Hearing this, Yun Qianmeng quietly nestled against Chu Feiyang's chest. Listening to his strong heartbeat, Yun Qianmeng felt a faint pain in her heart. She gently raised her bare hands to caress his thin but extremely lively face, and whispered softly, "No matter how difficult it is, you must take good care of yourself."
Yun Qianmeng had said this several times in Chu Feiyang's ear since the start of the war, but when it fell into Chu Feiyang's ears this time, it still warmed his heart. The hand around her waist tightened slightly, and Chu Feiyang kissed the black hair on her head with his thin lips, and responded cautiously, "Don't worry, I have a plan in mind."
"Your humble servant greets the prince and princess." At this time, Xi Lin's voice came from outside the door.
Seeing someone coming, Yun Qianmeng immediately sat back in a seat beside her, keeping a distance from Chu Feiyang.
Chu Feiyang watched Yun Qianmeng leave his arms in disappointment. He could only straighten his expression and asked in a low voice, "What's the matter?"
"Your Highness, it is already late at night. The old prince is actually boating alone on the lake. The water is very deep and cold." After all, Chu Nanshan is old, but Chu Nanshan stubbornly refuses to let Jiao Da follow him. Jiao Da couldn't help feeling a little worried, so he stayed by the lake by himself and asked Xi Lin to come and report to Chu Feiyang.
"Boating on the lake?" After hearing Xi Lin's report, Yun Qianmeng immediately turned to look at Chu Feiyang, with a hint of curiosity and doubt in her eyes.
I didn’t expect that there was a lake in this valley, and Chu Nanshan was boating on the lake at this time, which was really puzzling.
However, when Yun Qianmeng recalled Chu Nanshan's expression and the words he said when he stepped into the wooden house just now, her confused heart gradually became clear.
"Let's go and take a look." Receiving Yun Qianmeng's puzzled gaze, Chu Feiyang smiled faintly, took out a plain cloak from the luggage beside him and draped it over Yun Qianmeng's shoulders, then took her hand and walked out of the wooden house.
At this time, the sky had darkened, and stars appeared sporadically in the dark blue sky. The crescent moon was hidden behind the clouds with a very light white luster. The confusing night sky was just like the current situation of Xichu, and the future was bleak.
A mountain breeze blew by, bringing less heat from the plains and more chill from the mountains. However, the cool air made people feel comfortable, and they both exhaled the turbid air that had been trapped in their hearts today and took a deep breath of the natural breeze.
"The mountain road is rugged, but fortunately the lake is not far from the cabin, so let's just take a walk." Chu Feiyang reached out to pull Yun Qianmeng's cloak closer, making sure she wouldn't catch a cold. Then he led her down the stairs, and the two of them slowly walked towards the lake.
In such an extraordinary period, it is extremely precious for Chu Feiyang to be able to take a break from his busy schedule and stroll under the moonlight with his beloved wife.
Today, I happened to have not yet dispatched troops to guard the capital, so I was able to see Yun Qianmeng. Once the Chu King's army engages the armies of the Sea King and the Chen King, I'm afraid I'll be fighting all over the place. By then, I think I won't be able to see Yun Qianmeng for a while.
At this moment, being able to walk slowly with Yun Qianmeng in this valley as peaceful as a paradise is a precious memory for Chu Feiyang. He saw that the hand holding Yun Qianmeng gradually increased its strength, locking his wife, who was walking side by side with him, firmly to his side, and protecting her tightly under his wings.
Yun Qianmeng also noticed Chu Feiyang's nervousness and worry, so she let him hold her hand tightly and walked out of the wooden house with him, stepping on the silver moonlight on the ground towards the dark road ahead.
Stepping on the gravel under his feet, Yun Qianmeng recalled Chu Feiyang's words in the carriage just now, and couldn't help asking curiously, "Feiyang, you just mentioned that Grandpa couldn't stand the recurrence of the past. What exactly is it? Is it related to Grandpa and Grandma?"
Chu Nanshan is an open-minded person who never cares about money, fame or gain, but he is deeply in love with his princess. The things that he cannot tolerate may be related to the late Princess Chu.
Chu Feiyang led Yun Qianmeng to his side, keeping an eye on the road as he spoke to her, "My grandmother's name was Yu Wan Ge. She was once the most beautiful woman in the world. She and my grandfather were in love, their love was so deep that it made everyone else envious. And that other person was Emperor Yu Gan's grandfather, Jiang Sujun, the ancestor of Western Chu."
Mentioning the matter of Chu Nanshan and Yu Wange, Chu Feiyang couldn't help but take a deep breath. His pair of sparkling eyes in the dark night emitted a faint cold light, but it was extremely cleverly hidden under the silver and cold moonlight, making it impossible for people to detect any abnormality or abnormality.
Even Yun Qianmeng, who was standing beside him, only noticed the anger hidden in Chu Feiyang's bones when she looked at his expression.
However, when seeing Chu Feiyang mentioning that Chu Nanshan and Yu Wange were actually related to the Jiang family, Yun Qianmeng's originally relaxed brows gradually furrowed together, and a light of disbelief appeared in her eyes. However, she did not interrupt Chu Feiyang's statement, but just waited quietly for Chu Feiyang to continue.
Seeing the surprise flashing in Yun Qianmeng's eyes, Chu Feiyang couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. With a sigh, he continued, "Grandpa's military prowess is unmatched. Jiang Sujun also knew that, like Haiquan and the others, Grandpa was even more powerful and had no ambition to rule the world. Therefore, he patiently worked with Grandpa to conquer the Western Chu River. After Jiang Sujun proclaimed himself emperor of Western Chu, he used his imperial power to detain Grandma in the palace, forbidding her to meet Grandpa. But Grandpa still controlled most of Western Chu's military strength, and the newly established Western Chu was very unstable. Jiang Sujun wanted both power and beauty. To please Grandpa, he named the country 'Western Chu', took Grandpa's surname, and granted him a hereditary title, hoping that Grandpa would willingly give up Grandma."
"What? There is such a ridiculous thing?" Yun Qianmeng was shocked and finally understood what Chu Feiyang meant.
Chu Nanshan and Jiang Sujun competed for Yu Wange, and now Chu Feiyang is competing with Jiang Muchen for herself. Is this the cycle of history, or a bad fate between the Jiang and Chu families?
However, compared with the men of the Chu family, the men of the Jiang family are much more despicable and insidious. They want the Chu family to fight for them, but they also covet the wives of the men of the Chu family. They are truly shameless.
Thinking of this, Yun Qianmeng's impression of the Jiang family plummeted, and she felt disgusted in her heart. Her eyes were filled with worry about the relationship between Chu Nanshan and Yu Wange.
"Therefore, when grandpa learned that Jiang Muchen had sealed off the city, he couldn't wait to rush to the capital to rescue you. I think grandpa was worried that you would be detained in Prince Chen's Mansion by Jiang Muchen, and he was afraid that we would experience the same thing he had experienced again." Chu Feiyang looked straight ahead at the road with a calm expression, but the slight glint in his eyes revealed his mood at the moment.
Chu Feiyang felt both respect and heartache for Chu Nanshan. His grandmother had passed away many years ago, and with Chu Nanshan's status in Western Chu and his handsome appearance, who would have wanted to win him over? But his grandfather, with only his grandmother in his heart, remained single until old age, unwilling to betray his once-dedicated relationship with her. This filled Chu Feiyang with both admiration and heartache.
Sensing Chu Feiyang's emotional fluctuations, Yun Qianmeng tightly grasped his left hand and conveyed her strength to him, "What happened next? Could it be that Jiang Sujun wanted to use force?"
If Jiang Sujun really did this, then how could he be worthy of being the king of Western Chu? How could he be worthy of being a human being?
"Grandmother refused to obey Jiang Sujun and cut her own beautiful face, just to ask Jiang Sujun to send her back to grandfather." Feeling Yun Qianmeng's comfort, Chu Feiyang withdrew his gaze from the deep mountains, hiding all his unstable emotions in his heart, and turned his eyes to look at Yun Qianmeng. "Seeing Grandmother's firm attitude, Jiang Sujun knew that if he really forced Grandmother to death, I'm afraid Grandfather would really rebel. What's more, his throne was also won by Grandfather. If it weren't for Grandfather's strong support, the King of the Sea would have taken his place long ago. Considering these layers of interests, Jiang Sujun finally let Grandmother out of the palace and let her reunite with Grandfather. In fact, that night, Grandfather was already preparing for a mutiny, but suddenly saw Grandmother return. , thinking of the countless people in Western Chu who finally had a stable life, he gave up his original plan. However, after this incident, Grandpa and Grandma disappeared from everyone's sight and came to this valley to live a simple life. During this time, Grandma founded the "Yu Family Pawn Shop" to find a different way out for Grandpa in the future. However, I think this was also a way out that Grandma left for Grandpa just in case. After all, when the incident happened, Western Chu was still in its infancy and Jiang Sujun's foundation was unstable. In the future, when the world is stable and Jiang Sujun's position is firm, and he holds military power, there is no guarantee that his obsession will resurface, and then Grandpa and Grandma will have nowhere to escape."
Speaking of this, Chu Feiyang's eyes were filled with nostalgia. Although he had never met his grandmother, a woman who cared about her husband so much and was extremely intelligent was worthy of admiration.
Chu Feiyang spoke eloquently while Yun Qianmeng listened attentively. He was talking about Chu Nanshan's life, but it made Yun Qianmeng feel distressed.
"However, I don't know where Jiang Sujun heard that the 'Yu Family Pawnshop' was owned by my grandmother, so he sent someone to deliver the carefully crafted jade plaque. At the same time, he didn't publicize it widely, but instead secretly helped my grandmother expand the 'Yu Family Pawnshop'. After Jiang Sujun's death, fearing that Hai Quan would take advantage of the situation, my grandfather came out of seclusion to protect the country and ensure the smooth ascension of Emperor Xijing. What followed was just a new round of battles for the throne. In order to help Emperor Yugan ascend the throne, the Queen Mother sent an expert to follow my grandfather, who unexpectedly let her know about this place. However, she was afraid of the military power in my grandfather's hands, so she didn't spread the news."
"Hearing what you said, I know that there is such a wonderful woman in this world. And everything that grandma thinks about grandpa is actually well-founded. I wonder why Jiang Sujun knew about the existence of the 'Yu Family Pawn Shop'. I am afraid that his thoughts on grandma have not been let go because of her disfigurement. That is why he can still grasp everything about grandpa and grandma in such a secretive situation. I just didn't expect that this small piece of jade card has such a tortuous story. I am a little curious why grandpa and grandmother accepted this jade card?" Yun Qianmeng was puzzled. She covered her heart with one hand and touched the jade card hanging around her neck. She felt that there was a mystery in this matter that made people unable to guess.
"That's something I'll have to ask Grandpa. I can understand the whole story, but I can't see through Grandpa's mind." Chu Feiyang sighed, a rare moment. Chu Nanshan might seem like an old naughty boy, but I'm afraid few people in this world can see through him. Even Chu Feiyang, his own grandson, often had to ponder his grandfather's thoughts.
The two fell silent for a moment, walking hand in hand by the lake, thinking about the story that had just happened.
After a while, Chu Feiyang spoke slowly, "However, the rift between father and grandfather, apart from the marriage, may have something else to do with this matter." His voice was soft, but there was a hint of helplessness in his tone.
Yun Qianmeng listened, but couldn't find words of comfort. After all, in Chu Pei's heart, his mother had been summoned to the palace by the emperor, which was undoubtedly a shame, especially in ancient times when women's reputation was valued. If a woman made a mistake, she would be criticized for her whole life. It's no wonder that this knot in Chu Pei's heart was so difficult to resolve.
Seeing that there was a lake in front of them, Chu Feiyang led Yun Qianmeng into the hexagonal pavilion built on the lake.
The wooden planks beneath their feet were stepped on by the two men, making a "dengdengdeng" sound that was particularly clear in the silent valley.
The cold air slowly rose from the surface of the lake. On the misty lake, Chu Nanshan's figure could not be found. He must have gone to the center of the lake by boat.
"Let's wait here for Grandpa."
In the center of the lake, a small boat was drifting with the current. A flickering oil lamp hung on the bow of the boat. An old man with silver hair and beard was sitting on the boat. The expression on his face had long since lost its previous cynicism and was replaced by sadness and deep longing.
He was holding a thick stack of white paper money in his hand, and he would throw it into the air from time to time...
When night truly fell, Xi Lin inserted the lantern in his hand into the wooden pillar of the hexagonal pavilion, walked out of the pavilion and stood guard outside.
Yun Qianmeng looked around and suddenly saw a piece of white paper money flying from the lake. She reached out to catch it and could even smell the scent of incense. "What is this?"
"Grandpa is offering sacrifices to grandma." Chu Feiyang took the paper money from Yun Qianmeng's hand, placed his hand outside the hexagonal pavilion, and let the paper money on his palm float away with the wind.
"Take a small boat, follow the wind into the scenery, and watch the fishing lights on the river bank.
Deep in the bamboo forest, at the small building with broken stele, the monks began to chant again.
In the red pavilion on the reed bank, shaking my green straw raincoat, I invite Nanshan to drink with me.
The evening wind carries paper money away, and someone's family suffers new pain.
Holding the firefly under the moon, lighting up a lonely paper,
Recalling those things, you said you loved me,
Flowers bloom and then fall, and reincarnation bears no fruit.
The snow on the moss tells me that you have never returned.
Thinking back to many years ago, when the sky was full of fireworks, you were holding me quietly.
The lingering sound of stringed instruments makes one forget worries, like a dream.
The stars are shining brightly, there are no heroes, my heart is locked up deep,
But after you passed away, I never laughed again.
Holding the firefly under the moon, lighting up a lonely paper,
Recalling those things, you said you loved me,
Flowers bloom and then fall, and reincarnation bears no fruit.
The snow on the moss tells me that you never came back."
Unconsciously, Yun Qianmeng softly sang the song "Memories of Nanshan", and felt that it was very consistent with Chu Nanshan's situation. Her heart was filled with a thousand thoughts and mixed emotions.
"It's very nice." A clear female voice drifted into the valley with the wind. Chu Feiyang waited for Yun Qianmeng to finish singing and praised sincerely, "Is this also a song from your place?"
Yun Qianmeng smiled and nodded. "It was someone else's song. I just felt it was too similar to Grandpa's experience, so I sang it unconsciously."
As they were talking, a small boat slowly came into their sight. There was an oil lamp on the boat. Chu Nanshan was holding a bamboo pole and paddling the boat towards the shore.
"That was Meng'er singing a tune just now." Before the boat had even docked safely, Chu Nanshan had already picked up the oil lamp on the boat and gone ashore.
Chu Feiyang and Yun Qianmeng simultaneously left the hexagonal pavilion and headed towards Chu Nanshan. Yun Qianmeng carefully observed Chu Nanshan's expression at this moment, and saw that he had hidden all his emotions in his heart. Yun Qianmeng then smiled and replied, "Yes, Grandpa. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."
"It sounds really nice." Chu Nanshan said this softly, then raised his eyes to glance at Chu Feiyang, and led the two of them towards the cabin without saying a word.
In the middle of the night, the war situation in the front took a turn for the worse. The Crown Prince of Northern Qi led an army of 100,000 to support the King of the Sea in the north, catching the King of Chen's army off guard. At this time, the two sides were in the midst of a battle.
"Qi Jingyuan is so bold. He is so eager to intervene as soon as something happens in Western Chu. Isn't he afraid that Qi Jingxuan will seize the throne while he is away from Northern Qi?" Yun Qianmeng stood up with Chu Feiyang, took the armor beside her and put it on Chu Feiyang piece by piece. Even though she was reluctant in her heart, she gritted her teeth and did not reveal the slightest bit of her little girl's thoughts.
Chu Feiyang was also worried about Yun Qianmeng. Before they separated, all the difficulties that Yun Qianmeng would encounter in the future had already emerged in his mind.
Gazing at her visibly thinner face, Chu Feiyang took advantage of Yun Qianmeng turning around to retrieve her sword to stretch out his arms and hug her tightly from behind. He carefully placed his palms on her abdomen and rested his chin lightly on her shoulder. In a low but affectionate voice, he admonished Yun Qianmeng, "You are pregnant now. You must not act recklessly. You must not fight the enemy head-on like you did back in Yun Xiangfu. Understand? If there is anything urgent, remember to let Qiao Ying contact me. Don't panic. No matter how big the situation is, save yourself first. Even if someone uses my life in exchange for your chance to survive, you must still think about yourself!"
Yun Qianmeng couldn't help but feel a layer of mist in her eyes when she heard the worry in Chu Feiyang's words and the last sentence that made her feel uneasy and uncomfortable. However, she immediately swallowed the useless tears back into her stomach, turned around and put her arms around Chu Feiyang's waist, and chuckled softly, "What nonsense! I have so many people protecting me, and I have an extremely smart husband who plans my future. How could danger come close to me? Besides, I'm pregnant now, so I won't be careless and worry you. What really worries me is the killing on the battlefield. You are the commander-in-chief, and you are working hard. You must take good care of yourself."
Some things should be said only when they are said enough. If you say them too much, Chu Feiyang will definitely know Yun Qianmeng's worried mood.
Chu Feiyang once again embraced Yun Qianmeng, patted her back, and said softly, "Don't worry, I know what to do. Since Qi Jingyuan has done this, he must have thought of all the ways to escape. After all, Rong Rong is now in the Prince's Mansion of Northern Qi. If anything happens to Qi Jingyuan, Rong Rong will definitely be in danger. Even if he doesn't do it for himself, he will take care of her for Rong Rong."
"What about you?" Little did she know that Yun Qianmeng was waiting for Chu Feiyang to say this.
Yun Qianmeng straightened up from Chu Feiyang's arms, her dark eyes staring at him without blinking. This instantly brightened Chu Feiyang's mood. He nodded carefully at Yun Qianmeng and promised, "I will cherish myself more than he does."
Yun Qianmeng knew in her heart that once Chu Feiyang made a promise, it would be impossible to take it back. She handed the sword to Chu Feiyang, stepped out of his warm embrace, and saw him out the door.
Chu Nanshan had been waiting for Chu Feiyang outside the door for a long time. When he saw his grandson come out, the two of them immediately set out to leave the valley.
"Princess, please lie down for a while. It's still early." Mu Chun lit a lamp and walked into the room, but saw that Yun Qianmeng had already stood up and leaned against the head of the bed. He couldn't help feeling distressed.
Yun Qianmeng shook her head. She was a light sleeper to begin with, and now that Chu Feiyang was gone, her heart was hanging in the air. How could she possibly sleep?
"I'll sit down and read for a while. I don't need anyone to serve me here. You can go down and have a rest." After saying that, Yun Qianmeng took out the military book on the bedside and slowly flipped through it.
Mu Chun had no choice but to light a few more lights to prevent Yun Qianmeng from hurting her eyes by reading at night, and then she quietly left.
At this time, on the mountain road where Chu Nanshan had rescued Yun Qianmeng, there were tens of thousands of horses running wildly.
These tens of thousands of troops traveled at night, protecting a few extremely ordinary carriages in the middle, and guarding them tightly to prevent thieves from harming the people in the carriages.
"Your Majesty, where are we going? Does Your Majesty no longer care about the Crown Prince?" Defei clutched the carriage window tightly with both hands. The shocks of the past few days had long since robbed her of the dignity and decorum she once held in the palace. Her face was pale, thin and sunken, and tears welled up in her eyes. Now, tossed about by the bumpy carriage, her face paled even more, and she was in a state of extreme frenzy.
The Empress, Empress Dowager, and others sitting in the carriage were all pale. However, compared to Concubine De, who had lost the crown prince, the Empress remained calm. She held Princess Yao tightly to prevent her from being thrown out by the galloping carriage. At the same time, she stared at Concubine De, who had now lost everything, with a look of smugness in her heart.
Seeing Concubine De questioning him regardless of the situation, Emperor Yugan's already irritable mood suddenly exploded like a lit firecracker. Pointing at Concubine De's nose, he angrily said, "I have already done my utmost by taking you out of the palace. If you dare to stir up trouble again, be careful that I will immediately sentence you to death."
Concubine De was frightened by Emperor Yugan's ferocious eyes and expression, and she immediately woke up from her madness. She no longer dared to confront Emperor Yugan. Seeing the queen staring at her with a gloating look on her face, she was so ashamed and angry that she could only lower her head and shed tears silently.
The Queen Mother saw that the quarrel had ended, and saw that Concubine De and the Queen had calmed down. Then she turned her gaze to Emperor Yugan and slowly said, "Your Majesty, is the information you received accurate?"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
I wish you all a happy New Year!
Today’s Nanshan Memories is a story about grandpa!
It's fair to say that my grandfather's story was born from this song. It's also the first love story that came to my mind throughout the entire text, even earlier than the love stories of Chu Feiyang and Yun Qianmeng, or Qi Jingyuan and Rong Rong. Without hesitation, I conceived my grandfather's love story. This story, seemingly simple, contains the sincere feelings of Chu Nanshan throughout his life, which moved me, distressed me, and made me admire him.
On the first day of the new year, I wish all my loved ones a happy love life!
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