"Brother Liao, we were just talking casually, don't be angry." A guard smiled and apologized, "I won't...never say it again in the future."
The guards nodded hurriedly, and then they all remembered that Liao Chongwu came from the Prince Hui's mansion. But being thrown into the imperial mausoleum was embarrassing in front of Prince Hui. Unexpectedly, Liao Chongwu was usually taciturn. But at this time, he still defended Prince Hui.
"Brother Liao, would you like some more soup?" The cook Liu Hua came in with a pot of soup and said to Liao Chongwu eagerly.
"No need." Liao Chongwu shook his head and strode out of the room.
Liu Hua looked at his back for a while before turning around and walking to the guards. She served them soup one by one.
"Liu Hua, don't think about Brother Liao anymore. He already has a lover. Don't be blind!" A guard took the bowl of soup from Liu Hua and said with a wink. "How about we just make do with each other?"
"Brother Zheng, don't talk nonsense!" Liu Hua blushed, and handed over another bowl of soup. She paused and asked in a low voice, "Um...Brother Liao, do you really have...a lover?"
"That's right!" Another guard said, "From the first day we came to the imperial mausoleum, Brother Liao always slept with a scent bag in his arms. He also refused to let us touch it. It must be a token of love from his lover, otherwise why would Brother Liao cherish it so much?"
"Oh," Liu Hua said with a forced smile, "It's normal for a good man like Brother Liao to have a lover."
…
After leaving the house, Liao Chongwu wandered around aimlessly. He was not on duty tonight, so he did not have to keep watch. Normally, he would have gone to bed at this time of day, but today he could not fall asleep. In fact, he had not been able to sleep for several days, ever since he knew that Prince Hui would come to the imperial mausoleum to pay homage.
Today he got up before dawn, combed his hair, washed his face, shaved, found freshly washed clothes to change into, and even polished his armor until it was shiny. He had never been so nervous and excited before. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he could run outside three times. He stayed restless until the evening, and finally saw the grand procession. He was excited. Then he received the news that Prince Hui was going directly to the palace. Liao Chongwu's heart immediately fell into an icy hole.
Liao Chongwu had never felt so uncomfortable before, really so uncomfortable. The burly old man was walking alone in the dark night. He didn't know where he was going, nor did he know how to stop himself from thinking about those untouchable dreams. He just walked silently until he bumped into Gao Zhiqi head-on.
"Brother Liao? Why are you here?" Gao Zhiqi, who was patrolling outside the palace, saw a figure wandering towards this side from a distance. He was alert, with his hand on the hilt of his knife, but he didn't know that the person who came was Liao Chongwu. He hurriedly greeted him and punched Liao Chongwu twice in excitement, "Brother Liao, it's been a while since we last met!"
"Yes, it's been three months." Liao Chongwu forced a faint smile.
To be exact, it was three months and thirteen days. Liao Chongwu had been counting these days every day. He didn't know what it meant to "live a day like a year" before, but now he knew. He felt that "living a day like a year" was not enough. He felt as if half of his life had passed, but clearly only three months had just passed.
"Brother Liao, why have you lost so much weight?" Gao Zhiqi looked Liao Chongwu up and down, and immediately frowned, "Did the people in the Imperial Mausoleum bully you? Tomorrow I will..."
"No, I'm fine here." Liao Chongwu smiled, looking at the majestic and solemn palace in front of him. He bit his lip and said with some difficulty, "Xiao Gao, I want to go in and pay my respects to the prince. I don't know if it's convenient."
"Well, the prince has been busy all day, I'm afraid he has already gone to bed..." Gao Zhiqi looked embarrassed, but seeing Liao Chongwu coming, he couldn't bear to send him away, so he said, "Brother Liao, please wait here for a while, I'll go in and take a look. If the prince hasn't gone to bed yet, I'll report back for you, is that ok?"
"Thank you." Liao Chongwu bowed.
"Brother Liao, what are you doing? We have been brothers for many years." Gao Zhiqi immediately hurried into the palace.
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