Chapter 3042: It’s Cold at the Top
Nan Yan gasped.
"Xu Shizong?!"
The person in front of them was none other than Empress Renxiao's elder brother, Xu Shizong, who had met them several times before and was so sick that he looked like he could be blown down by a gust of wind.
But at this moment, the one who led his men to break through the city of Jinling, entered the Jinling Imperial Palace, and stood in the hall was also him, Xu Shizong.
Nan Yan opened her eyes wide, and the pale and thin figure reflected in her pupils seemed to be imprinted into her heart.
“It’s you…”
She murmured, and the moment she said these two words, the past events suddenly came back like a tide and swallowed her up in an instant.
At this moment, she recalled the fertility-giving Guanyin statue that Xu Miaoyin gave her, and the musk beads hidden inside.
He recalled that when Zhu Feng launched the Jingnan Campaign and seized the throne, he had been recuperating in his hometown.
He recalled what happened after he dragged his sick body into the capital.
There is also Zhu Chengjin's "divine" help.
It turned out to be him.
"So, it's you."
Nan Yan muttered as she walked forward step by step. The candlesticks around the hall that had not been used for a long time were now all lit. A slight breeze blew in, causing the candle flames to sway constantly. The swaying light and shadow made the entire hall feel shaky.
But Xu Shizong, who was standing in the hall, although he had a thin body that would be blown down by a gust of wind, his eyes were as firm as a rock.
When he met Nan Yan's gaze, he simply lowered his eyelids slightly, as if smiling.
"So it's you."
Nan Yan repeated it solemnly. After all the causes and consequences were sorted out in an instant, she suddenly couldn't help laughing. When she looked up at Xu Shizong again, her eyes were complicated and cold: "So, it has always been you."
Xu Shizong just glanced at her but did not respond to her.
Instead, he walked down slowly, holding the wooden railing beside him. His steps were still a little unsteady. When he got closer, Nan Yan saw that not only was his face pale, but there were large dark shadows under his eyes, and his eyes were completely bloodshot and red. It was obvious that he had not slept for several days, and his physical strength was almost exhausted.
He raised his hand and saluted Zhu Chengjin: "Sir."
Zhu Chengjin didn't seem to notice his weakness. He only remembered him standing in the hall with his hand on the dragon throne. He said with lingering anger, "How dare you go up there?!"
Xu Shizong looked back.
He covered his mouth and coughed twice, then said, "I, I just want to take a look."
"What are you looking at?"
“…”
"What's so good about it?"
Xu Shizong probably also understood his anger. After all, for someone who had lost everything, after finally regaining everything, he would be full of aggressiveness towards anyone who wanted to covet it, even if they just took a second look at it.
So, he coughed twice and said, "I just want to see the scenery standing there."
Zhu Chengjin said coldly: "The scenery there is not something that everyone can see."
His words revealed a hint of hostility amidst his arrogance.
Xu Shizong covered his mouth and coughed, then raised his head and glanced at him indifferently.
Perhaps because of his illness, this man always looked pale and thin, completely harmless. Even though people had been suspicious of him before because of the musk beads in the fertility Guanyin, looking at him like this, it was really hard to have any hostile thoughts towards him.
Because he is really too "weak".
But now, Nan Yan already knew that this "weakness" was just a fragile mask, especially when he looked up at Zhu Chengjin just now. He looked weak and frail, but there was a needle-like sharpness hidden in his eyes.
It gives people the feeling that he is hiding, but at the same time, one can clearly feel that sharp presence.
Zhu Chengjin was not stupid and felt it immediately.
He thought for a moment, then softened his tone and said with a smile, "It's lonely up there, Military Advisor. I'm also concerned about your health."
“…”
After hearing what he said, Xu Shizong lowered his head and a slight smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
He coughed twice and said softly, "Sorry to bother you, sir."
Nan Yan stood by and watched them.
Originally, when she came in and saw Xu Shizong, she had countless doubts and questions, and even wanted to throw anger at him, but at this time, she calmed down and just looked at the two people quietly.
At this time, Zhu Chengjin looked up and looked forward.
Above the hall, there was a golden dragon throne. He had probably been thinking about it since he entered Jinling City. Now it was finally before his eyes. After his anger dissipated, strong desire and greed immediately appeared in his eyes, as if he wanted to turn into a glutton and swallow everything in front of him in one bite.
He no longer paid any attention to them, and immediately walked forward eagerly, climbed up to the hall, and reached out to touch the golden dragon throne.
Everything that once belonged to him is now in his eyes, under his feet, and in his hands!
Zhu Chengjin was so excited that his whole body was shaking.
After stroking the dragon throne for a long time, he finally turned around slowly and sat on the chair with great care. After sitting down, he even moved his body and changed several postures until he straightened his back and recalled the feeling of sitting on it. When he looked down, he saw that there were no longer only Xu Shizong and Si Nanyan in the hall, but it seemed that it was filled with his civil and military officials, and outside, there were his billions of people.
“Hahahaha, hahahahahahahahaha…”
Zhu Chengjin couldn't help but burst into laughter.
In the hall, his laughter kept rising and falling and echoing, making people's heads ache. Nan Yan frowned subconsciously, and Xu Shizong seemed to be unable to bear it anymore, and covered his mouth and coughed softly.
Fortunately, Zhu Chengjin stopped laughing immediately. He lowered his head, looked down at Xu Shizong, and said, "Now, how is the war going?"
Nan Yan immediately perked up.
After being here for so long, I finally got to the point.
Xu Shizong said softly, "I led my men to attack for four days. The defense of Jinling City was not strict, and there was no external force to support it. After we entered the city, all the garrisons withdrew."
"Where did they retreat to?"
"They're all gone."
"Disbanded?"
Hearing these two words, Zhu Chengjin couldn't help laughing again and said, "As expected, the military advisor's idea is good. Jinling City is him, no, it is the capital left to me by God. As long as we occupy this place and divide the river with him, we will have a better chance to go north in the future. By that time-"
Xu Shizong coughed twice, interrupting his dream.
He said, "Sir, in my opinion, we should first eliminate these scattered troops in the city."
Zhu Chengjin said: "They are all defeated generals, why bother about them?"
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