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The crow feathers floated and fell along the dark sky in Meng Zheng's eyes.

Sitting in the courtyard full of spring, all you can see is lush greenery.

The pale pink apricot blossoms on the branches are like the arrival of spring after winter, and the red plum blossoms and white snow that have already fallen.

Meng Zheng sat in the small courtyard of the palace, watching the crow flap its wings and land on the branch in front of him, blinking at him and tilting its head.

The fallen feather fluttered onto the stone table, and its light black shadow spread over the curled edge of the unfolded letter page.

There were short words written on it in ink. These words had been passed around for a month and a half as the crows flew over the mountains.

Meng Zheng lowered his eyes to read the content above, his drooping eyelashes concealing his thoughts.

[Donglan was defeated and retreated, and Hao pursued the enemy, captured them, and marched straight to the enemy capital.]

The breeze blew, and pale pink petals from the treetops drifted down onto his letter paper. Meng Zheng coughed softly. The attendant standing nearby was about to step forward and bring the medicine bowl, but was stopped by his slightly raised hand.

Meng Hao prepares to attack Donglan.

His fingertips subconsciously rubbed the rough back of the letter for a moment. Meng Zheng was distracted for a moment, and then his thoughts drifted back to what happened in Cang County half a year ago. He sighed lightly.

If the Wu Mi people are not destroyed, even if Dong Lan loses this war, he will raise troops again next time, and the next time, and countless times, and attack them when they are off guard.

If you want to get rid of this worry, now is the best time.

But since then...

Thinking of Emperor Changde's solemn face standing high in the hall, Meng Zheng was about to think about something, but his throat felt a little itchy. He frowned and touched his throat, but coughed up blood.

Scarlet blood blossomed on the green grass, and under the white light, his eyes were covered with a lifeless color.

The servant guarding behind could no longer wait and trotted over. When he touched the blood-red ground, he turned around in shock and quickly called the imperial physician, who handed the bowl of medicine in his hand to Meng Zheng.

The bitter, light brown medicine reflected his silent face.

Meng Zheng's gaze fell on the bowl of medicine for a moment, then drifted to his completely pale hands.

Time is running out.

It's time to talk to father about what will happen next.

Meng Zheng drained the medicine bowl in one gulp, the bitter taste he'd grown accustomed to once again filling his mouth. He'd always drank it this way over the years, but today, he suddenly felt resistance and nausea.

He supported himself on the stone table with his weak hands. The gentle breeze blew past him, lightly touching his skin, but he felt cold all over and almost couldn't breathe.

In this life, for more than twenty years, all the things I have been pursuing have turned out to be nothing but a waste of time.

Meng Zheng didn't know whether to laugh at his own vanity or his own arrogance. He had risked his life to pursue the flower in the water, the moon in the mirror.

What’s the point of paying more?

He could never get what others could easily obtain in their lifetime. He could only stretch out his hands in vain, trying to reach a bright spot in the vast starry sky.

My eyes are blinded by the things in front of me, but I forget that what is under my feet is a bottomless abyss, not the smooth road of others.

Meng Zheng slowly put the letter away, ignoring his own shaking hands. He turned to the servant and said, "...Bring me paper and pen."

"Yes! Yes! I'll get it right away."

In a hurry, the servant did not forget to pick up the empty bowl of medicine from the table, turned around and walked into the hall behind him.

Meng Zheng sighed softly and rubbed his brows.

The agreement with the sect had already been reached, so he was no longer responsible for matters on the side.

The remaining bishops who needed to be cleared out had all been eradicated last winter.

Knowing that he was in poor health, his father also granted him leave.

Next is the period of rest.

It seems like everything has been dealt with, but my heart is still empty.

The sound of hurried footsteps was heard in the distance, and the imperial physician was led over by attendants.

After taking the letter, the imperial physician nervously stepped forward to check it. Meng Zheng responded to the imperial physician's questions absentmindedly, but his eyes fell on the letter brought to him by the attendant.

The beige letter paper reflected the pale afternoon light, which stung his eyes. After the people surrounding him said something to him and left, Meng Zheng slowly pulled out the letter paper, lowered his eyes and wrote on it.

Since Meng Hao planned to attack the city, he had already asked his father for permission in advance.

His body couldn't support him going far, and the previous order to wipe out the bishop's remnants was already his limit.

If the emperor intends to give the throne to Meng Hao, who is more brave and good at fighting, it is understandable.

Pursuing issues that you did in the past but now question will only add to your troubles.

Meng Zheng wrote a few lines of the letter to Meng Hao, but then stopped writing.

The burning of the enemy camp's food and fodder was something Emperor Changde had anticipated. Seeing that there were still rats escaping in the capital, he casually used a chess piece that was temporarily in his hand to capture that piece.

Now that everything related to Xiao Yingzhu has come to an end, why not go and ask about the situation there first?

Jiang Nian was a great contributor in that game.

However, he was still far away from that game, and there were not many informants around him who could tell him the situation at that time. All he could do now was to write a few bland words and send them to express his condolences.

As for this crow...

Meng Zheng raised his eyes from the letter and looked at the fat crow that was still perched on a branch in front of him. It thought it was small but in fact it was bending the branch.

It still blinked and saw him outside. When it saw Meng Zheng put down the pen from the letter, it thought he was about to set off again, so it fluttered onto the stone table.

After taking a deep breath, Meng Zheng withdrew his gaze tiredly, preparing to tear up the letter in his hand and start a new one.

[The Emperor has appointed Miss Jiang as the Ambassador of Fine Breeds. I wonder when she will be able to arrive in the capital to receive his order? If she is free, I hope she will allow me to meet her.]

Recently, there have been some rumors in the court related to Xiao Yingzhu, but most of them are related to Jiang Nian.

If Jiang Nian returns to the capital from Pingzhou again...

Meng Zheng's gaze suddenly paused, and he raised his eyes to look at the crow in front of him that was tilting its head.

It shouldn't be.

Jiang Nian should be in the capital.

This year's spring came cleverly. Before the snow completely covered the capital in a vast expanse of white, the green leaves that symbolized vitality had already sprouted.

Meng Zheng slowly put down the pen in his hand and looked up at the vibrant ancient tree in front of him.

This year, spring has just arrived, and we have received the good news of a great victory.

Donglan was short of grain, facing internal and external troubles, and the bitter snowstorm had collapsed dozens of houses, leaving the people suffering.

Meng Hao immediately led his army to attack several cities in succession.

Putting aside those little tricks that are not presentable, Donglan's military strength is far less than before.

I think if we wait a little longer, we will surely reap satisfactory results.

The evil cult that arose due to famine will eventually be crushed by the cavalry of Huandu as insect repellents and fertilizers disperse the locusts, and the people of both countries will be able to live in peace.

—

The rain in Xiaoxiang began to fall continuously again.

There is always a lot of spring rain.

When Xizhen came out of the house, his eyes and brows under the oil-paper umbrella were illuminated by the soft light, and the continuous raindrops carried the moisture of the spring green leaves and diffused into his nostrils.

On the cobblestone streets, people who were not affected by the war lived their peaceful lives as usual.

Apart from the fact that the shops now had more items sold by the Liangdu Pharmacy far away in Pingzhou, there weren't many other changes.

In the sunlight, a flickering light reflected from the puddles in the street. Xizhen lowered his eyes for a moment, then turned back to look at the stone house that had been properly repaired.

The stone house that once housed him and Jian Shiyun was preserved intact by him many years later.

The promises made were toyed with by time and fate, and eventually disappeared with the water of Xiaoxiang Creek.

Perhaps in the autumn of a certain year, the yellow leaves carrying full of longing will fall into the water, and when you see the leaves, you will think of the person, and ripples will appear one after another.

The children playing on the street ran towards him with smiles on their faces and passed by him in a hurry.

Xizhen felt the corner of the child's clothes brush against the back of his hand, and he suddenly lowered his eyes, but saw only a little girl standing in front of him, blinking at him.

As if sensing something in his heart, he lowered his eyes and realized that the red string of the jade necklace he had been wearing on his hand since coming to Xiaoxiang, out of habit and because he was reluctant to express his thoughts, was showing from his sleeves. The crystal clear porcelain jade reflected star-like light after the spring rain.

The girl playing in front of him stopped running and laughing, and she was reluctant to leave the beautiful light.

Xizhen raised her hand and looked at the red rope on her wrist for a moment, but she did not take it off. When she lowered her hand again, the wide sleeve blocked the bright light.

The companions in the distance called out to the girl, diverting her attention from the flash of light in her sleeve, and she ran forward again with laughter.

The cool yet refreshing raindrops and wind fell on his face. Xizhen looked directly at the soft sunlight and then gazed at the mountains in the distance.

Beyond that mountain, there will be a new world.

As for the longing that is lingering in my heart for a moment, it will also disappear with this spring rain.

The oil-paper umbrellas hang on the stone slabs, and the reflections are faint, outlining the green leaves of Hsinchu.

A few drops of rain fell down the umbrella, breaking the peaceful reflection.

After a while, the reflection on the water surface regained its brightness.

The owner of the B&B lowered his head to count money and keep track of the account book.

I looked up at the door and found that the stranger who had recently stayed in the B&B had left the street at some point.

He couldn't help but walk out from behind the counter to look. There were many people walking on the street, but he couldn't see the man with a wooden hairpin and a feminine yet sharp temperament.

Looking ahead, I saw only brilliant light and rolling hills, their silhouettes outlined against the blue sky.

The boss raised his head, was stunned for a moment, then turned around and looked at the empty space where he had just stood to pay the bill.

Perhaps that man has embarked on a new journey.

The sun is shining brightly. Instead of staying in the old place and missing it, it is better to leave the past and go to see the new world.