Chapter 180 Welcoming Party
This countdown appeared three days ago.
At that time, Song Yuzhu was using a map to check the war in the north. The virtual picture suddenly flickered, as if an old TV had lost its signal.
He quickly exited the map and when he opened it again, he saw the countdown on the system's homepage.
The countdown started with 364 days, 23 hours, 58 minutes, and 21 seconds.
As time went by, the countdown numbers were decreasing little by little, and the small words at the bottom made his heart sink to the bottom.
Deletion test...
Even if he had never played the game, he understood what it meant to delete the data. He probably only had three hundred days left to live.
It would be a lie to say that she wasn't scared. When Song Yuzhu saw the countdown to the deletion of the data for the first time, she was so frightened that she threw the tea set on the table to the ground!
He opened the system and looked for the button to stop the countdown, but there was no button on the illusory system.
The fear lasted for a day, and Song Yuzhu gradually calmed down. Since she couldn't change the outcome, she might as well do more things she wanted to do in her limited time.
For example, find a reason for Zhao Xiao to live, or go out for a walk. He has been busy for so many years, and it is time to leave the last days to himself.
*
In February of the 13th year of Changzhi, General Fuguo led his army back to the capital. The people put up lanterns and decorated the streets spontaneously to welcome him.
Before daybreak, Song Yuzhu got up early and changed into the gorgeous clothes she would wear today.
Li Dehai came over holding a heavy coat and said, "Your Majesty, let me change your clothes for you."
"No need, I can do it myself." Song Yuzhu dismissed the servants, took off his warm clothes, smoothed his undershirt and then put on a loose robe.
Seeing that the person in the mirror was too thin and his body had been deteriorating at an uncontrollable speed in the past two months, Song Yuzhu guessed that the system intended to end the deletion of his data by letting him die of illness.
Fortunately, the system is relatively humane and gives him some buffer time. If the data was deleted after three days or three hours, he would definitely be stunned.
After putting on her clothes, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and an abnormal blush appeared on her face. Song Yuzhu leaned on the table and took a breath. She wondered how Zhao Xiao would feel when he saw her like this?
Everyone must have thought that he was working overtime again, but he didn't know that during this period, all memorials were handled by his sister and the two prime ministers, and only major matters that they could not make a decision on were submitted to him for review.
After putting on his clothes, he took a sedan chair to the front hall for the first time. He was too weak and exercising was of no use. He didn't want to waste his time and life on meaningless things.
In the main hall, Song Yutong and all the civil and military officials were already waiting.
Today we will hold a welcoming banquet for the army, and all the cultural relics in the court must attend. Zhao Xiao defeated the Jin Kingdom. This is a precedent in this dynasty and even in the previous dynasty for nearly hundreds of years. It can definitely be written into the history books and be remembered forever!
Song Yuzhu handed the imperial edict he wrote last night to the Minister of War and instructed: "We must do a good job in the aftermath of the war and not let the soldiers shed blood and tears."
“The court will provide free treatment to all soldiers injured on the battlefield until they recover.
For soldiers who are disabled due to injuries and unable to work, the court must pay them a monthly pension based on their military rank to ensure they have enough food and clothing.
In addition to paying military compensation to the fallen soldiers, their families must also be guaranteed a place to live and children to depend on.”
"Your Majesty, I obey your order!" The Minister of War knelt down and kowtowed after receiving the order, and other officials also shouted that the emperor was wise.
It must be said that these soldiers have caught up with a good era. In the previous dynasty, those who died in battle were compensated with fifty taels of silver, and those who retired due to injuries were not compensated at all.
How many disabled veterans, because they lost their ability to work, became street beggars, and eventually died of illness on the street, unable to even afford a coffin, and were hastily buried in mass graves.
Now that the emperor gives these soldiers the best treatment, the soldiers have truly felt the benefits and dare to risk their lives on the battlefield.
When the hour of Chen arrived, the clock in the main hall rang, and a ray of sunlight poured in through the window of the main hall.
Song Yuzhu stood up and said, "Get ready to welcome the soldiers back in triumph."
*
The gate of Shangjing opened, the sound of horse hooves rang out, and Zhao Xiao rode on a black horse and ran in the front.
It originally took twenty-five days to travel from Xiguan to Shangjing, but he was eager to return home and couldn't wait to see Song Yuzhu, so he rushed back in less than twenty days.
It was more than a year since we last met. Although we exchanged many letters during this period, I still felt anxious before I saw him in person.
Song Yuzhu's health has not been very good since her last sudden coma. I wonder how she has recovered over the past year.
"The General who assists the country is here! Look, that's the General who assists the country!" Someone held up his child high and said excitedly.
The child rode on his father's head and waved his hands: "Daddy, I want to be a soldier when I grow up!"
Zhao Xiao looked over when he heard this. The chubby little boy was very cute. He took an arrow feather from his waist and threw it over. "Being a soldier is not easy."
The child grabbed the arrow feather with both hands and shouted excitedly: "The general gave me this arrow feather! Daddy, this is the arrow feather that the general gave me!"
The atmosphere suddenly became warm, and the people waved their hands and shouted "Long live the general".
The army walked all the way to Zhengyang Street and lined up outside the imperial palace. Zhao Xiao saw Song Yuzhu on the high platform at a glance.
Yuzhu has become thinner and looks pale. Could it be that her health is not well yet?
Song Yuzhu also saw Zhao Xiao. He walked up to the platform, took a deep breath and said, "Soldiers, thank you for your hard work!"
"Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long, long live the emperor!" The soldiers knelt on one knee with their weapons in their arms, and rained down their weapons on the ground.
Zhao Xiao walked forward, lifted up his clothes and knelt on the ground, looking at him with burning eyes and said: "I have fulfilled my mission, defeated the Jin soldiers, captured four cities of the Jin Kingdom, killed 76,000 enemies, captured 4,700 Jin soldiers, killed the Jin Khan Yelu Baorong with my own hands, and protected the peace of the Daqi border!"
The civil officials nearby were so excited when they heard this. Even though they could not go to the battlefield, they still felt proud. The Daqi army was invincible!
"reward!"
The eunuch took the imperial edict and read it out: "The Emperor of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven decrees: General Zhao Xiao, who has shown virtue and grace, has been loyal and loyal, and has secured the country. I highly commend him and confer the title of Prince of Loyalty and Bravery."
Zhao Xiao showed a surprised expression on his face. Why did Yuzhu think of giving him the title of king? He knew that he didn't care about these empty titles.
This is the first and only king of a different surname in Daqi. Song Yuzhu did not even make his own cousin a king, but he made Zhao Xiao a prince.
The officials had different expressions on their faces, and they couldn't help but have more guesses in their minds.
Other officers and soldiers were rewarded according to their military ranks. After the rewards were given, a banquet was held in the palace. Ordinary soldiers could also enjoy delicious food and fine wine in the West Camp.
After receiving the reward, Zhao Xiao simply threw the horse to his subordinates to take care of and entered the palace first.
Song Yuzhu was already waiting for him in the Yangxin Palace. When she saw him come in, she smiled and waved, "Ah Xiao."
At the door, Li Dehai tactfully closed the door and told the eunuch to prepare hot water.
Zhao Xiao took two steps at a time and walked to Song Yuzhu and hugged her in his arms. He buried his head in her neck and took a deep breath, which was still the familiar smell.
"Yuzhu, why do you look so bad? Are you too tired and didn't eat well?"
Song Yuzhu was strangled by him and couldn't breathe. She patted his back gently and said, "My old illness came back a few days ago. I coughed so hard that I couldn't eat."
Zhao Xiao rubbed his face: "I miss you so much..."
Song Yuzhu's face flushed slightly: "I miss you too."
Zhao Xiao lowered his head and gently kissed the tip of his eyebrows, the corners of his eyes, and then kissed his lips, slowly deepening the kiss.
Song Yuzhu hooked her arms around his neck and kissed him back, feeling a little sad as she thought, wondering how long this kind of life could last.
They were closely connected, and their passion grew stronger and stronger like dry wood and raging fire, making him feel hot all over.
Zhao Xiao took off his outer robe and picked him up with one hand. Song Yuzhu didn't feel anything just now because he was wearing a heavy robe, but now he realized that he had lost a lot of weight.
She gently placed him on the couch, leaned over to look at him and said, "Yuzhu, are you hiding something from me?"
Song Yuzhu put her hand over his mouth and said, "Let's not talk about this today, okay?"
Zhao Xiao paused and said in a hoarse voice: "Okay."
He leaned over and kissed him again, but this time it was no longer a gentle touch. Instead, he was like a hungry beast that wanted to tear him apart and eat him.
The temperature in the room was getting higher and higher, and the sound of sweat mixed with slapping made people's mouths dry. I don't know how long it was before someone called for water.
The eunuchs came in with red faces and lowered heads, carrying a bathtub.
Song Yuzhu lying on the bed looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water, with wet hair sticking to his body. After everyone left, Zhao Xiao picked him up and put him in the bathtub to wash him.
Only under the candlelight could he see his lover's body clearly. Although Song Yuzhu was thin before, she was not as thin as she is now. She had flesh on her legs and buttocks, and her shoulders were much thicker than they are now.
Now Song Yuzhu can clearly see the ribs on her chest. Her slender wrists might be broken if she exerted a little force.
Zhao Xiao suddenly said nervously: "Yuzhu, what happened? You are not allowed to lie to me!"
Song Yuzhu had no intention of hiding it from him, nor had she thought of telling him so soon, but the later she told him, the more hurt it would be to him. In the end, she could only sigh and tell him about the countdown.
"If my guess is correct, I have less than a year left to live."
This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, and it took Zhao Xiao a long time to recover. He looked at Song Yuzhu blankly, not understanding what this meant.
"Do you remember the system I mentioned to you?" Song Yuzhu pointed to his head.
"It gave me notice that in 341 days, my life might be over."
"Don't cry, Xiao."
Zhao Xiao wiped his face. He didn't know when he started crying. His throat was choked with sobs and he couldn't speak. It felt like there were thousands of wasps buzzing in his head. His heart also felt like it was stabbed by a knife. It hurt so much that he couldn't breathe.
"How...how could this happen...is there no way to stop it?"
Song Yuzhu shook his head. He still didn't understand how this system entered his mind, and how to stop it.
Zhao Xiao hugged Song Yuzhu tightly, as if he wanted to rub him into his body, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.
Song Yuzhu had never seen Zhao Xiao cry like this before, and she couldn't help but shed tears herself.
"It's okay, I will definitely find a way to save you, you are not allowed to leave me, Yuzhu, don't leave me!"
Song Yuzhu bit her back teeth, her throat suddenly felt itchy and she burst into a violent cough, her whole body shaking like a leaf in autumn.
Zhao Xiao was so scared that he quickly let go of his hand, took him out of the bathtub, wrapped him in a thick blanket and held him in his arms.
Both of them were silent. Zhao Xiao kissed his hair gently again and again, but he was determined in his heart that no matter what the cost, he would be able to keep him by his side!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
