on the heart with a heavy hammer, causing him to suffocate in pain.
"This must be fake, Xie Zhaoxue is so powerful, he can overthrow me with one hand!" Zhong Wenjin smiled very ugly, he looked at Zhong Wenting in front of him almost begging, hoping that he would smile and say Xie Zhaoxue's death It's a joke.
But no, Zhong Wenting looked at him seriously, with a look of sadness on his face, "Xiao Jin, it's true, Xie Zhaoxue's body is already on the way back to Beijing..."
Zhong Wenjin didn't believe it, no matter what he said, when he refuted it loudly, his hands couldn't stop shaking.
How could Xie Zhaoxue die? When I left, I was obviously fine...
However, when he saw Xie Zhaoxue's body with his own eyes, all his pretending to be strong and self-deception collapsed in an instant. Xie Zhaoxue was indeed dead. He died on the battlefield with scars all over his body, and there was a deep fatal wound on his neck.
Zhong Wenjin knelt beside Xie Zhaoxue's body in embarrassment, screaming over and over again to get him up, but it was useless, how could a dead person hear his voice again
There were many people around him, looking at him like a joke, but Zhong Wenjin didn't care at all, when he touched Xie Zhaoxue's body, his tentacles were stiff and cold.
He took Xie Zhaoxue's hand, it was warm and soft, unlike now, it was so hard that even fingers could not be opened.
Xie Zhaoxue has always been clean, just like the snow lotus on the Tianshan Mountains, spotless, but after his death, he is covered in mud, only his face and hands seem to have been wiped by someone, and his originally fair skin has turned black and blue.
Xie Yilu hugged Zhong Wenjin, cried bitterly, shouting over and over again, "Jin'er, he's gone, he's gone!"
"He didn't leave, he didn't leave!" Zhong Wenjin fell into a state of madness, holding Xie Zhaoxue's body and refused to let go, his face was full of tears.
In the end, Zhong Guoyi felt distressed and sent someone to knock him out and carry him back to Zhong's house.
Zhong Wenjin was still insane after waking up, shouting to find Xie Zhaoxue, but was locked in the room by Zhong Guoyi, and Zhong's family took turns comforting him outside the door.
In just a few days, Zhong Wenjin lost weight at a speed visible to the naked eye, and was depressed all day long. Seeing his appearance, Zhong Wenting feared that he would not be able to hold on, so he quietly unlocked him and let him go.
At this time, Xie Zhaoxue had already been buried, turning into a slope of loess and a stone monument.
Zhong Wenjin couldn't accept this reality, so he dug the buried grave with his bare hands. He dug until his hands were dripping with blood.
After the grief, there was hatred and anger. Zhong Wenjin was the first to approach Liang Yanbei, grabbing him by the collar and questioning him loudly.
That was the only time in his life that he swung his fist to Liang Yanbei's face. Liang Yanbei didn't dodge or evade. This yelling, why not find out who actually killed Xie Zhaoxue."
Zhong Wenjin was startled and furious. After questioning, he learned that Xie Zhaoxue was drugged before going to the battlefield. When the drug took effect, he happened to be fighting and fighting, and he became a sheep to be slaughtered.
At that time, Liang Yanbei and Xie Zhaoxue were acting separately, guarding one side alone. After learning about this, he rushed to the barracks where Xie Zhaoxue was at the fastest speed.
Zhong Wenjin never imagined that someone would reach out to the barracks far away on the battlefield, and he seemed to believe in Liang Yanbei without any hesitation.
It's not that he has a good relationship with Liang Yanbei, but he also thinks that Xie Zhaoxue will not die so easily.
His relatives and friends are all in the capital, how could he be willing to let go like this
Zhong Wenjin started to investigate Xie Zhaoxue's death, which became his daily motivation, tireless.
After a search, it took two years and he found nothing. The other party did so meticulously that he couldn't find any clues at all.
Zhong Wenjin thought that he might keep investigating, regardless of whether there was any result, until his thoughts about Xie Zhaoxue faded away, then this matter could not stop.
Later, he got married, the only person who knew the secret in his heart, Ding Ziyun.
She is also a smart person, because she also loves Xie Zhaoxue deeply, so she can see that Zhong Wenjin is her kind.
She knew that Zhong Wenjin had been investigating the cause of Xie Zhaoxue's death all the time, so she used this secret to discuss with Zhong Wenjin and let her marry into the Zhong family—she suspected that the Zhong family was the culprit who killed Xie Zhaoxue.
Zhong Wenjin definitely didn't believe it, but Ding Ziyun produced a strong evidence that the steward of Zhong's family had found the little soldier who drugged Xie Zhaoxue in private.
In the past two years, he found too few things. This alone was enough for Zhong Wenjin to seize on. He immediately started to arrange the matter of marrying Ding Ziyun. Zhong Guoyi detested her background and only allowed Zhong Wenjin to be a concubine. Include her.
But this is enough for Ding Ziyun, what she wants is not a title, but an opportunity to enter the Zhong family.
Not long after Ding Ziyun married into the Zhong family, the entire Zhong family entered a depressing state. Zhong Wenjin's mother, Xie Yilu, also disappeared mysteriously. The Zhong family searched the entire capital but could not find it.
The disappearance of Xie Yilu caused Zhong Wenjin's mood to drop and underestimate for a while, and he couldn't pull himself together for several days. Then, a big event happened.
The Zhong family rebelled.
Zhong Wenjin didn't know about it, but the entire Zhong family seemed to be fully prepared. They led troops to break open the gate of the capital and started a brutal massacre.
Zhong Wenjin was terrified and wanted to question Zhong Guoyi, but he was trapped in the house and could not escape. Ding Ziyun bought a drug and poisoned his guards to save him.
At that time, the capital city had changed, the Wen family had been killed, and Zhong Guoyi was about to proclaim himself emperor.
He couldn't believe that his father turned out to be a traitor in everyone's mouth. In the whole family, he was the only one kept in the dark. By the time he realized it, the turmoil had ended.
What caught him even more by surprise, Ding Ziyun told him that Xie Yilu had been imprisoned by Zhong Guoyi and was now on the verge of death.
Zhong Wenjin was really scared, he stumbled and followed Ding Ziyun to the dungeon, and he saw Xie Yilu, she was covered in dirt, skinny and frighteningly emaciated.
Both her shoulders were pierced by iron chains, her blood had long since congealed, but if she moved a little, she would twitch in pain, Zhong Wenjin knelt down in front of her, not even daring to touch her.
Xie Yilu's breath was so weak that she almost didn't have any breath. After hearing Zhong Wenjin's cry in her ears, she barely opened her eyes, which were filled with tears.
She seemed to know that her time was running out, so she told Zhong Wenjin the truth directly. It turned out that Zhong Guoyi was the real murderer who killed Xie Zhaoxue. The truth of Xie Yilu is locked in the dungeon.
After the Zhong family's rebellion, there were people who gave food at first, but later everyone in the dungeon disappeared, and Xie Yilu was so hungry that she collapsed.
Originally, he was lingering on his last breath, but after going through this torture, he was powerless to recover.
Zhong Wenjin wept bitterly and kept calling for her to be taken to a doctor, but when Xie Yilu touched the iron chain, Xie Yilu trembled in pain. Ding Ziyun stopped him and said in a low voice, "It's too late, let her go more comfortably Bar… "
But Zhong Wenjin didn't want to, he had already endured the departure of a lover, and he didn't want his mother, who had always loved him, to leave, let alone leave in such a way.
Xie Yilu slowly stretched out her trembling hand, wiped away his tears, and cried weakly, "Jin'er, Jin'er, my child, I'm sorry, mother has to take a step now, mother knows you have been They are all upright men, you must go on firmly in the future, avenge Zhaoxue, wipe out the rebels for Xiliang, and restore peace to innocent people... The Zhong family, don't leave any..."
Zhong Wenjin will never forget this scene in his life. After his beloved mother left these words, she died tragically. Her body fell into his arms, and the iron chain was pulled and rattled, and blood flowed out from the wound. dyed his clothes red.
Her body was too light, Zhong Wenjin wanted to hug her but dared not, for fear of hurting her.
But her breath was gone, and she would never feel any pain again.
Watching his mother die in front of him but unable to save him, this sense of powerlessness strangled his neck, making him feel so much pain.
It was because he was too stupid, if he hadn't devoted himself to Xie Zhaoxue's matter, how could he not have noticed what was wrong with his mother...
"Mother, I know I'm wrong, I know I'm wrong, open your eyes and look at me!" Zhong Wenjin gritted his teeth and cried, when he raised his hand, his palm was covered with bright red blood, and it became cold along with Xie Yilu's body.
Ding Ziyun couldn't bear to see him like this, so she walked out of the dungeon holding back tears, leaving him alone to say goodbye to Xie Yilu.
Ding Ziyun felt that she did not need Zhong Wenjin to love Xie Zhaoxue, so she always felt that the two were the same, but from now on, Zhong Wenjin was the most unlucky one. He lost the last light in his life, and the only thing left was cruelty injury and deceit.
Zhong Wenjin stayed in the dungeon for a whole night, until the second sunrise when he came out holding Xie Yilu's body, his face froze all expressions and became numb.
This is a new Zhong Wenjin, a fearless lunatic after losing everything.
He buried Xie Yilu well, rubbed his swollen eyes from crying, took a deep breath, and said to Ding Ziyun, "Let's go, let's go to Jinling."
In Zhong Wenjin's life, very few people would praise him, and when he was mentioned, he was nothing more than derogatory terms such as ignorant, domineering, and bullying.
The first person to praise him is Xie Yilu, she will touch little Zhong Wenjin's head and smile gently, "Jin'er is really smart, he will definitely become a pillar of the country in the future!"
The second person who praised him was Xie Zhaoxue. He would stand in front of Zhong Wenjin and bend his starry eyes at him, "You did the right thing, don't pay attention to what they say."
But these two people have left him and will never come back. They lie on the cold ground and Zhong Wenjin hid them in his memory.
Zhong Wenjin picked up the sword. He never killed men, women, or children, especially when facing his own brothers. He could cut off the head with a single blow. No one in the barracks dared to provoke him.
When he first joined the army, he was expressionless all day long. Some people knew that he was from the Zhong family, so they would inevitably exclude him. However, Zhong Wenjin was not a person who would teach him a lesson.
In the first time, three people were chopped and injured. After Liang Yanbei learned of this, he punched Zhong Wenjin hard, causing his nose to bleed, but he laughed.
Liang Yanbei ignored his madness, scolded the other people in the barracks, and said harshly that if this kind of thing happened again, they would be severely punished, and other people would not dare to do it again.
At that time, Zhong Wenjin was still a person who would feel scared when he cut people with a sword. Later, his killing methods became more and more agile, and no one dared to approach him.
Wen Chan once asked him, "Why do you laugh every time Liang Yanbei hits you?"
Zhong Wenjin replied, "Because his fist can make me feel pain, and only when I feel pain, I realize that I am still alive."
He has to live, he has things to do.
Sometimes Zhong Wenjin would think that if he had been a big villain earlier, then he would have forcibly snatched Xie Zhaoxue away, locked him by his side, not going to the battlefield, and stayed with him day and night Together, this way, he will not die.
Kill the Zhong family earlier, so that they will not attack Xie Zhaoxue, nor will they attack their own mother.
In troubled times, only sharp blades are the most useful, or in other words, only the swords of wicked people are the most useful. Even if you can't bring peace to the world, at least you can protect the people you care about.
Even if he cut off Zhong Wenting's head, he didn't feel the slightest pleasure, because no matter what he did, it would be meaningless, and he was still a poor man walking alone on the road of blood.
"Xiao Jin, come, let's eat roasted chicken. I bought it for you specially from Heyuelou. I remember you like it the most..." He saw Zhong Wenting standing in front of him, handing out the hot roasted chicken, smiling gently.
Ah, he remembered, Zhong Wenting was the third person who praised him, he helped himself lying on Xie Zhaoxue's grave, and said in his ear, "Xiao Jin, you have always been a strong person, you have been sad , must be the old Zhong Wenjin..."
What about Zhong Guoyi? Zhong Guoyi would hold little Zhong Wenjin in his arms, and say dotingly, "Our Jin'er is the most powerful child in the whole world."
He used to have a family with a doting father, a gentle mother, an elder brother who would teach him the truth, a younger brother and a younger sister.
There is also a little uncle who is not related by blood. He will beat up servants who discuss Zhong Wenjin's rights and wrongs in places where Zhong Wenjin can't see. Don't bother Zhong Wenjin with his daughter.
He would also severely punish his cousin, severely punish the old lady who turned the truth around and slandered Zhong Wenjin, and would bring a box of pastries to Xie Yilu for him to pass on to Zhong Wenjin.
In the past, Zhong Wenjin was loved by many people, but now he only has himself and a sword in his hand.
Also, covered in blood.
Zhong Wenjin walked across a single-plank bridge full of mist with bloody footprints step by step. At the end of the bridge was Xie Zhaoxue in white clothes. He was still smiling spotlessly as usual, and said to Zhong Wenjin, "Come quickly."
Zhong Wenjin didn't dare to breathe loudly, and walked to his side cautiously, Xie Zhaoxue took his hand at once, pointed to the back and said, "Look."
He looked in the direction and saw Xie Yilu looking at him tenderly, "Jin'er."
Beside her was Zhong Wenting in blue long clothes, he beckoned, "Xiao Jin."
Then several half-grown children ran over and hugged his legs, "Fourth brother, fourth brother..."
Many voices overlapped and surrounded his ears, and he watched it over and over again, and finally his eyes stopped on Xie Zhaoxue's face.
Zhong Wenjin burst into tears, he couldn't restrain the corners of his mouth from curling down, and burst out a cry, "Ah—"
The apex of his heart seemed to be constantly being stabbed with a knife, the pain made him squat down, curl up his body, and curl up into a ball.
"Why? Why?" Zhong Wenjin gritted his teeth and asked.
Why is it me
Why am I the one left
Why am I the one who bears this
No matter how many times he dreamed back at midnight, Zhong Wenjin wanted to be the one who left first, so that he would not endure the pain in his heart every day and night.
He also wanted to walk freely and unrestrainedly, but he also knew that this was impossible. The person who had passed away had already been fused into his bone marrow and turned into the most important thought in his life.
He will always be suffering and thinking about it until the moment when his life comes to an end.
"Wake up, wake up!" Liang Yanbei's voice broke through the fog and reached his ears.
Zhong Wenjin suddenly opened his eyes, sat up from the bed, took a few breaths, his eyes were full of warm tears.
It was this dream again.
Liang Yanbei looked at him silently, and then said lightly, "Zhong Wenjin, wipe away your tears, we are leaving."
He was confused for a moment, "Where are you going?"
"Mayue Island." Liang Yanbei replied, "This is a fierce battle, you should be more energetic, and you will have a good rest when you get to the island."
Zhong Wenjin wiped his tears after hearing this, and smiled self-deprecatingly.
Yeah, it's not over yet.