On the Feiyao Terrace, there are scattered lanterns, made of bamboo and paper, like a galaxy flowing brilliantly in the long night. The fine snow rustled and fell in the brilliant lights, a thin layer covering the vermilion lacquer railings.
There were two women standing in the light and snow. One was wearing a red-embroidered butterfly-patterned jacket, and she was talking with a smile, while the other was wearing a goose-yellow embroidered plum and bamboo song. Looking at a light fish-shaped lamp.
Despite his memory loss, Gu Mang recognized that the latter was Murong Mengze almost immediately.
Just when he was in the main hall, he felt that Mo Xi's expression was wrong. He had known Mo Xi for so long, and he had never seen him care so much about anyone. At that time, Gu Mang thought that the legendary "Princess Mengze" should be a very good-looking person. beauty. But when I saw her in Feixue Neon, I felt that the description of this person as "beautiful" seemed to be too shallow.
Murong Mengze's figure is not outstanding, but she is tall and elegant, with her own meaning. The stream of lights shone on her delicate and fair face, exuding a jade-like luster. Not to mention a strand of white jade on the back of her neck, pulled out from the neckline like a flower stalk, her neck is slender, and her temperament is even more perfect.
"... Mengze."
Murong Mengze turned around, stunned for a moment, and then smiled, "Ah, Big Brother Mo. Long time no see."
The one in red following her was her personal maid, Yueniang. Yueniang also saluted Mo Xi Lianzhen and said with a smile, "I have seen Xi He Jun, Xi He Jun Wan'an."
Mo Xi walked towards Mengze: "Why are you standing here. Isn't it cold?"
"I just recuperated from Tangquan Palace. Such beautiful lanterns are only once a year." Mengze said with a smile, "It's okay."
Since she had said so, Mo Xi didn't know how to persuade him. But at this time, a hand suddenly lifted up and touched her ear temples.
"Go back, it's cold outside."
After all, Mengze has a body of gold, and no one dares to offend her like this, so she took a step back subconsciously. But when she saw who the person behind Mo Xi was, her expression changed a bit.
"Gu Shuai..."
As the man who used to be the most attractive to girls in Chonghua, Gu Mang still had some tenderness towards women in his bones. So even though he was vaguely displeased with Mo Xi being so close to this woman, he still said kindly, "Your ears are frozen red with such heavy snow."
Murong Mengze was at a loss for words.
Rao was that she had already known about Gu Mang's situation before she came back, but she still couldn't accept the sudden contact with this traitor demon.
Yueniang was angry, and she couldn't rub her eyes. She said angrily to Gu Mang, "You traitor, you dare to stretch out your stubborn hoof to touch my master? If it wasn't because of you—"
"Okay." Murong Mengze interrupted her softly, "Stop talking."
Yueniang pouted: "Princess, why are you always so good-natured... I, I am wronged for you!"
"What nonsense?" Murong Mengze said softly, but with a bit of authority, "Yueniang, don't be fooling around anymore, come in and go to the house to warm up."
"...Yes..." Although Yueniang responded reluctantly, she glared at Gu Mang before leaving, her cheeks puffed up in anger.
Murong Mengze sent Yueniang away, and turned to ask Mo Xi, "Is he now... living in your house?"
Who he was referring to was self-evident. Mo Xi made a sound of "um".
Murong Mengze lowered her eyelashes and sighed, "...I don't want to say anything more. You are someone who has been hurt before. There are some things that you need to pay more attention to."
"I know."
Gu Mang didn't quite understand what Mengze meant, but felt that she didn't let the fierce girl continue to abuse him, she should be a good person. It just so happened that a plum blossom by the Yaotai fell and fell on Mengze's temples, so Gu Mang reached out and wanted to take it off for her...
But this time, before his hand touched Mengze, Mo Xi grabbed it.
Gu Mang said, "She has a flower on her head..."
Mo Xi interrupted him, but he couldn't hear any waves in his voice, "This is Princess Mengze. Salute."
Meng Ze said: "Forget it. His consciousness is damaged, so what's the point of being polite or not."
Gu Mang didn't say a word, his blue eyes rolled left and right, looking at Mengze and then at Mo Xi. Finally, he slowly lowered his head: "I just want to do a favor..."
"..." Mo Xi paused and decided to end the conversation, so he said, "Go back to the hall first. I have something to tell her."
She drives her away, he drives him away.
It turned out that he, like Yueniang, was the one who was going to be sent away
Gu Mang looked at Mo Xi and Mengze without saying a word. After a while, he turned around silently.
He has always been gentle and tolerant towards girls. It was like this before he lost his memory, and it still hasn't changed much now.
He always felt that they were weak, delicate, and beautiful, and deserved the best protection, while he himself was rough-skinned and thick-skinned, and he should give them all the good things and be courteous to them.
Therefore, he felt that what Mo Xi did was right. Princess Mengze was a princess, a very remarkable female, and she should be respected and taken care of.
And he is dirty, he is a slave. It really shouldn't be touching her.
But for some reason, he felt very sad. He returned to the main hall, rubbed his fingers, which were a little red, and covered his ears... At this time, there were many guests in the hall, but there was nothing familiar when he looked up. people.
This situation made Gu Mang suddenly feel a strong sense of helplessness, as if he had left a dog in the wilderness, he instinctively turned around and wanted to find the only reliable Mo Xi, but the moment he turned back , but realized that it was Mo Xi who sent him away.
He had nowhere to go, so he could only stand by the patio door, looking at the two people in the lights from a distance.
Under the lantern, Mo Xi lowered his head and spoke to Mengze. Mengze kept laughing and sometimes coughed a few times. Later, Mo Xi seemed to ask her something, Mengze shook his mouth and coughed, and then shook his head.
The distance was too far, and Gu Mang couldn't hear anything, but Mo Xi's facial features were deep, and even from such a long distance, he could clearly see his expression.
Mo Xi obviously sighed, then he took off the robe of his military uniform and handed it to Murong Mengze.
He didn't clothe Mengze with his own hands, and he didn't do anything else, but he didn't know why Gu Mang saw this scene, and his heart suddenly throbbed.
Gu Mang frowned, raised his hand and pressed it to his heart... Before he could think about what kind of emotion this was, some strange conversations flashed in his mind——
"Senior brother, I really like you."
It was Mo Xi's voice, as young and sincere as in the dream.
"Your Majesty has appointed me as Xihe-Jun. In the future, I will no longer have to look at people, I will do what I promise you, and I want to be with you righteously."
"Gu Mang, I will give you a home, you can wait for me, okay?"
"You believe me… "
The pain was getting worse and worse, as if a thorn had taken root and sprouted in it, and then pulled it out suddenly.
The old words in my ears have not been scattered, and there are two people in front of me.
For a while, Gu Mang felt a little stooped because of his heartache. He grabbed the door frame of the balcony and lowered his head to pant.
He couldn't quite understand the meaning of these words that he suddenly recalled, nor could he recall the cause and effect of that time, the scene of the covenant.
But this pain...
And the mood at that time, but so clearly engraved in the bone marrow. So much so that he even had a little trouble breathing.
He subconsciously felt that this pain was not without warning, as if he had expected this day in the past, as if he had never taken Mo Xi's previous promises seriously.
Although the future that Mo Xi described to him was so good, the young man in his memory seemed to promise his whole life, heart, blood and all love in an instant.
Gu Mang could feel that he once wanted to believe it.
Thinking of pain, trembling, fragmentation, wanting to hold Mo Xi's hand, wanting to give it up and believing that he loved him.
But when it came to the end, it was still timid.
Mo Xi is the favored son of heaven, a nobleman, and the queen of four generations of generals.
And he is just a small person, this love is too heavy, he still can't bear it.
He knew that Mo Xi would one day grow up, be sensible, and understand that his feelings for him were just a spur of the moment when he was young, and his life was long, and the one who could accompany him would not be a lame and despicable slave.
However, he didn't seem to have shared these words with Mo Xi back then, but now he recalled it - it turned out that he was afraid at that time.
It seems that if he said it, he lost too badly. He had very little, and he couldn't lose any more sincerity.
His heart may be nothing to the nobles, it can be hurt, played, discarded or even trampled into powder.
But for him, this little heart is all his belongings in this lifetime.
So Mo Xi can love, and he can play taboo with him in a flash.
But he can't afford to love it, and his life is noble and low, although he doesn't want to admit it, but life is like this, and it's not that you can avoid the truth by closing your eyes.
His life is too thin.
What Mo Xi wanted, he couldn't afford it.
Mo Xi gave it, but he couldn't bear it.
His best position is to stand on the edge of Yaotai, in a dark and inconspicuous corner, as he is now, to take a look at the romantic affairs that have nothing to do with him.
Then smile...
But Gu Mang couldn't laugh. He vaguely knew that he should smile at ease. There was a deep-rooted instinct protecting him, but after all, he was not the old Gu Shuai anymore.
He couldn't smile.
He turned his head away, daring not to look at the situation on the terrace, turned around and fled to the side of the flowing water banquet table, standing here to ease his throbbing heart.
After a while, more and more people came to the banquet. Gu Mang, a repeat offender, stood there in a daze, alone, which inevitably attracted the attention of many people. There were a few who had a blood feud with Gu Mang, and their eyes were fixed on Gu Mang. If it wasn't for the occasion, they would have rushed up to swallow him alive.
After Gu Mang slowly recovered, he felt something was wrong. He looked around, and when he looked up, he saw faces filled with cold hatred, so he hurriedly grabbed some things from the water table and put them in his arms, like a rat crossing the street that everyone shouted, panicking. He fled, and finally found an inconspicuous corner and squatted down.
Only then did I realize that what I caught was not tasty.
His foraging ability is really bad, the table is full of delicacies, and he actually only took two scallion oil biscuits.
With green onions, still cold...
But at this point, he was too picky. Gu Mang lowered his head and nibbled at the cake in small bites. He was eating silently when a gentle voice suddenly sounded behind him: "Gu Mang? Why are you here."
Gu Mang turned around with the biscuits in his mouth, and saw Jiang Yexue sitting in a wooden wheelchair, looking at him with a little surprise.
It was the man who put on the "necklace" for him...
Gu Mang breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't have much malice towards this person, and even felt kind to him, so he bit the cake and whispered, "It's not an eyesore here."
Jiang Yexue wanted to know how others would treat him, and sighed, "Where's Xihe-Jun?"
"He's with the princess."
"I see. No wonder he'll leave you alone..."
Gu Mang swallowed a mouthful of biscuits and asked in a low voice, "Why are you here too? Are you also not likable?"
Jiang Yexue smiled and said, "That's right."
He glanced at the distance, Yue Chenqing was talking to his fourth uncle with a smile, and her brows were beaming, but Murong Chuyi still ignored him as usual, with an indifferent face, and she didn't know if she was listening.
Jiang Yexue looked at it for a while, then turned her eyes away and said, "I am indeed not likable."
Gu Mang moved his position to make room for him.
The two silently looked at the fine snow floating outside the window. Gu Mang suddenly glanced at his legs and asked, "Why are you sitting all the time?"
"… Wounded in battle and can't stand up again."
Gu Mang didn't speak immediately. He took a few more bites of the sesame oil. He couldn't stand the taste of the scallion oil, so he suddenly handed the cake to Jiang Yexue: "Do you want to eat it?"
Jiang Yexue: "..."
After a few moments of silence, Jiang Yexue sighed, "You are still the same as before."
Gu Mang opened his eyes slightly: "You knew me before?"
Jiang Yexue said with a smile, "...No one in the world knows you."
Gu Mang said, "I... I don't understand it."
"I did know you before. I, you, Xihejun, and Lu Zhanxing often cooperated with the South and the North." Jiang Yexue said, and glanced at the biscuits in Gu Mang's hand, "You couldn't eat it at that time. I also like to stuff us with the things that are dropped."
Gu Mang looked at him in a daze: "So, you are also my old friend?"
"Yeah." Jiang Yexue said, "We lived and died together." He sighed softly, "So I can't hate you."
Gu Mang lowered his eyes and said, "But Mo Xi hates me."
Jiang Yexue smiled lightly, her dark eyes looking at the night with a calm and transparent luster: "Although it is true, but the person in the world who doesn't want to hate you the most is probably him."
"… yes?"
"yes."
Snowflakes crouched on the window sills, dipped in orange by the lights in the hall.
Jiang Yexue adjusted the cold clothes draped over her shoulders, and together with Gu Mang rewarded the snow for a while, and said, "He actually treated you well in the past."
Gu Mang didn't say a word.
Jiang Yexue's voice was gentle and low: "You are trapped and surrounded, and he will save you even if he lives. You are seriously injured and comatose, and he has not touched the bed for several days and nights to guard you. You won the award, he is better than himself. You're even more happy when you get a merit. You tell jokes... A serious person like him, he's been sitting among the soldiers and looking at you, and he's the first to laugh when you finish your speech with a high-spirited expression."
"But you don't remember any of that."
In the end, he is a person who has seen life and death through suffering. He has no deep feelings mixed with it, just like talking about the past calmly with old friends.
The tone and expression were calm.
But Gu Mang was stunned between his words, as if he could catch some vague shadows, some fragments of the past—a crowded and lively tavern, with a lively atmosphere and noisy soldiers.
He stood on the chair, grinning and chatting with the people below.
His eyes flickered, and he couldn't remember the jubilant and noisy face below, but when he looked up, he saw the young man sitting next to the wine cabinet.
With a straight back and gentle eyes, he stared at him intently across the lively crowd.
The heartbeat of that moment was awakened again at this moment.
And those oaths that he just remembered, even though he didn't choose to believe it before, but no matter what, at least he could feel that Mo Xi was sincere when he said it—
"I really like you."
"I'll give you a home."
"Wait for me..."
Gu Mang closed his eyes and said nothing for a while.
Jiang Yexue said: "If you hadn't abandoned him, hurt him, and touched his bottom line and scales, how could he hate you. He has always been protecting you, and he is willing to block you from the wind and rain outside— But you stabbed him under him."
Gu Mang trembled in his heart.
Yeah
is that so…
He remembered how Mo Xi held his hand tightly and whispered against his chest.
Mo Xi said, you almost killed me.
"The human heart is full of flesh. He has protected it for too long, and he has given everything he can. He is a nobleman and one of the most outstanding sons from Chonghua. For you, I have done almost everything that should be done and should not be done."
"It was the last knife you gave him that made him unable to protect him."
No one had ever said such a thing to Gu Mang, and even if he said it a few years earlier, he wouldn't believe it. However, the contact with Mo Xi during this period of time, and the past events he remembered these days, made Gu Mang chaotic in the center of Jiang Yexue's low-pitched complaint.
Gu Mang's blue eyes flickered: "Why are you telling me this?"
Jiang Yexue said, "I used to be your comrade, and he is also his." He thought about it for a while, his eyes were a little complicated, "I don't really want to see you hurting each other again."
Gu Mang was stunned for a while, as if he was grabbing the last floating grass to explain his past mistakes. He said almost helplessly: "But he's also... fierce, he said I'm dirty..."
"That's because you didn't know that the thing he hated most in his life was betrayal."
Gu Mang was stunned: "Why does he hate this the most?"
Jiang Yexue was silent for a moment, then said, "I just wanted to chat with you tonight, but..."
He paused for a while, then sighed, "That's it. It's all half said, it doesn't matter. Let me ask you, do you know how his father, Lord Fuling, died?"
Gu Mang shook his head.
"Because of a traitor."
Jiang Yexue said and looked back at him: "Jun Fuling fought against the Liao Army back then, but unexpectedly the deputy commander surrendered to the enemy and turned against the water to drive the siege to a desperate situation. In order to let the people evacuate, he was captured alive by the traitor."
Gu Mang widened his eyes: "Then what?"
"In order to please Lord Liao, that traitor killed Lord Xifu Ling with his own hands, cut off his head, stole his spiritual core, and offered it to the enemy country, and was rewarded for it—then that person was just like you back then and was directly sealed. General."
The words are bloody in the ears and pierced into the heart. Gu Mang's hands trembled slightly.
"What's even more ironic is that in the letter to the family that Mr. Fu Ling had time to send in the future, he was still praising the traitor's love and righteousness, saying that with this brother, the family need not worry." Jiang Yexue looked at his knees. , sighed lowly, "He's still talking, how can he say that he has no clothes and is in the same robe as his son."
"… "
"Jun Fuling gave his life to the other party, but his brother didn't even leave a complete corpse for his family. When the coffin entered the city, Mr. Fuling's bones and blood were broken, his limbs were separated, and he died without a trace. Whole body." Jiang Yexue turned to look at Gu Mang, who was pale.
"That year, Mo Xi was only seven years old."
Gu Mang seemed to be choking on a block, unable to utter a word.
"Gu Mang, now do you know why Xi Hejun hates betrayal so much?"
Jiang Yexue paused and said.
"You did almost the same thing as his father-killer."
Gu Mang looked at him blankly, only to feel a chill running through his bones: "..."
"You ask yourself, think about it for yourself." Jiang Yexue sighed softly, "What kind of sage does he want to have no grudge against you?"