The woman's fingers touched the first gold box. The man's sword-like eyebrows were stained with blood and were dark red, but they did not look hideous or scary. His eyes were closed tightly, as if he was asleep. His nose was high and his lips were tightly pursed. It seemed that he had something to say but finally did not say it.
The woman looked at her husband, her fingers gently stroking the void below, as if there was still a tall body there. She did not cry, but tilted her head, smiled gently, and said softly: "This is my husband, the hereditary prince of Yanbei, the 24th generation descendant of Emperor Pero, the Grand Marshal of the Northwest Army of the Empire, the 576th tablet in the Chengguang Ancestral Temple of Shengjin Palace, the King of Yanbei, Yan Shicheng."
Snowflakes fell on the woman's eyebrows and temples, but did not melt. Her face was a little pale, but her voice was still so gentle, and her eyes were staring at King Yan's head like water, as if he would open his eyes and smile at her at any time. Her hand ran across his face. There was a small scar next to his ear. It seemed to be there for many years and it was almost invisible if you didn't look closely.
"The scar here was caused by being stabbed with a sword at the Youwei Gate of Shengjin Palace when King Canglan rebelled. The emperor was attacked by someone and took the ghost grass. He was weak all over. Shicheng and General Meng rushed in from the east and west gates to rescue him. Shicheng first found the emperor who was still the prince at that time. He carried the unconscious emperor on his back and rushed out of Shengjin Palace surrounded by 300 soldiers. He had more than 20 knife wounds on his body and hands. It took him half a year to get out of bed and walk. That year, he was just 17 years old."
"This is what was left over from the Battle of Baima Pass," the woman stroked a noticeable red mark on her chin and continued, "In the 756th year of the Baicang calendar, the empire worshipped the ancestral temple at Yaoshui. All the noble elders and royal relatives were present. But King Jin Jiang launched an uprising at this time, colluding with the enemy and treason, opening the northwest pass and letting the Quanrong people enter the pass. Three hundred thousand Quanrong troops surrounded Yaoshui. When Shicheng learned about it, he led his army from Yanbei and worked day and night without taking off his armor for seven days and seven nights, leading the way to resolve the crisis at Yaoshui. Your emperor swore on the top of Baima Mountain at Yaoshui that the empire and Yanbei would be monarchs and ministers for generations and would never abandon each other. Most of you were there at the time."
The imperial ministers in the audience suddenly became agitated. The past events that were covered in dust were suddenly dug up and exposed in broad daylight. Their dim old eyes seemed to see that afternoon many years ago, when the setting sun was as pale as blood, and the lion flag of Yanbei roared in the wind, killing the Quanrong barbarians without leaving a single piece of armor. At that time, they were all young, and they excitedly gathered around the young man, patted his shoulders, laughed and drank liquor.
"This is what you cut down on the Fire and Thunder Plain at noon on April 16. General Meng, you are in your prime, you are a master of strategy and you are decisive in killing. You must know your sword. You must know whether you cut this wound or not, and whether this person is Yan Shicheng or not."
Meng Tian was suddenly speechless, his face turned ashen, and he was unable to utter a single word.
"I am sure that this person is my husband, Yan Shicheng, the King of Yanbei. This is absolutely true." After saying this, there was a bang, and the lid of the golden box was immediately slammed by the woman, who turned around and walked to the next box.
"This is my son, the hereditary king of Yanbei, the 25th-generation grandson of Emperor Pero, the garrison commander of the northwest of the empire, the 577th tablet in the Chengguang Ancestral Temple of Shengjin Palace, and the eldest son of Yan Shicheng, the king of Yanbei. He is 21 years old this year. He joined the army at the age of 13 and started as a low-ranking soldier. In eight years, he was promoted 24 times, repelled the invasion of the Quanrong people 67 times, and made countless major and minor military exploits. The Shengjin Palace of the empire and the Council of Elders jointly commended him seven times. At the age of 18, he was appointed as the garrison commander and led troops to guard the northern border of the empire, and he never failed. On April 14, he was trampled by thousands of horses on Xunlieyuan. His head and face were difficult to distinguish, and only blood foam remained.
"This is my son, the hereditary king of Yanbei, the 25th-generation grandson of Emperor Pero, the deputy envoy of the Northwest Conquering the Empire, the 578th tablet in the Chengguang Ancestral Temple of Shengjin Palace, and the third son of Yanbei King Yan Shicheng, Yan Xiao. He is sixteen years old this year. He joined the army at the age of thirteen and followed his father in battles in the south and the north. He conquered the barbarians in the northern border three times and never retreated. He has more than forty knife wounds on his body, all of which were left for the people of Yanbei. On April 16, he was hit by a catapult from the Western Expedition Army, his spine was shattered, his legs were cut off, and he bled to death."
"This... this is my daughter." The woman's voice suddenly became choked. The head in the golden box was pale and swollen, as if it had been soaked in water. The corners of the eyes and nose were covered with purple blood foam. "The hereditary princess of Yanbei, the 25th generation granddaughter of Emperor Pero, the 579th tablet in the Chengguang Ancestral Temple of Shengjin Palace, and the eldest daughter of Yanbei King Yan Shicheng, Yan Hongxiao. On April 16, she rode a horse to rescue her abducted mother. When she passed by Weishui Honghu, she was intercepted by the troops of Mu Hexitian of the Fourth Field Army of the Western Expedition Corps, gang-raped to death, and finally her body was thrown into Honghu."
The wind and snow in the sky suddenly grew stronger, the woman's voice became more mournful, her face became paler, every word she spoke seemed to be uttered with tears of blood, the wind was howling, the snow was swirling, countless eagles and birds flapped their wings, and along with the fluttering black dragon battle flag, they fought against the dark and gloomy sky.
"These are all soldiers from Yanbei. They are traitors who have collaborated with the enemy. General Meng, you should execute them!"
The huge bronze cauldron was lifted onto the Jiuyou high platform. The fire was blazing. Meng Tian frowned and finally said in a deep voice: "Execute!"
Twenty golden boxes were immediately thrown into the huge bronze tripod. Yan Xun's eyes suddenly became blazing, and a beast-like scream burst out from his throat. He was about to stand up and rush forward.
The imperial guards all stepped forward and blocked Yan Xun's way. Chu Qiao hugged Yan Xun tightly and finally couldn't bear it any longer and burst into tears. The young man was held in her arms, his voice was shrill, he knelt on the ground, stretched out his fists full of blue veins, and smashed them hard on the stone slabs of the Golden Wing Square again and again. He was bleeding but still unaware of it, and roared loudly, the sound was terrifying.
The woman turned around, looked at the burning bronze cauldron, and tears that she had been holding back flowed down her face. She reached out her hand and gently touched the hot body of the cauldron, her face sad. Then she turned around and looked at her son tenderly in the audience. Then she slowly said to Meng Tian: "Brother Meng, that is my last child. Tell that man not to forget what he said."
Meng Tian's whole body trembled. The words "Brother Meng" seemed to bring him back to thirty years ago. No matter how miserable the words were, they could not move him at all. But such a simple name made the man's hands tremble uncontrollably. He was about to step forward, whispering like a nightmare, "Bai Sheng..."
However, at this moment, the woman in white suddenly turned around, moving as fast as a meteor, and crashed into the huge bronze tripod!
"Bai Sheng!"
"Mother!"
Countless exclamations rang out at the same time. In the Golden Wing Square, millions of people shouted at the same time. They saw blood gushing out of the woman's forehead like a fountain. She held the huge tripod with her hand and fell down softly.
"Quick! Quick! Call the imperial physician!" Meng Tian hugged the woman's body, his tough expression finally gone, and he shouted in panic to the guards below.
"Mother!" Yan Xun staggered up to the Jiuyou Terrace, threw himself on the woman, pushed the general away fiercely, and shouted loudly.
Heaven and earth were angry, the plants and trees were sad, thunder rumbled in the sky, the north wind howled on the ground, and heavy snow fell all over the sky. The woman slowly opened her eyes, looked at the child's face, and smiled gently, but it only caused more blood to spray out.
"Mother!" Yan Xun's eyes were filled with tears. Everywhere he touched was blood. He screamed in despair, "Why? Why is it like this? My father is gone, my elder brother is gone, all my relatives are gone, and you are leaving Yan Xun too? Mother! Why?"
The woman's tears slowly slid down. She raised her hand with difficulty and held her child's hand. "Xun'er...promise me that you will live, even if life is worse than death, you must live. Don't forget, you still have a lot to do."
"Mother!"
The woman's eyes suddenly became blurred. She lay on the dark blue stone, with blood flowers on her white clothes, like plum blossoms in full bloom. Her plain face was as white as orchid grass, almost transparent. She smiled softly and said in a voice so low that it was inaudible, "I always thought that what I loved most was Qingshui Cliff Mountain in Bian Tang. There is no winter, no snow, no four seasons, no autumn or winter. But now, I know I was wrong. Everything I love most is in Yanbei. Now I want to go back to find them."
Suddenly, she seemed to see the clear sky above the layers of dark clouds, and the distant Yanbei grassland. The bright-eyed man was riding on a horse, running towards her from afar. His voice penetrated the sunlight and echoed in the green grass. The mountains in the distance responded in unison, shouting along with his voice: "A Sheng..."
"A Sheng, I will give you all the best things in the world. Tell me, what do you like most?" The man sat on the horse and laughed out loud.
Silly boy, I already have the best things in the world, which are our home, our children, and our Yanbei.
His wrist slid down powerlessly, and a fierce north wind suddenly swept across the sky above Zhenhuang like a knife. The hawks and eagles flew angrily against the wind, and the black feathers on their wings were blown away by the hurricane, and they whistled down along with the white snow in the sky!
"Mother!" The young man hugged the woman's body, his eyes bloodshot, and instantly fell into the endless dark night!
Chu Qiao protected him at his side, her fists clenched tightly, her face pale and bloodless. A cold wind blew, blowing the messy hair away from the child's eyes. She suddenly raised her head and looked towards the Shengjin Palace in the north with sharp eyes. There, it is majestic and solemn, full of overwhelming majesty and oppression.
That day, a sharp thorn suddenly pierced into her heart. She clenched her fists, pursed her lips, and remained silent for a long time. However, there is a seed that has grown deeply rooted in her mind. After being carved by time and watered by wind and rain, it will one day grow into a towering ancient tree with luxuriant branches and leaves!