How many times do things, how many times do they stop?
This grand drama has finally come to an end.
However, Ji Mingxiu was not as happy as he had imagined. The Qianqing Palace was stained with blood and could not be lived in for the time being. Gu Zi'an held him and went to the side hall without saying a word.
He quietly raised his eyes to glance at Gu Zi'an's face which was so cold that no emotion could be detected. He tentatively stretched out his hand to grab his neck, but Gu Zi'an avoided him calmly.
My heart sank to the bottom of the valley.
The fire in the side hall was not as strong as that in the main hall, which made people feel a little chilly.
Gu Zi'an gently placed Ji Mingxiu on the edge of the couch, took out the tiger talisman from his arms and handed it to him. The cold tiger talisman was warmed by his body temperature and burned Ji Mingxiu's fingertips, startling him and suddenly retracting his hand.
The tiger talisman that symbolized the entire Daxuan military power fell to the ground with a thud, and the heavy sound echoed in the empty hall.
"What does your majesty mean?"
There was silence between them for a moment, and Gu Zian leaned over and picked up the tiger talisman.
The tiger talisman is only handed over to the general when troops are mobilized. Now that the military operations are over, it should be returned to Your Majesty.
Ji Mingxiu didn't say anything, even though he had long understood that this incident would have a profound impact on the relationship between him and Gu Zi'an. But when Gu Zi'an really spoke to him in such a cold and hard tone, he couldn't help but redden his eyes in grievance.
Obviously, he wanted to say a few soft words to show his friend's kindness, but when the words came to his lips, they turned out to be a probing test.
"I don't mean anything. I heard that the emperor's uncle committed suicide in Wucheng. Did he leave any message for me?"
He lowered his eyes to hide the tears in his eyes. When he left Northern Frontier, he specifically told Gu Zi'an not to kill him until the last minute, after all, he was his uncle.
Even though the uncle wrote the words "behead the tyrant" in great boldness on the manifesto, in the siege at the Western Hunting Ground, he only coated the arrows with sleeping pills. If there was still room for maneuver, he didn't want to go so desperate.
"Your Majesty, do you suspect that I deliberately killed King Cheng?"
Without further ado, Gu Zi'an understood Ji Mingxiu's tentative intention from just this one sentence.
At this moment, he couldn't tell what he was feeling.
He looked down at the tiger talisman in his hand and thought of his father. His father was always at the border and rarely returned to Tiandu. When he was young, he did not have a deep relationship with his father and even resented his irresponsible father at one point.
But during the two years of wind and snow at the border, he seemed to have gradually realized his father's persistence and his father's fate. It was destined to be a life with swords and horses.
So does he.
"So your Majesty is wondering whether I will hold on to the military power?"
He squatted down and half-knelt in front of the couch, placed the tiger talisman in His Majesty's hand, and then tightened it a little bit.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. I am willing to guard the northern border and will never return to Tiandu in this lifetime."
The light that filtered through the window lattice fell behind him, but could not illuminate him alone.
Your Majesty, you must keep this world under your control.
"No... No, that's not what I meant..."
Ji Mingxiu shook his head in panic with red eyes. He didn't want to do it. He clearly didn't want to stab him.
He just... just feels a little aggrieved.
He knew that he shouldn't feel wronged, because it was his father who had done the wrong thing, and it was natural for him to pay for his father's debt. But he still felt a little wronged, because... he clearly knew nothing, and he was the one who was pushed around.
Whether it is the throne or Gu Zi'an.
He never got the chance to choose, it was forcefully stuffed into his hands, and then he was told that it was his responsibility.
Based on what?
It was clearly Gu Zi'an who provoked him first, but now he wanted to get away so easily.
"Your Majesty, please don't cry. I have made up my mind. I beg Your Majesty to grant my approval."
Gu Zi'an touched the red corners of Ji Mingxiu's eyes with sympathy. He was not being rude.
This matter is an unsolvable problem. He can't blame His Majesty, nor can he forgive himself. His Majesty is such a good person, even if he is gone, there will be better people to match him. He should spend the rest of his life in the bitter cold frontier to bear this sin. He only hopes that his Majesty can sit more securely in this high hall.
"Gu Zi'an!"
Just as he turned to say goodbye, His Majesty, who had always been proud, finally lowered his head and clutched his clothes tightly.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
He turned around slowly and saw His Majesty's eyes flashing with tears. Why should he say sorry?
It's not your fault, Your Majesty.
It's not your fault.
However, Ji Mingxiu just held him, tears rolling down from the corners of his eyes, blurring the light and shadow, and he kept repeating the word "I'm sorry" over and over again.
He confessed over and over again for the mistakes he had made and had not made, as if he had sunk into the dust.
"Stop talking..."
Gu Zi'an leaned over and hugged His Majesty, covering the lips that only made his heart ache.
"Gu Zian..."
Ji Mingxiu climbed onto his neck, crying and offering himself to him, his tongue eagerly probing. The boiling tears fell into his collar, like leaving a brand.
"Don't go!"
As soon as he lost some rationality in his absurdity, Ji Mingxiu chased him eagerly, as if to prove something, and reached out to grab his clothes.
He was still wearing a layer of soft armor, and His Majesty had no idea where to start, so he began to pull at his own robe. The robe, which was already loosely draped over his body, didn't need to be pulled hard at all, and it fell to the ground with just a slight pull.
The white skin was still covered with old and new red marks, which blurred Gu Zi'an's eyes into a dark and deep darkness. But Ji Mingxiu didn't have time to think too much. He came forward and pressed his trembling lips against Gu Zi'an's neck, as if offering himself to him.
The feeling of the cold soft armor against his warm skin made him shiver, but he hugged Gu Zi'an even tighter.
"Don't you want me?"
These words completely shattered Gu Zian's rationality.
He pressed forward forcefully, and those hidden impulses finally broke through the cage. The soft armor was quickly removed and thrown beside the couch.
"This is what His Majesty requested."
Gu Zi'an suppressed his voice and stood in front of Ji Mingxiu's forehead, with a fierce fire burning in his eyes, which made people feel fear for no reason.
It's too late to regret now.
…
There were no sweet words of love, no entanglements of ambiguity, only the flame that wanted to burn him to ashes.
It hurts so much! Ji Mingxiu bit his knuckles with red eyes and held back his tears, clutching a hanging curtain.
Gu Zi'an was extremely ferocious. He stepped on his old wounds that had not yet healed and left new wounds on him, leaving his whole body covered with spots and spots, leaving almost no place to look at.
But what hurts the most is the heart.
He closed his eyes, tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes, staining a thin layer of brocade.
But the more he held back from saying anything, the more ferocious Gu Zi'an became, staring at him with his bloodshot eyes as if he wanted to tear him apart completely. This situation was more like a game between the two of them, and no one wanted to give in first.
Until everything was over, no light or shadow could be seen outside the window, and the dark night enveloped Tiandu.
Ji Mingxiu's tears seemed to have dried up, his eye sockets were burning and painful, and there was no part of his body that didn't hurt. He didn't know what else he could do to keep the people around him. No one had taught him how to keep them, so he could only take a gamble.
The sound of clothes rustling came to my ears, and Gu Zian was about to leave.
He closed his eyes tightly, and used all his strength to weakly grasp the corner of Gu Zian's clothes. He did not dare to open his eyes, and could only feel that Gu Zian seemed to be stunned, but still gently brushed his hand away.
His fragile knuckles knocked against the edge of the couch, leaving bright red bite marks. Big drops of tears fell on the pillow, and Ji Mingxiu just bit his lips tightly to avoid crying.
He had nothing left to offer. Only this bit of remaining dignity was left, shattered and crumbling.