Chapter 15
"Sister, Chen Wangyou is here again." Qingdai came to the river to find Lu Ling, who was washing clothes.
Lu Ling originally thought that if she explained everything to Shen Wangyou, this person would stop pestering her, but she forgot that this person was stubborn and would keep pestering her until her bottom line was touched.
"Did he say anything?" Lu Ling asked Qingdai.
Qing Dai shook her head and said, "He said he just came to see Master Xie. After all, he had spent some time with Master Xie before."
Lu Ling continued what he was doing and said, "Since he's not here to see me, then don't bother with him."
Lu Ling just thought he was overthinking it and ignored it.
On the other side, Shen Wangyou was confronting Xie Yuwang.
Xie Yuwang was wearing armor, which formed a sharp contrast with Shen Wangyou's white clothes.
"What are you doing here? My sister is not here." Xie Yuwang did not give Shen Wangyou a good look.
“I came to your tent naturally to look for you, Mr. Xie.” Shen Wangyou said.
"But it seems like we have nothing to talk about, right, Lord Shen?" Xie Yuwang didn't give him a chance.
"What if it's related to Su Yun? Is it also related to you?" Shen Wangyou said with a determined look.
"Ayun? What's wrong with Ayun?" Xie Yuwang asked hurriedly.
Shen Wangyou played with the jade pendant in his hand, as if he had already guessed it in his heart, and said: "Well, I can't tell you this yet."
So in the next few days, Shen Wangyou was invited to the military camp by Xie Yuwang.
When Lu Ling first heard that Shen Wangyou came to the military camp to harass him, he later found out that Shen Wangyou was not looking for him, so he felt relieved and went to work.
These days, the flowers on the mountain are blooming, and the fallen petals are colorful, adding a touch of bright color to the originally monotonous place, like a beautiful picture.
"A Ling." Shen Wangyou called Lu Ling.
Lu Ling stopped and a peach blossom happened to fall on Lu Ling's hair.
Lu Ling was still holding the basin in his hand. Four months had transformed Lu Ling, and his original nobleness had been worn away.
Lu Ling turned around and looked at Shen Wangyou, then Lu Ling saw Shen Wangyou squatting down to pick up the fallen clothes and said, "Your things fell."
Lu Ling took the clothes and said indifferently: “Thank you, Mr. Shen.”
Shen Wangyou was stunned for a moment, but before long, he forced a smile and said, "You're welcome."
After saying this, Shen Wangyou waved his sleeves and left.
A gust of wind blew and blew the flowers off Lu Ling's head.
Lu Ling blinked, as if he didn’t expect Shen Wangyou to suddenly get angry.
After that day, Shen Wangyou never came to the tent to find Xie Yuwang. Lu Ling thought it must be related to Shen Wangyou's inexplicable anger that day.
*
"Have you heard? Someone came to the palace. I wonder what happened?"
"The people coming from the palace have nothing to do with us. We still have to obey General Xie's orders."
Two soldiers said as they passed by Lu Ling.
Nothing happened in the military camp in the past few days. Why would the emperor send someone here for no reason, Lu Ling thought.
For several days, the people from the palace stayed in the camp, and the entire military camp was in a panic, not knowing what they were about to face.
When Lu Ling passed by the main tent, he heard the conversation of the people inside.
"Sir Liu, does the emperor suspect that I am disobedient?" Xie Heng had been talking with Liu Yong these days and realized that Liu Yong was testing his thoughts intentionally or unintentionally.
Knowing the purpose of his visit, Xie Heng asked directly without beating around the bush.
"Thank you, General. I didn't say that." Liu Yong picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and continued, "You sent the daughter of a guilty minister to the barracks. The emperor just wanted to get rid of her. As for how you were able to do all this, the emperor naturally wants to know a little bit."
Xie Heng's face was expressionless, showing no emotion. He simply raised his hand to stroke his beard, then asked, "What kind of answer does the Emperor want?"
Although Xie Heng was talking about the emperor, he actually knew in his heart who wanted to know.
"How can you and I guess what the emperor is thinking? General Xie, you'd better send that woman to the northwest as soon as possible." After saying that, Liu Yong stood up and walked out of the military camp.
Lu Ling heard the sound and hid behind.
Seeing the man walk away, Lu Ling showed up a little bit. He felt like a drum was beating in his heart and his hands and feet were cold.
The person just now said that she would be sent to the northwest.
She had heard about the Northwest from her father before. It was a desolate and vast place with wind and sand everywhere. If you accidentally walked into the desert, you would die.
After the establishment of the Daliang Dynasty, it focused on controlling the southwest region and strengthening the development of the southwest. Therefore, few people were exiled to the northwest after the establishment of the dynasty. Except for the stationed soldiers, almost no one lived in the northwest.
Lu Ling felt a growing sense of unease, and an idea started to grow wildly.
*
The sky gradually changed, and there was a rumbling sound in the sky. Layer after layer of dark clouds blocked the light. When he stretched out his hand, it seemed as if he could touch the clouds. The heavy rain was falling, beating Lu Ling's heart again and again.
"Thank you, General. The Emperor is grateful for your years of bravery and sacrifice for Daliang, and has granted you the right to retire and return home. The Emperor is worried that no one will take care of you after you return to the capital, so he has ordered the young general to return with you."
Xie Heng seemed to have anticipated this. He knelt down and said calmly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration." Xie Heng stood up and said to Liu Yong, "Sir Liu, I have been in Shuzhou for many years and have long considered it my home. I wonder if I can pack my things, say goodbye to the soldiers, and then leave."
Liu Yong did not force the issue and nodded in agreement.
Xie Heng clasped his fists, stood up straight, looked at Liu Yong and said, "Thank you, Master Liu."
Xie Heng had been in the Shuzhou military camp for ten years. During these ten years, he had always been selfless and dedicated to his work, without any mistakes. His achievements were obvious to all. When he left suddenly, all the soldiers were confused and angry, but they did not dare to resist.
"Why is General Xie going back to Beijing? I don't know what we should do in the future." Qingdai sighed beside Lu Ling.
When Lu Ling heard Qingdai say this, he lowered his head and said nothing.
"Qingdai, let's go and cook!" Zhang Xunwen's voice came from a distance.
Lu Ling and Qingdai turned their heads at the same time and saw Zhang Xunwen waving at him not far away, looking at Qingdai with smiling eyes.
A blush suddenly appeared on Qingdai's face, and she lowered her head.
Lu Ling turned around and looked at Qing Dai, and saw her shy look. He immediately laughed and said, "Go quickly. I won't bother you anymore."
When Qingdai heard this, her ears turned red and she said in a low voice, "Sister, I'll be leaving first."
Lu Ling nodded and said, "Okay."
Looking at Qingdai walking away, Lu Ling sighed.
I originally wanted to tell Qingdai that I would be going to the northwest soon. If I told her, Qingdai would definitely follow me, but she is living a good life here now and has someone she loves, so she shouldn't be bound by me.
But if she didn't say it, Qingdai would probably blame her.
It’s better to blame her, Lu Ling thought, it’s better than dying.
"Sister, father wants to talk to you about something." Xie Yuwang found Lu Ling and said.
Lu Ling put down what he was holding and followed Xie Yuwang to the main tent.
The sunlight shines on the two people, outlining long shadows, which move forward bit by bit, slower and slower.
Xie Yuwang didn't say much along the way, with his head lowered and no emotion on his face, but Lu Ling still felt his sadness.
"I heard that you are going back to Beijing?" Lu Ling asked.
Xie Yuwang nodded and said, "I'm afraid it will be dangerous if I go back this time."
Lu Ling nodded, not knowing what to say. After all, he was in trouble himself.
"Be careful when you go back and beware of ambushes." Lu Ling thought for a long time and could only come up with this sentence.
Then Lu Ling seemed to suddenly think of something and asked Xie Yuwang, "What about you and Su Yun?"
Xie Yuwang wants to return to Beijing, but Su Yun cannot. She is an exile and a slave in this military camp.
Xie Yuwang shook his head and said nothing.
Lu Ling didn't ask any more questions. When they arrived at Xie Heng's tent, Xie Yuwang had already left.
When Lu Ling walked in, Xie Heng was looking at the Daliang feng shui map. Lu Ling walked closer and called out to Xie Heng. Xie Heng looked up, saw that it was her, and smiled and asked her to sit down.
Lu Ling didn't sit down, but just stood in front of the table, "Uncle Xie asked me to come?" Lu Ling asked directly.
"To be honest, I was the one who brought you into this military camp through my connections."
"I know, and I have to thank you uncle for your help over the past few months."
Xie Heng waved his hand and said, "Your father has helped me a lot, so I should do all this. But I'm afraid I still have to let you down."
Lu Ling didn't say anything, waiting quietly for Xie Heng to say the next sentence.
"I don't know who reported it to the emperor, and now he wants to exile you to the northwest." Xie Heng said, his eyes red.
"A Ling, I'm sorry for you. You didn't have to suffer this." Xie Heng choked.
Lu Ling shook his head and said, "Thank you, Uncle. You have helped me a lot. If it weren't for you, I would have died in the wilderness long ago."
Lu Ling walked up to Xie Heng, took Xie Heng's hand, and said, "Uncle Xie, don't worry, I will take good care of myself."
Xie Heng patted her hands and quickly agreed.
When Lu Ling walked out of the tent, he saw Shen Wangyou standing in front of him.
"Are you going to the northwest?" Shen Wangyou questioned.
"Yes." Lu Ling raised his head and stared at Xie Yuwang.
"No, you can't go."
“Chen Wangyou, this is the emperor’s order. Do you want me to disobey the imperial edict?” Lu Ling was about to leave after he finished speaking.
Shen Wangyou was quick to grab Lu Ling's hand and said, "You can't go. You will die if you go."
Lu Ling tried to pry Shen Wangyou's hands away, but found that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pry them away. Lu Ling looked up and said, "Shen Wangyou, let me go. It has nothing to do with you if I die. You don't have to worry."
"A Ling, please stop saying those angry words. The Northwest is so far away and the environment is so harsh. You can't stand it. Don't leave, okay?" Shen Wangyou almost begged.
Lu Ling didn't want to pay attention to him anymore, but when she met his eyes, she hesitated again.
"Let me go and follow me to a place."
After Lu Ling finished speaking, Shen Wangyou let go of his hand and followed Lu Ling.
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