The medicine was cool and felt very comfortable when applied on her feet. Chu Qiao's feet were small and cute, with a section of her snow-white calves showing above. Yan Xun applied medicine to her with one hand and held her ankle with the other. His voice was like water, quietly brushing away the awkwardness and embarrassment between the two of them.
"Okay, got it." Chu Qiao nodded, biting her lips lightly, but didn't know what to say. She recalled the years in the palace. Every winter, her feet would be frozen, red, swollen, festering and oozing with water. At the worst times, she couldn't even walk. In the early days, they had no medicine, so Yan Xun rubbed her wounds with wine. Seeing that she was in great pain, he joked that he would get her drunk so that she would not feel the pain. At that time, Yan Xun's eyes were curved and bright. Even now, every night, she can still dream of what he looked like then, so clearly, so clearly that she almost forgot what he looks like now.
"Have a good rest." After taking the medicine, Yan Xun stood up, holding the bowl and said, "I'm leaving first."
"Yan Xun..."
As soon as Yan Xun turned around, he found that the corner of his clothes was held by a tender white hand. That hand was so thin. Hearing her voice, his heart suddenly softened. He turned around, looked into Chu Qiao's eyes, and asked quietly, "What's the matter?"
"are you angry with me?"
Yan Xun looked at her and asked calmly, "Should I be angry?"
Chu Qiao was a little out of breath. The big tent was very stuffy. She pursed her lips and said, "I don't know."
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold, neither of them spoke, and there was an awkward feeling in the air. Yan Xun was tall and slender, with jet-black hair and eyes like obsidian, staring at her quietly. Chu Qiao's face turned pale, and she finally raised her head slowly, looked into Yan Xun's eyes, shook his sleeves, and said softly: "Just let me follow you, okay?"
Yan Xun stood there in silence for a long time, looking at Chu Qiao's face without saying a word. Many emotions flashed through his mind one by one, making it impossible for him to grasp the truest self. The Yanbei regime has risen too fast. Now it is like sailing against the current. Every step must be taken with caution. He frowned and silently thought about his future plans and strategies, filtering and selecting them one by one. Finally, he said, "Ah Chu, do you know what the biggest hidden danger of Yanbei is at present?"
Chu Qiao raised her head but did not answer, because she knew that she was not required to answer at this moment.
Sure enough, Yan Xun answered his own question: "Warlords are divided and each governs itself. The power of Datong is intertwined. The military is unstable and everyone has their own commander to be loyal to. These are the fatal injuries of Yanbei." Yan Xun reached out his hand and brushed Chu Qiao's hair behind her ears. He said, "These all need to be rectified and cleansed. Although it is bloody, this is the only way for a regime to gain a foothold. There is no right or wrong. It is the situation that forces me to go this way. I don't want you to be involved. Do you understand?"
Chu Qiao nodded, "I understand, Yan Xun, I don't command the troops, I just want to be by your side."
After hearing Chu Qiao's words, Yan Xun was slightly stunned. He thought that Chu Qiao must have caught up with him to become the leader of the Southwest Town Envoy. For a moment, he was a little confused about her intentions, but a warm flame slowly rose in his heart. He nodded and said gently, "That's good."
Yan Xun put down her hand and was about to leave. He put on a blue cotton cloak and looked a little thin. Chu Qiao looked at him, and suddenly a little bitterness arose in her heart. She bit her lip and said, "Yan Xun, do you believe me?"
Yan Xun stopped walking, but he never turned back. His voice sounded faintly like the sound of waves and fine sand.
"Ah Chu, I have never doubted you. I just hope to protect you from trouble before the turmoil comes. That's all."
The curtain of the big tent swayed slightly, and a figure flashed and disappeared. Chu Qiao sat on the bed and suddenly lost her sleepiness.
The night watchman sounded, and everything was quiet and peaceful. She remembered what they had said many years ago. They promised each other: no secrets, always be honest with each other, and not let misunderstandings and barriers come between them! It’s a pity that this can only be a dream. There are many things in this world that cannot be told to others, especially those who love you.
She should believe him, Chu Qiao bit her lip quietly. If she didn't believe him, who else could she believe?
She tried to convince herself and then lay down. Before closing my eyes, I vaguely saw the row of severed heads in the square that day, with blood splattered and the ground in a mess. After walking for seven days, they finally arrived at the Xuekui River in Yao Province. The base camp was built on the mountain and had 200,000 soldiers stationed there. From a distance, it looked like a sea of iron armor.
There was a reason why Chu Qiao gave up the command of the Southwest Town Governor. After the battle of Beishuo, Chu Qiao's reputation in Yanbei was almost as high as Yan Xun's. She was praised a lot in the army. In addition, she had followed Yan Xun for many years and had made great military achievements. She was already the second most important person in Yanbei. As for the Southwest Guardians, as the rebels who directly caused the defeat of Yan Shicheng, the people of Yanbei have extremely complicated feelings towards them. There is years of resentment, but also gratitude for their defense of Yanbei, and this emotion is likely to be exploited by others.
The loyalty of the Southwest Town Envoy to Chu Qiao is known to the world. Once she continues to lead this team, Yan Xun will lose his command over the Southwest Town Envoy, and this team will truly become her private army. This kind of thing is something that no emperor can tolerate, so she must give up her military power and stand by Yan Xun. In this way, if something happens, she will have a neutral position, which is a good thing for both the Southwest Town Envoy and herself.
Her idea was quite sound, however, when she saw the new chief of the Southwest Town Government, she was stunned. Her brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and her eyes were as sharp as a knife. The young general in blue uniform looked at her politely with a faint smile, then said quietly: "Lord Chu, long time no see."
"General Cheng," Chu Qiao said slowly with a cold smile, "After we parted ways in Beishuo, General Xue Zhiyuan died tragically, and General Cheng left with General Xia An. I thought I would never have the chance to see the general's golden face again in this life, but I didn't expect to meet him again here today. I am really overwhelmed with joy."
Cheng Yuan smiled slightly and said calmly: "Life is full of encounters. You and I are destined to meet each other."
Chu Qiao snorted coldly, turned around and walked towards Yan Xun's tent, saying coldly as she walked: "He Xiao, keep an eye on the team. Before I come back, no one is allowed to make decisions about what to do with the Southwest Town Government!"
"Yes!" He Xiao answered loudly.
The cold wind blew on Chu Qiao's angry face. General Xue, I can finally avenge you!
Yan Xun had that dream again, sweat dripped down his forehead, and his dark eyes were as calm as a deep pool. The sun was shining brightly outside, and he was leaning over the desk, the collar of his shirt already soaked. He stretched out his slender hand to pick up the teacup. His nails were neatly trimmed and there were calluses on his fingertips from years of martial arts training. He gripped the white wall of the cup tightly, but his wrist was trembling slightly.
After so many years, my memory is like the surface of a lake after the rain in early March, with the distant and near scenes inverted and blurred. He always thought that years of forbearance in the imperial capital had taught him to forget for a short period of time. However, it only takes one dream to make all the efforts of many days go to waste. The memories and images that he had buried deep in his heart once again came flooding back, like a sharp knife, cutting into his skin and bone marrow, and would not stop until blood and flesh were gone.
In the dream, blood was flowing, and the eyes of my parents and relatives were coldly open, with bright red liquid flowing out of their eye sockets, like fine wine.
For so many years, he thought he had controlled himself very well. However, the moment he set foot on the land of Yanbei, those emotions that had been dormant for many years burst out again, like a hibernating poisonous snake being disturbed, it instinctively knew where to bite even with its eyes closed. At this moment, he finally understood that Yanbei was not his salvation, but his spiritual marijuana.
He kept his eyes open, looking straight ahead without focus, his breathing gradually became steady, but a strong hatred arose from his heart. A bloodthirsty desire rose in his mind, and he urgently wanted to grasp the knife, swing it out, and enjoy the pleasure of the sharp blade cutting into flesh and bones.
At this moment, there was a sudden noise outside the door. The woman's angry voice was particularly sharp and fierce, and his thoughts suddenly cooled and calmed down. He knew who was coming without thinking. He shouted, and then the guard at the door let her in.
Chu Qiao was still wearing the snow-white fur coat. She seemed to have grown a lot taller during this period of time. Standing there gracefully, she had already become a grown-up girl.
Yan Xun restrained his previous expression and said gently: "The guard is new and doesn't know you yet."
"Why is Cheng Yuan in the army?" Chu Qiao went straight to the point, not minding the embarrassment of being stopped outside by the guards.
Seeing her official manner, Yan Xun also sat up straight and said seriously, "He has made great contributions. He killed the escaped Beishuo former city defender General Xia An and returned with the Beishuo defenders. He deserves to be rewarded."
Chu Qiao's eyes were sparkling as she stared at Yan Xun, as if she wanted to find some flaws and loopholes in his expression, but the man sat there calmly, without a single ripple on his face.
"I want to kill him." Chu Qiao said slowly, her voice was calm, but there was a hint of murderous intent flashing in her eyes.
Yan Xun raised the corners of his eyes slightly and looked at Chu Qiao quietly, but did not speak. The air became increasingly oppressive, and one could faintly hear the sound of the north wind blowing through the corners of the tent, carrying the accumulated snow.
"I told you, I'm leaving." Chu Qiao said in a deep voice and turned to leave.
"Wait a moment." Yan Xun narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at her with some displeasure, frowned, and said slowly, "Cheng Yuan is now the general of the Southwest Town Envoy. If anything happens to him, the Southwest Town Envoy will first be held responsible for the poor performance of the guard chief."
Chu Qiao turned around and raised her eyebrows slightly, "Are you threatening me?"
"I just don't want you to do the wrong thing."
"He killed Xue Zhiyuan, killed the officers and soldiers of the Southwest Town Government, and almost killed me. If it weren't for him, the battle of Yanbei wouldn't have suffered such a great loss. This man is vicious and cruel, and he changes his attitude according to the situation. He is a complete snobbish and cowardly villain. How can you protect such a person?"
Yan Xun looked at the excited Chu Qiao with a calm expression, and said calmly: "There are too many people in Yanbei who are not afraid of death and are not snobbish. I don't think this is a quality worth praising."
Chu Qiao said angrily: "Is it worthy of praise to forget righteousness for the sake of profit and be afraid of death?"
"It is easier to control a person if he has something to desire and something to fear. Ah Chu, I hope you can calm down and think about this carefully."
Chu Qiao looked at Yan Xun deeply, and once again recalled the soldiers who died tragically under Beishuo City and Xue Zhiyuan's cry before his death. She suddenly felt her blood boiling, and her eyes were as sharp as a knife. She asked solemnly: "If I must kill him, what will you do to me?"