"Yeah." Qiao Si looked at Zhang You, silent for a long time, and then he hummed deeply. There were thousands of words in his heart, but in the end, he could only say one sentence: "Thank you."
Zhang You couldn't help but hugged her, his eyes warm, "I should thank you for protecting me for so long..."
He wanted to blurt out something about Wei Nian, but the words were stuck in his throat.
I'm sorry, Qiao Si.
Now I understand a little bit what Princess Qiao did.
You have more important things to do.
Forgive us.
I can't fulfill you.
If there’s a chance…
If I could wait until then...
I’ll tell you…
Zhang You lowered her eyelashes and let the hot tears fall like pearls from a broken string.
She became just as selfish.
Placing all hopes on Qiao Si, leaving her with such a heavy burden, unable to breathe...
On the day Dingzhou was attacked, Qiao Si and Qiao Er left Dingzhou to handle other matters secretly. When they learned the news and rushed back, it was too late.
That day, it seemed as if the heaven and earth were wailing, and the withered red leaves fell down one after another, moving people with sorrow for this tragedy in the world.
The gates of Dingzhou were wide open, corpses were strewn everywhere, blood flowed like a river, and under the firelight, there were ruined buildings, screams of pain, pungent smoke, and a scene of desolation.
Qiao Si rode the horses and galloped them back home without stopping for a moment.
The closer we got to Prince Qiao's mansion, the clearer the shrill screams of massacre became.
Zhang You felt that the blood in his body was roaring, his vision was filled with scenes of blood, and he was shouting in his heart that he must kill them with his own hands.
Qiao Si led the way, charging into the enemy group with his rifle in hand. Qiuyue Dongmei followed closely behind, and with the hastily returned guards, they rushed towards the group that was still burning, killing, and looting.
Zhang You, who has always been timid, also picked up a sword scattered on the ground and rushed forward with Chunhua.
They are weak, but not useless. They will not watch their friends who have worked with them for many years die in front of them and remain indifferent.
Zhang You originally thought that she would not be able to do it, as her education at a young age had taught her to be tolerant and kind to everyone. However, after her experiences in Dingzhou over the years, she knew clearly what Prince Qiao's Mansion wanted.
What's more, today, the tragedy in Prince Qiao's mansion, the bloody scenes, shattered her reason. She swung her sword and slashed without any hesitation.
The enemy troops did not expect that they would receive external support so soon. They thought that this sneak attack was foolproof and that they could completely destroy Prince Qiao's Mansion and recapture Dingzhou for the official in the court. However, they did not expect to be defeated so quickly.
They began to be afraid. Some of the timid ones cried and begged for mercy, while others continued to kill people without giving in.
Qiao Si was already blood-thirsty. Seeing the thick smoke rising from Prince Qiao's mansion from afar, Qiao Si used his spear with ruthless moves, aiming directly at the vital points.
Wherever the spear passes, not a single piece of armor is left.
The guards brought by Qiao Si also became more and more angry and braver as they killed more people.
The spear pierced through the air, piercing the leading enemy's body and pinning him to the ground, where he died without a sound. At Qiao Si's command, the guards rushed forward and launched a counterattack.
That was the most unforgettable moment in Zhang You’s life.
During those years in Dingzhou, she had escaped death countless times with Qiao Si. However, only this time had they suffered such tragic losses.
More than half of the people in Dingzhou were slaughtered.
Friends of Prince Qiao's Mansion were tortured to death by those people.
Friends who once promised to be together forever met tragic deaths that day. Ai and Yuqing, whose mission was to protect Qiao Nai, continued to buy time for his escape until their last moments, only to be tortured to death. Lanxiang and Hongmei, who had stayed in Prince Qiao's mansion, pretending to be the Second and Fourth Qiao brothers, were captured and brutally killed by the sword.
Xiao Qiaowu and Xiao Qiaoliu, who once said they wanted to be like the princess when they grew up, also fell in a pool of blood forever.
Qiao Nai, who said he would start over and become a great musician in the future, lay quietly in the arms of the wounded Gu Hesheng, without a sound.
Qiao Si brought his men back and only saved Princess Qiao Dahe from the enemy's sword.
That day, Prince Qiao's Mansion suffered heavy losses...
They cleaned up Prince Qiao's mansion until late at night. Collecting the bodies of their friends with their own hands was the most painful thing in the world.
That was the second time Zhang You had experienced something like this.
She helped others clean up the corpses while crying. Her hands were stained with blood and the smell of blood pierced her nose. The blood, the corpses, and the broken pieces all irritated her nerves.
She couldn't tell the difference between her past and present lives, and could only hold the corpse of her loved one in vain, crying until she was hoarse and dizzy.
What is even more heartbreaking than these is that some people have to sacrifice their own lives for the lives of their loved ones.
Qiao Da and Qiao Si were in the princess's courtyard, and no one knew what they talked about. Prince Qiao was chasing the enemy, and Qiao Er was still on his way back. It was just the three of them in the room, talking for a long time.
Late that night, Qiao Si knelt in front of the princess's room, and Zhang You and the others followed suit. Everyone who was still alive in the palace knelt on the spot.
Silently.
As dawn approached, Qiao Si looked up dully and said, "The princess was seriously injured and died."
From then on, everyone in the world knew that Prince Qiao's mansion was attacked by the enemy, and the princess and all her children died that day...
Only those outside the princess's yard knew clearly that the princess was not murdered, but had to hang herself.
She knew clearly that this enemy attack was carried out by people who wanted to purge the court for the emperor. If only a few insignificant concubines and servants died in Prince Qiao's mansion, they would not be satisfied and would only intensify their efforts to plan the next conspiracy.
The Prince Qiao's Mansion needs time to recuperate, so she wants to exchange her own death for it.
It was just because of this that Qiao Si had to shoulder the responsibility of the Qiao Palace and had to bear this heavy burden.
The man who used to play and joke with them in his spare time, closed his heart on that day, and grew into the person the princess wanted overnight.
Zhang You watched Qiao Si take care of Princess Qiao's funeral with his own eyes. Seeing that she had numb herself, she became even more silent.
The wake at that time was just like this night, cold, silent and bleak.
At that time, Qiao Si lost the straightforward maternal love that she wanted most in her life but never got. Now, Qiao Si lost the only brother in the world who was related to her by blood.
Zhang You hugged her, but could only give her a hug.
She couldn't tell anyone about Wei Nian, as she didn't dare to bet that it would cause her to lose her composure and fail.
She could only push Qiao Si forward, push her to resist this unfair world, and push her to kill her enemies.
sorry……
Thank you……
Zhang You spoke silently, and the words that were difficult to say were drowned out by low sobs.
After the hug, Zhang You returned to her normal self, quietly guarding Qiao Si. Chunhua arrived at this moment and put a white cloak on Qiao Si. The three of them stayed in this quiet and dim mourning hall for the whole night.
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