Chapter 3667 Chasing Light (Finale)
"Cough, cough, cough, cough..."
The violent coughing sounds continued, even the howling cold wind could not cover it up. However, the person coughing was trying his best to hide the pain that was burning in his lungs and liver, and was about to break his throat. This kind of suppression made his cough sound heavier, and made his pain more obvious.
Everyone who heard it looked worried or even painful.
Even though they didn't understand medical knowledge, they knew that Zhu Feng couldn't go on.
Aunt Tongyun, who was standing at the door of the king's tent holding a bowl of medicine that was still steaming, had red eyes. As a doctor, how could she not know what such a voice meant?
The imperial army's northern expedition is almost coming to an end.
His Majesty the Emperor's road is almost coming to an end...
At this moment, a hand gently pressed on her shoulder. Aunt Tongyun turned around and saw that it was Xiao Shunzi, whose face was also solemn. His eyes were also red, but he tried his best to control himself and not let his emotions show too much. He only said to her in a hoarse voice: "Aunt, if you go in like this, I'm afraid it will make the queen uncomfortable."
"oh."
When Aunt Tongyun heard this, she quickly raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes.
Xiao Shunzi sighed again and said, "Aunt, please go in quickly. Regardless of whether the medicine is still effective, it's too cold to drink. It will still make people uncomfortable."
When Xiao Shunzi said this, it was like a knife stabbing Aunt Tongyun's heart.
She choked and said, "Don't say anything, Master Shun."
After saying that, he lowered his head and took a deep breath to make himself look normal, then lifted the curtain and walked in.
Xiao Shunzi stood silently at the door of the tent. When he looked up, he saw Ying Shao standing opposite him with a sword in his hand. He didn't know how long he had been standing there. The army below had already assembled according to the order of His Majesty the Emperor, but there was no order to set off yet, so he just stood there. The snow had already fallen on his shoulders and dyed his hair white.
The two looked at each other and said nothing.
However, the deep sadness in his eyes has already said it all.
Inside the tent, a charcoal brazier was placed in front of the bed. The fire was almost burnt out, but the heat was still strong. Aunt Tongyun felt a thin layer of sweat on her body when she walked in. But even so, the person lying on the bed was covered with a thick quilt, and even his lips were pale and bloodless.
Seeing the Emperor like this, Aunt Tongyun felt that the tears she had swallowed were about to burst out again.
She hurriedly lowered her head, concealing her feelings as she presented the medicine bowl in her hand to the imperial concubine who was sitting beside the bed, letting the emperor lean on her, and whispered, "Your Majesty, the medicine is ready..."
Nan Yan looked up at her.
In contrast to the sorrowful atmosphere outside, the tent was very quiet. Even the imperial concubine's face was calm, without any unnecessary expression. Seeing Aunt Tongyun's red eyes, she simply reached out to take the bowl and said calmly, "Leave."
"yes."
Aunt Tongyun didn't dare to say anything more and walked out with her head down.
When the tent fell again, Nan Yan looked down at Zhu Feng in her arms. The violent coughing just now had exhausted his strength. At this time, the man leaning in her arms kept gasping for breath, his thin back pressed against hers, and she could even tell his bones from the ups and downs of his breathing.
It hurts a bit.
When Nan Yan spoke, her voice was low, as if she was suppressing something in pain, and she said, "Your Majesty, would you like some medicine?"
The man in her arms panted for a long time before stopping and slowly looked back at her.
This look revealed some tenderness in the weakness, and even a hint of smile.
Meeting his smiling eyes, Nan Yan was silent for a moment, then she also managed a smile, and even softened her voice a lot, and asked, "Your Majesty, would you like to take some medicine?"
Zhu Feng shook his head: "Put it aside."
Nan Yan didn't try to persuade him, and just put the medicine bowl aside. Then she reached out and gently rubbed Zhu Feng's back to help him breathe. But now, this action had no effect on Zhu Feng's internal torment. He was still breathing heavily, and even though he tried his best to suppress it, he couldn't help but cough several times.
Nan Yan felt something was wrong with the sound and hurriedly brought the small cup to his mouth. She heard Zhu Feng spit out two mouthfuls of phlegm.
It's bloody sputum.
But Nan Yan acted as if she hadn't seen it. She calmly put the small cup aside and took out a handkerchief to carefully wipe the corner of his mouth. Zhu Feng took a breath before finally calming down and asked, "What's going on outside?"
Nan Yan's hand holding the handkerchief froze for a moment, but she immediately said, "The troops have been assembled. With the emperor's order, we can move out at any time."
"well."
Zhu Feng nodded, stretched out his hands to support the edge of the bed as if he wanted to get up, but he only bounced in Nan Yan's arms and fell down weakly again.
He panted and said, "I, I will sit for a while and then set off."
Nan Yan reached out to hold his shoulder and said softly, "Your Majesty, don't worry. The spies ahead report that the Neng Kingdom's troops have also slowed down their pace. Even if we sleep a little longer, we won't lose much ground."
Zhu Feng frowned slightly: "When did the spy come back?"
Nan Yan said: "Last night..."
"Why, I don't know anything?"
"The emperor fell asleep. I was afraid they would disturb his rest, so I didn't wake him up."
Zhu Feng was silent for a moment before he smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't even notice it at all."
He was a very cautious person. Even when he lived in the imperial city, in his own palace, he seldom slept so deeply that he could not be woken up by someone coming in to answer him. What's more, he was now on the snowy plains of the Northern Territory and was in a state of preparation for war, but he was completely unaware.
Seeing him like this, Nan Yan immediately said, "Your Majesty, if you say so, it is my fault."
Zhu Feng smiled and said, "I don't blame you."
Seeing that Nan Yan's face still looked bad, he said, "Okay, bring the medicine over to me and let me drink it. After drinking it, we can set off."
Nan Yan nodded, reached out to pick up the medicine bowl, but first brought it to her lips to taste it, only to find that the medicine had lost its temperature. She immediately frowned and looked up to call for someone to come in and reheat the medicine. Zhu Feng wanted to say something several times but failed to stop her. Only after watching Aunt Tongyun carefully holding the medicine bowl and leaving the tent, did he smile bitterly and say, "You've made such a fuss over such a small matter."
Nan Yan said, "The medicine is no longer hot."
"It's not hot, nor is it cold. What's the big deal?"
"This medicine must be taken hot. Drinking it lukewarm will not help the emperor's illness."
Seeing her serious tone, Zhu Feng couldn't help but shook his head and laughed, "Do I still care about this?"
Nan Yan said: "I care."
"I care."
These three words were spoken harshly, as if something hit Zhu Feng in the chest. He turned around to look at Nan Yan's face. Compared to the previous ugly expression, her eyes were a little red at this time, as if something hot was about to drip down in the next moment.
Zhu Feng immediately turned his eyes away, avoiding her gaze.
After that, the two of them didn't say anything else, just sitting there leaning against each other. Although there was a howling wind outside, the sound of army footsteps and the neighing of war horses, the tent was exceptionally quiet and warm, and there was even an illusion of being in spring.
Nan Yan put one hand around Zhu Feng's thin waist and gently placed the other hand on the back of his hand.
Because he was too thin, his hands were so bony that the joints were clearly visible. In the past, those hands were so kind and gave people infinite strength and warmth, but now, covered by her hands, it felt like they would disappear at any time.
Nan Yan frowned and interlocked her fingers with his.
Feeling her strength, Zhu Feng seemed to understand something. He smiled faintly and said, "What are you worried about?"
Nan Yan said: "No."
Zhu Feng laughed and said, "No, then why are you holding me so tightly?"
“…”
"I won't run away."
"Who says not?"
Nan Yan whispered in his ear, "The Emperor has been walking ahead of me, so fast and hurried that if I miss a second, I'll fall behind."
“…”
"Therefore, I must follow closely and hold on tighter, so that I can keep up with the emperor."
Zhu Feng chuckled and said, "You, just talk nonsense."
“…”
"You've been walking with me for a long time."
“…”
"Maybe, maybe in the future, you will even be ahead of me."
Nan Yan immediately asked, "What is the emperor talking about? How can I possibly walk ahead of the emperor?"
Zhu Feng smiled and said, "If I stop and you keep walking, won't you be ahead of me? Now you can see such a beautiful scenery. Maybe if you walk ahead, the scenery will be even better."
When he said these words, his breathing was already uneven, but he felt that Nan Yan's chest, against which his back was pressed, was rising and falling even more violently, as if something was tense.
The next moment, Nan Yan was heard saying, "Will the Emperor really stop?"
“…”
"Didn't the emperor say that prosperity will only come if you keep moving forward? As soon as you stop, prosperity will never come again."
“…”
"Why do you say stop?"
Hearing the unconcealable trembling in her voice, as if she was about to burst into tears, Zhu Feng immediately smiled and said, "Yes, I made a mistake."
“…”
"Of course I can't stop. No matter when the prosperous times will come, what I have to do now is to catch up with Monk."
Having said that, he gritted his teeth again, stretched out his hands to support the edge of the bed, then turned back to Nan Yan and said, "Come, help me up, I have to go."
Seeing that he could hardly stand up, Nan Yan felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife, and her eyes were burning as if tears were about to roll out at any moment, but she still gritted her teeth and tried her best to hold on, helping Zhu Feng to slowly stand up.
Zhu Feng held the bedpost with one hand and covered his chest with the other, panting slightly and saying, "Change my clothes."
“…”
Nan Yan glanced at him without saying anything. She just lowered her head, picked up the fur coat beside her, and put it on him.
As soon as the heavy fur coat was draped over Zhu Feng's shoulders, he felt his whole body tremble, and he even staggered two steps before he could barely stand firm again.
Too weak to wear clothes...
At this time, even wearing heavy clothes was a burden to him, so how could he ride a horse and chase Monk, who was already in a critical condition, in such a harsh environment?
Nan Yan gritted her teeth, her eyes almost filled with tears. She could only lower her head to prevent him from seeing her. She stood in front of him and buttoned her clothes one by one.
Feeling her fingers trembling, Zhu Feng looked down at her and asked, "What's wrong?"
Nan Yan lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty."
"Um?"
"Your Majesty, are you still leaving?"
“…”
"Can't we just stop here? At this point, is Monk's life or death really that important?"
“…”
There was a moment of silence in the king's tent.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Feng's hoarse voice was heard. It still seemed to be smiling, and a little gentle: "What's wrong with you?"
“…”
"You've been with me all this way here, and you were the one who just ordered them to assemble and prepare to set off. Why are you trying to persuade me now?"
“…”
"This is so confusing, it's not like my concubine."
Nan Yan raised her head, her red eyes finally looking directly at Zhu Feng, and whispered, "It was the Emperor's concubine who ordered the army to assemble."
“…”
"But it's Nan Yan who wants the emperor to stop."
“…”
These words startled Zhu Feng.
But it only took a moment for him to understand.
He smiled, reached out and gently pinched Nan Yan's face, but this time, his pinch was just a light touch of his fingers across her cheek. Then he said softly, "You."
“…”
"After being a concubine for half your life, you are still Nan Yan."
Nan Yan looked up at him, just like she had done in many years, but this time, she needed to wrap her arms around his thin waist to keep the man standing steady.
She asked softly, "Then, does the emperor want the imperial concubine or Nan Yan?"
Zhu Feng laughed and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
“…”
"As long as you are by my side, that's enough."
“…”
"As for whether you are Si Nanyan or my concubine, is it really that important?"
Nan Yan also laughed.
She slowly hugged Zhu Feng tightly, resting her face on his chest, and whispered, "So, no matter if it's the Imperial Concubine or Nan Yan, if they ask the Emperor to stop, the Emperor won't stop?"
His chest was so thin that one could clearly hear his heartbeat. The strong heartbeat in the past was now so weak that it was almost imperceptible. But when Zhu Feng opened his mouth, he said -
"Don't be confused."
“…”
"You just said it, and I've said it before. I may not know when the prosperous era will come, but I know exactly when it will end."
“…”
"As soon as I stop, it goes away."
“…”
"So, Nanyan, my noble concubine, you should know that I cannot stop. I will keep going for the rest of my life. I will keep going."
“…”
After hearing this, Nan Yan said nothing more and just buried her face in his arms.
A warm and wet feeling soaked Zhu Feng's chest.
After a long time, I heard a muffled voice, a little wet with tears, whispering: "Okay."
Zhu Feng laughed.
Soon, the clothes were changed.
Nan Yan personally opened the tent, and the cold wind immediately rushed into the king's tent wrapped in snow foam, while Zhu Feng walked out of the tent slowly against the wind.
The heavy fur coat weighed on his shoulders like a mountain. Although these shoulders had carried countless heavy burdens in the past, at this moment, they pressed him so hard that he could hardly support himself. He was as pale as if he were made of ice and snow, and he would melt into the vast snowfield at any time.
Xiao Shunzi and Aunt Tongyun, who were standing outside the door, hurried forward to support him.
Nan Yan immediately waved her hand gently.
The two of them hurriedly retreated, and she came over and personally held Zhu Feng's arm. Zhu Feng looked down at her, smiled slightly, and did not push her away. Instead, he touched her arm and touched her hand, then tightly grasped the hand that was originally slender, but now more powerful than his.
As if relieved, he put his weight on Nan Yan.
Nan Yan held his fingers tightly and walked forward slowly, step by step.
The cold wind immediately blew away the little heat left in Zhu Feng's body. After a while, his hands and feet were already cold, his cheeks became paler, and he couldn't help coughing.
“Cough cough cough…”
"emperor?"
Nan Yan reached out and touched his chest.
Zhu Feng panted, looked down at her, and said with a smile, "It's okay."
“…”
"Let's go."
Although he spoke lightly, his steps became heavier with each step.
But his eyes were always looking ahead. In fact, he had long lost the ability to find any target in the vast snowfield. If he walked too long, he would lose sight of anything and might even suffer from snow blindness. However, Zhu Feng's eyes seemed to be able to cross the endless snowfield and see farther, even to places that none of them could see.
Nan Yan looked into his eyes.
Zhu Feng said softly, "Nan Yan."
Nan Yan said, "I'm here."
"Where is the prince now?"
“……!”
Nan Yan was startled and subconsciously looked up at him, but saw that Zhu Feng was calm and seemed to know everything, but he didn't say much and just looked ahead calmly.
Nan Yan was silent for a moment before she said softly, "Based on the speed of their journey, they should be back in Beijing soon."
Zhu Feng nodded: "That's good."
Nan Yan thought for a moment and said, "The Crown Prince has become more stable and mature after these years of experience. Your Majesty doesn't need to worry anymore."
Zhu Feng said: "I have long stopped worrying about him."
"Then what is the emperor worried about?"
"Xin Ping..."
"She is also in the capital."
“…”
Zhu Feng chuckled.
Nan Yan immediately said, "It's my fault as a daughter to make His Majesty so worried. When I get back, I will definitely punish her severely."
Zhu Feng chuckled again before slowly saying, "Forget it."
“…”
"Her personality is still like yours. If you want to punish her, you should punish her at the root of the problem."
Nan Yan also laughed, but there was much more bitterness than joy in that smile.
She said, "Yes."
Zhu Feng's footsteps became slower and heavier with each step. At this time, they were not far from the assembled troops. They looked up and saw Ying Shao waiting in front with his horse. Zhu Feng said as he walked: "Actually, I am not worried about her. She has a good brother. No matter what I do-"
Nan Yan's breath was choked.
Zhu Feng continued, "In the end, I won't let her down."
Nan Yan said, "Your Majesty, please stop talking."
But this time, Zhu Feng didn't listen to her and continued, "It's just that the King of Han..."
Nan Yan asked, "King Han, what's wrong?"
“…”
Zhu Feng was silent for a while, as if he was thinking about something. But after thinking for a while, he just smiled faintly and said, "I am not worried about this child."
“…”
"I just feel a little regretful."
Nan Yan asked, "What regrets does the emperor have?"
Zhu Feng said: "I failed to give the best to our children."
“…”
Nan Yan's steps faltered, she sighed, then smiled with red eyes, "Your Majesty, you say that again. I never like to hear that. Could it be that the Crown Prince is no longer our child? I've watched him marry and have children, and the ones he married were my relatives. Yet, such a close relationship is being called alienated by the Emperor."
Hearing this, Zhu Feng also laughed.
He smiled, coughed lightly, and said, "I made a mistake."
Nan Yan said, "Your Majesty has already made a slip of the tongue twice today. A king's words are not to be trifled with. Your Majesty cannot do it again."
"good,"
Zhu Feng smiled and said, "I'll do as you say."
Nan Yan supported him until he was almost in front of Ying Shao, and then she said softly, "Actually, Your Majesty doesn't need to regret not giving Cheng Jun the best. Your Majesty has already given me the best. As his son, he has benefited so much from it. What is there to be lacking?"
Zhu Feng looked down at her: "What did I give you?"
Nan Yan also looked up at him, but did not say anything. She just slowly raised their hands that were clasped together, looked at their hands, and then looked at him.
Zhu Feng understood immediately.
A gentle smile appeared on his pale face, and even his cheeks had a rare redness, and his eyes looked more energetic than before.
He sighed softly, "That's you."
As soon as he finished speaking, they had arrived.
Ying Shao, who was holding the horse, immediately took a step forward, as if he wanted to reach out to help Zhu Feng, but on second thought, he immediately retracted his hand and saluted the Emperor very cautiously.
When His Majesty the Emperor is in the army, he never needs help mounting a horse.
Even though he was extremely weak at this time, no one dared to break his rules easily.
Seeing him like this, Zhu Feng smiled faintly and waved his hand.
"Let's go."
Ying Shao received the order and immediately turned around and waved his hand. Immediately, the soldiers who had been waiting in line immediately jumped on their horses and marched forward in an orderly manner. The snow foam raised by the horses' hooves immediately filled their eyes, as if a cloud of snow mist had risen.
Zhu Feng walked up to his horse.
Nan Yan also subconsciously let go of her hand. At this time, she naturally wanted to retreat, but unexpectedly, Zhu Feng did not let her go. Not only did he not let her go, but he used a little force to pull her back.
Nan Yan was stunned.
"emperor?"
Zhu Feng looked at her with a smile: "This time, you will ride with me."
“…”
It's not that they had never ridden together in the past, but this was in the army, and Zhu Feng was leading the team. No matter how difficult the journey was, they each rode their own horses and had never ridden together.
Now, Zhu Feng asked her to ride with him...
Nan Yan looked up at his face again. In the snow and fog, his eyes were particularly bright. It seemed that he had not seen such a clear and bright gaze for a long time. Even his back was straighter than before.
Nan Yan suddenly understood something.
A sour feeling surged from her chest, almost rushing up and bursting out of her eyes.
But she gritted her teeth, suppressed the sharp pain in her heart, and put on a little smile, saying, "Then it would be disrespectful for me to refuse it."
Zhu Feng smiled and said, "Come, support me."
Nan Yan said no more and supported his arm. Ying Shao on the other side half-knelt down and used his shoulder as his stepping stone. Zhu Feng finally stepped on the stirrup and climbed onto the horse, while Nan Yan easily climbed onto the horse's back and sat in front of him.
As soon as she sat down, Zhu Feng put his arms around her waist from behind.
One arm was around her waist, the other holding the reins.
Nan Yan also reached out and held the reins with him, feeling his heavy body pressed against her, even a little pressing on her back. Nan Yan did not straighten her back, but slightly arched her back to let him lean more comfortably.
Then, Zhu Feng's heavy breathing was heard in his ears.
He said, "Let's go."
Nan Yan nodded, and Ying Shao beside her had already climbed onto the horse and was following closely beside them. Nan Yan shook the reins, squeezed her legs against the horse's belly, and the horse she was sitting on immediately ran forward.
However, I don’t know if it was because two people were riding together and it was bearing the weight, or if it also felt something, but the horse no longer galloped as freely as before, but instead just trotted forward. Although it was a bit bumpy, on such a snowy field, this speed of progress was quite comfortable.
Nan Yan could feel Zhu Feng's chin resting on her shoulder, bumping against it bit by bit with the bumps in the car.
He is really tired.
But even so, he didn't stop.
Nan Yan held the reins with one hand and touched the back of his hand that was holding her waist with the other hand. She pressed it hard and said softly, "Your Majesty..."
The person behind him said "hmm" after a long time.
The voice sounded tired, slow and heavy.
Nan Yan's throat was hoarse, and when she spoke again, her voice was so hoarse that it didn't sound like hers. She whispered softly, "If the Emperor is tired..."
The person behind me said, "We just started on the road, and you're already tired."
“…”
"I'm not tired."
"Your Majesty, rest assured,"
Nan Yan tightened her grip on his hand and the reins, saying softly, "I won't persuade the Emperor to stop."
“…”
"I will accompany the emperor all the way."
“…”
"We won't stop."
The person behind him let out a sigh, as if relieved, or perhaps sighing. After a long moment, he said, "I'm glad you understand."
So the two men continued on their horses.
After a long time, the snow foam raised by the horse's hooves in front had already hit Nan Yan's face. It melted with the hot air exhaled, and her face was wet. There was even something warm mixed with it and dripped down, dripping onto the hand holding the reins.
When the person behind him spoke again, his breath was already very weak.
Fortunately, it was next to Nan Yan's ear, so she could only hear his low voice: "You are... tired this time. After you go back, you..."
"emperor,"
Nan Yan interrupted him, the melted snow dripping down her face: "Let's just move forward."
“…”
"I'm not going back."
“…”
There was silence behind him for a long time before he said, "You..."
The snow fog finally dissipated slowly, and in front of them, at the end of the vast snowfield, there seemed to be a little light rising from the horizon.
The light was dazzling, like a flame.
Nan Yan looked at the golden light in front of her, and in a trance, she seemed to be suddenly back to more than ten years ago, in the fire in Jiaotai Hall. In the same light, a tall figure walked out of the fire.
In this way, he walked into her life.
Over the years, she never stopped and always followed in his footsteps, as if she was also chasing that light.
Finally, she caught up with the light, and this person was by her side and would never be separated from her.
Nan Yan smiled and held his hand tightly, raised her head, and continued to ride forward.
In the 19th year of the Changping reign, Zhu Fengyu, the third emperor of the Yan Kingdom, led an expedition to the north against the Neng Kingdom, driving the Neng monarch a thousand miles before dying in the northern desert. The emperor, gravely ill, also died in Yumuchuan. He was given the temple name Taizong and the posthumous title Renzhi Xiaowen Emperor, and was buried in Changling.
On the same day of the same year, Imperial Noble Consort Si died and was buried with the emperor.
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