Two days later, Liu Buwang was buried.

According to the custom of Jiyang, after a person dies, the coffin is placed on a wooden boat and buried in water. The wooden boat is also called the "soul-carrying boat" because Jiyang is close to the water. Jiyang people believe that the water goddess will use the boat to carry the soul of the person to the other side.

He Yan went to see Liu Buwang off for the last time.

Liu Buwang was lying in the wooden coffin, his expression was very calm, and I don't know what he was thinking about before he died, but there was a smile on his face. He Yan placed a bunch of flowers in his hand on the wooden boat.

The relationship between her and Liu Buwang as a teacher and student was actually very short. It was Liu Buwang who pulled her out of the pile of dead bodies and taught her the sword, arrow, bow and horse. His Qimen Dunjia combined with the military books He Yan had learned changed He Yan's life from then on.

If Liu Buwang had not extended his hand to her, she would have died in the desert of Mo County. She thought it was a gift from God to meet Liu Buwang again in her new life, but this fate was like a flash in the pan and disappeared very quickly.

He Yan hated herself for not talking to Liu Buwang more, and now she has many regrets. She has not had the time to ask Liu Buwang what happened with Mu Hongjin, nor has she had the time to ask him where he has been in recent years. She also has no chance to confide her thoughts and uncertain worries to Liu Buwang. She seems to have a bad relationship with the elders in her life. Her relationship with her parents and relatives is even more thin. Liu Buwang is both her teacher and father, and now he has left.

There are always more regrets than perfections in the world.

"Your Highness." He Yan heard Cui Yuezhi speak from behind her. She turned around and saw Mu Hongjin approaching.

She was no longer wearing the red robe, but a black one, with her long hair braided and a golden crown on her head. She was still as beautiful and powerful as before, but there was a hint of confusion in her expression, which made her look like a lost child, and even revealed some fragility.

He Yan made way, and Mu Hongjin walked forward and arrived in front of the wooden boat.

The man on the boat was buried with only a sword and a zither, which would be kept in the wooden coffin. He was so handsome when he went down the mountain, and he was also untainted when he left the world. The young man in white seemed to be still young even though he was old.

Mu Hongjin stared at it in a daze.

When Xiao Jue said that Liu Buwang was not around, she found it unbelievable at first, then she found it ridiculous, and then she was overwhelmed with confusion and found it hard to believe that this had happened.

But what happened has happened, and many things cannot be changed by human will. And she is no longer an ignorant little girl who can just bury her head in the pillow and lie to herself that she doesn't believe it.

So here she comes.

Liu Buwang died to protect Jiyang City. Before his death, he deployed his troops on the river bank in front of Huluzui, fighting one against a hundred or even a thousand of them, without telling anyone.

He still refused to say anything as usual.

This was the only man she had ever loved in her life. Even though Liu Buwang had someone else in his heart and they had broken up many years ago, concern was concern after all, and Mu Hongjin would still be sad if he died.

"Your Highness." He Yan thought for a moment, then walked forward and spread out his palms, "Do you know this?"

Mu Hongjin slowly turned her head and saw a silver bracelet in He Yan's hand. The bracelet was polished to a smooth and warm surface, and a circle of tiny daisies could be vaguely seen engraved on the edge. In an instant, the past scenes filled her mind, and it seemed that the old woman's kind voice fell into her ears.

"This is called a Joy Bracelet. Buy one and put it on your loved one's hand, and you will be together forever."

"Young Master Liu, did you hear me? Buy me one!"

"She's not my sweetheart."

Mu Hongjin stared blankly at the bracelet in front of her, as if she were looking at a belated gift. She felt her throat tighten and asked hoarsely, "How did you get this?"

"Before Master died, he had been holding this bracelet tightly in his hand. I think it must be very important to him." He Yan looked at Mu Hongjin, "Is this His Highness's bracelet?"

Mu Hongjin took the bracelet from He Yan and murmured, "I don't know."

How could she know? Those jokes had long been buried in the depths of her memory, and she didn't even dare to recall them. She had already confronted Liu Buwang face to face about his dislike for her, but now this bracelet was telling her clearly that Liu Buwang had had her in his heart.

How could she believe it?

How could she believe it?

He Yan also felt a wave of powerless sadness in her heart. Liu Buwang was gone, and no one knew what happened back then, but she still wanted to defend Liu Buwang.

"Your Highness, I always feel that there may be many misunderstandings between you and my master in those days." He Yan said, "But he is no longer with us. If Your Highness recognizes this bracelet, please keep it for me. If Your Highness finds it difficult... just put it back in the coffin."

"But I think," He Yan said softly, "if Master were still alive, he would want you to keep it."

An ungifted gift, a belated explanation, and a candid confession, these were probably the things he regretted most in his life.

But what's the use of regrets? When a person dies, all the grudges related to him, whether willing or not, will disappear into thin air.

The story ends here.

Mu Hongjin looked at the silver bracelet in her palm. After a moment, she slowly clenched her palm and whispered, "I know."

He Yan saw that she was going to put the bracelet away, and she felt a little relieved. There was not much she could do for Liu Buwang, and now, this was the only thing she could do.

The wooden coffin was closed, and the boat was surrounded by wild flowers of various colors. Liu Buwang had come down the mountain in spring, and now he was going back to spring. The clear river water pushed the boat forward, farther and farther, and gradually disappeared in the green waves between the mountains.

"What exactly is the other shore?" He Yan murmured in a low voice.

But who can know this? Just like when Liu Buwang came down the mountain and met Mu Hongjin, he sneered at the words "a lifetime" spoken by the flower-selling woman.

At that time, I felt that life was long, but it turned out that I had only met a few people, heard a few songs, met and parted a few times, and then my life passed by.

…

After Liu Buwang's funeral was over, He Yan and his group were about to set off back to Liangzhou Wei.

Cui Yuezhi came to see them off and stood at the gate of Cui's mansion, instructing people to load things onto the carriage.

"These are all specialties of Jiyang. You can take some back. Liangzhou doesn't have these things."

Lin Shuanghe propped his head with a fan and said, "There's no need to bring the roasted rabbit. It's greasy and it's not convenient to carry it in the carriage."

"Take it with you," Cui Yuezhi insisted. "Take it with you so you can eat it when you're hungry on the way. Zhong Fu," he called the butler over. "Are the apricots ready?"

"All right." Zhong Fu came over with a cloth bag of red apricots. "Wash them all clean. The governor and the girl will be thirsty on the way. Eat two. It will quench your thirst and taste good."

He Yan: “….”

If you don’t know, you might think they are going for an outing.

It's really hard to refuse such a kind invitation.

"That's enough, Master Cui," He Yan said with a smile, "If you decorate it with more things, the governor and I won't have anywhere to sit."

Cui Yuezhi looked at the packed carriage and finally gave up. He smiled and said, "Okay, that's enough. You guys stayed in my Cui Mansion for too short a time. If you had stayed longer, I would have taken you around the entire Jiyang City." At this point, he bowed to Xiao Jue and He Yan solemnly and said, "This time, the difficulties in Jiyang City were solved thanks to Governor Xiao, Miss He, and Master Liu. I will never forget this great kindness, and the people of Jiyang will also remember your kindness. If you need me or Jiyang City in this life, I and the people of Jiyang will go through fire and water without hesitation."

"Miss He, if you have the chance in the future, you must come to Jiyang City more often." The one who spoke was Cui Yuezhi's fourth concubine. She smiled and said, "Stay longer next time, and we will prepare delicious food for you."

The Second Aunt looked at Xiao Jue and said with a smile, "Commander Xiao is the same."

Aunt Wei glared at the two of them, stepped forward, grabbed He Yan's hand, and said, "Be careful on the road."

He Yan smiled and nodded. As he was talking, someone came from outside and said, "Master Zhongqi, Mu Yi brought people here and said they came to say goodbye to Miss He."

Xiao Jue raised an eyebrow, and He Yan asked, "Say goodbye to me?"

The people that Mu Yi brought were the fifty people who were going to set fire to the Wutuo warships with He Yan. Of the fifty people, twenty died in the war, but half of them survived. At this moment, the remaining twenty people heard that He Yan was leaving, so they followed Mu Yi to thank He Yan.

"Thanks to Miss He," a young man shook his head, "otherwise we might not be alive now. Before Miss He left, the brothers planned to come together to thank her."

Mu Yi took out a wooden frame from his arms and handed it to He Yan: "This is a gift from everyone to Miss He."

He Yan took it and looked at it. It was a wood painting carved from a whole piece of wood. It depicted a sea of ​​fire with a young woman in armor standing on the bow of a ship. The woman was holding a long whip and her long hair was tied up high behind her head. She looked heroic and very eye-catching.

He Yan looked at it for a while, then asked hesitantly, "Is this... me?"

"Yes." Someone else said, "We pooled some silver together and found the best craftsman in Jiyang City to carve it. But we still couldn't carve out Miss He's charm. When Miss He sank the Wutuo warship with a whip, it was really exciting to watch. It was much more powerful than what is carved in this painting!"

"That's right. This painting can only depict Miss He's appearance, but it's not as beautiful as Miss He herself!"

"That's right, Miss He is so beautiful that even gods can't draw her."

At the end, there was a burst of sincere praise, which made He Yan blush. Well, she felt the enthusiasm of the men in Jiyang at this moment.

Cui Yuezhi looked at the scene in front of him with a smile.

Mu Yi looked at He Yan and said, "Miss He, do you have to go back to Liangzhou?"

He Yan was stunned for a moment, then nodded and replied, "I have something important to attend to."

"So." A trace of regret flashed across the young man's eyes. But after a moment, he stared into He Yan's eyes again and asked seriously, "Will you come to Jiyang City again in the future?"

Mu Yi was born handsome and masculine. When his sincere and slightly embarrassed eyes fell on people, it was really hard to resist. Although He Yan realized it later, she understood a little bit when facing such eyes. She was a little embarrassed, but also very moved. No one would be indifferent when facing a sincere love.

Being liked and admired by others is a very honorable thing.

"I like Jiyang City very much." She looked at Mu Yi with a smile, "If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely come again."

Mu Yi was stunned, shook his head and smiled foolishly.

"Hey," Lin Shuanghe waved his fan, leaned close to Xiao Jue's ear, and said, "I told you long ago that my sister He would be liked by everyone with her looks and temperament. Look, there are so many people eyeing her covetously, tsk tsk tsk, you better keep an eye on my sister He."

Xiao Jue sneered, as if it was unbelievable, "What kind of vision do you have?"

"Of course you have good taste." Lin Shuanghe put away his fan, "You have to know that gold will always shine."

While the two were talking, another person came out of the house. This person was wearing a sky-blue robe, thin and gentle. It was Chu Zhao. Next to Chu Zhao, Ying Xiang was holding a bundle in her hand.

"The Fourth Young Master Chu?" Cui Yuezhi was stunned.

Cui Yuezhi already knew about the relationship between Chu Zhao and Xiao Jue from Mu Hongjin. The two of them had an antagonistic relationship and different positions, so Mu Hongjin arranged them together for the purpose of checks and balances. In fact, the military defense map and information sent by Chu Zhao also played an important role in defeating the Wutuo people this time. But Cui Yuezhi was a martial artist, and he had a sense of mutual respect for Xiao Jue. Later, he fought side by side with Xiao Jue, and the balance in his heart had already tipped towards Xiao Jue. Therefore, he was a little polite and unfamiliar with Chu Zhao.

"Where are you going, Mr. Chu Si?" Cui Yuezhi asked.

"I came to Jiyang this time only for the matter of the Wutuo people. Now that the matter is settled, it's time to say goodbye to you all." He smiled slightly, "I didn't tell Lord Cui before because I didn't want to trouble Lord Cui. Lord Cui must be too busy to deal with the clearing of the battlefield near the canal these days."

"He makes it seem like he's very considerate and we're being pretentious." Lin Shuanghe moved closer to Xiao Jue and whispered, "He's really good at talking."

Cui Yuezhi smiled and said, "Mr. Chu is too polite. I should have said it in advance. No matter how busy I am, I still have time to serve you. However," Cui Yuezhi looked at Xiao Jue, "if Mr. Chu leaves today, he can go with Commander Xiao, so he won't be too lonely along the way."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jue's expression turned cold, and he was reluctant to even pretend to be friendly.

He Yan thought that Cui Yuezhi's politeness was a bit stiff. Chu Zhao might have chosen today on purpose just to set off together.

However, she didn't expect that Chu Zhao smiled and said, "Yes, it just so happens that our destination is also Liangzhou Wei."

Liangzhou Guard?

He Yan was shocked: "Chu...why would the Fourth Young Master go to Liangzhou Guard?"

Xiao Jue raised his eyes and looked at him.

"I have already written to Prime Minister Xu about the military affairs in Jiyang." Chu Zhao smiled, "I will stay in Liangzhou Wei until the edict of His Majesty comes down. After all, I was present at the Jiyang event from beginning to end."

He did not continue, but everyone understood his meaning.

Cui Yuezhi was secretly shocked. The open and secret struggles in the court had become so fierce now? No wonder the Wutuo people had the opportunity to take advantage of it.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jue chuckled at first, then said with a half-smile, "If the Fourth Master Chu wants to live in Liangzhouwei, that's fine."

"But Liangzhou Wei, I have the final say."

Chu Zhao smiled in response.

He ignored Chu Zhao and got on the carriage. He Yan looked at Chu Zhao with a different look. This guy... seemed to be doing it on purpose.

He was so deliberate that he didn't even bother to cover it up.

She saluted Chu Zhao and said, "Brother Chu, I'll get on the carriage first."

Without waiting for Chu Zhao to say anything, He Yan hurriedly boarded the carriage. Chu Zhao's provocation must have displeased the Second Young Master Xiao. At this juncture, he couldn't pull the hair off the tiger's head. If he angered Xiao Jue and didn't let her join the Southern Palace Army, this trip would be in vain.

Chu Zhao saw her hurriedly getting on the carriage. He was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and smiled. He said goodbye to Cui Yuezhi and the others one by one, and then followed Yingxiang into his carriage without any hurry.

The carriage drove out of the city.

Lin Shuanghe opened the carriage curtain and looked out the window. Jiyang City was not as lively as before because of the Wutuo war. But the rivers, big and small, were still flowing, and the boats were floating quietly. I think it won't be long before it will return to the lively and vivid scene of the past.

I thought it was just a fun trip when I came here, but now that I am leaving, I feel so sad. Lin Shuanghe sighed as he watched.

He Yan was still holding tightly in her hands the woodcut that Mu Yi and his group had given her. As her fingers traced the area, the woman in the painting actually had some of the grace and demeanor of a female general in her previous life.

Xiao Jue saw her movements and taunted her, "Aren't you afraid that you'll be brought back to the Liangzhou Guards and seen by them?"

Previously, she was already troubled and entangled by the dough figurine, but now she treated such a large woodcut as a treasure and never mentioned anything like "I will be finished if people find out my identity as a woman" again. Women's thoughts really should not be taken seriously.

"If it really doesn't work, I can say that I gave it to my fiancée. Didn't you teach me that, Governor?" He Yan said, "So many people, so much kindness, it's hard to refuse, it's hard to refuse."

She was modest, but her eyes showed satisfaction and contentment. Xiao Jue just found it funny. He leaned back slightly, a hint of smile flashed across his eyes, and he said in a neutral tone, "She's quite popular."

The carriage gradually went away.

Mu Hongjin stood on the shore. Beyond the green mountains, she could no longer see the shadow of the soul-carrying boat. The young girl had returned to the mountains, rivers, lakes and seas, but she had to continue to sit on the high seat in this cold palace.

This is her responsibility.

"Your Highness is already on his way back." The maid beside him said softly, "Your Highness, let's go back to the mansion as well."

Mu Hongjin nodded, took one last look at the end of the long river, turned around, and looked majestic and beautiful in her wide-sleeved robe. There seemed to be a dot of silver light on her wrist, which disappeared very quickly.

A tourist came from nowhere, wearing a straw hat and holding a bamboo stick. He walked along the river bank and sang. His voice was carried by the wind into the river and gradually faded away.

"The returned person still misses the family, how can I comfort my loneliness now... In the bitter cold, I miss your thin clothes and quilts, riding a skinny horse alone under the waning moon... I also know that life will have to end, but I am afraid that the years will pass by so quickly. Facing each other by the cold lamp, I remember the past, when will I hear the sound of the zither in the night rain..."

Volume 4 Completed

——Digression——

The Jiyang copy is completed!