When Ajing left, Chu Qiao was already taking medicine. Doctors came in one after another, carrying large medicine boxes. The yard seemed to be alive again, but for some reason, Ajing felt even colder.
As soon as I went out, I saw Yan Xun standing under the poplar tree. Although Yunbi has a nice name, it is actually a remote and poor place with poor mountains and bad water, and there are heavy snow disasters every year. The people living here could never fill their stomachs, so they had to flee famine every year. Over time, except for some elderly people, only these poplar trees were left.
Seeing him come out, Yan Xun did not look back. Ah Jing handed over the letters in her hand, and Yan Xun opened them one by one and read them carefully. The three letters were not long, but Yan Xun spent more than half an hour reading them. Finally, he put the letter away intact, handed it to Ah Jing and said, "Do as she says."
Ah Jing's face flushed red, as if she had been caught as a thief. She was silent for a long while, and finally said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, will the young lady commit suicide? It sounded like she was leaving her last words."
Yan Xun's expression remained unchanged, and he gave the same answer as Ah Jing and Chu Qiao, "No."
“Then…” Ah Jing asked again, “Why do you want the girl to bear the crime of murdering Zhuge Yue? Not only will the Zhuge family’s assassins take crazy revenge, but the girl will also hate you.”
"Hate me?" Yan Xun's tone rose. He smiled and said calmly, "That's better than death."
Ah Jing was slightly stunned, and seemed to understand something in a trance, but he didn't understand it completely. He asked again: "Your Majesty, if we just take a corpse to deceive Daxia and Zhuge family, will it be okay? We have received their ransom."
Yan Xun did not answer him, but stretched out his hand, pointed at the vast snowfield in front of him, and said slowly: "A Jing, do you know why Yunbi is not marked on the Yanbei map?"
Ah Jing didn't know why he suddenly asked this, so she shook her head and said, "I don't know."
"Because it's useless here," Yan Xun said in a low and cold voice, "It's too small, with rugged rocks, and can't be used for farming or pasture. There's no grass here, the Chishui River doesn't flow through here, and the Qianzhang Lake is far away. The climate is bad, and there are snowstorms in winter. The geographical location is remote, and even the Quanrong people didn't come here to plunder when they invaded the pass. Whether militarily or economically, it is a burden to Yanbei and is of no use at all, so even the map is useless. There is no mark on the map.” He laughed coldly, his voice so low, “Zhuge Yue is now to the Zhuge family what Yun Bi is to Yanbei, his existence is only a shame and a burden. For an imperial general who was reckless, reckless, and died not on the battlefield but because of his obsession with a woman, what do you think will be his fate? The Zhuge family has not had time to sever ties with him, who will collect his body?”
Ah Jing suddenly realized and said, "Oh, no wonder your majesty wants to use the girl as a cover, it turns out that he is targeting the Zhuge family."
Yan Xun stared into the distance expressionlessly, and said slowly, "Zhuge Yue's death is just the beginning. Zhuge clan, Zhao Che, General Le Xing, and Meng Tian who recommended him in the first place will all be affected by this incident. Isn't Daxia in chaos? Zhao Qi is dead, Zhao Song is a hopeless case, and the power of Wei clan and Zhao Yang is too weak. I might as well give them a hand. Only when Daxia is unstable internally can my kingdom be secure."
Ah Jing was stunned and speechless, just stood there blankly.
"A Jing, stop competing with Cheng Yuan all the time." Yan Xun looked at him, frowned and said calmly, "You are no longer an assassin from a civilian organization. Yanbei's Eastern Expedition is imminent, and you are my confidant. To play politics, you must have a political method and attitude. Many people need to be sacrificed. If you can't see this, then you will always be like those unrealistic dreamers in the Datong Guild, dreaming a lifetime of pipe dreams, but never tasting the taste of power."
Yan Xun turned his head away, not looking at Ah Jing's dazed expression. There was something he didn't say. Although lions were fierce and useful, they were difficult to control. Sometimes, he just needed a group of dogs.
As for Ah Chu, she would eventually understand that killing Zhuge Yue was inevitable, and setting up this trap in her name was also a helpless move. Firstly, Zhuge Yue was a difficult person to deal with, and it would be difficult to control him without extraordinary means. Secondly, he really needed the follow-up effects of this incident. When Da Xia fell apart because of this incident, she would naturally understand that he was right.
As for her feelings towards Zhuge Yue, Yan Xun scoffed at them. He was not afraid of him when he was alive, so how could he be afraid of a dead person? She was just like usual, being upset and angry for two days. Time would dilute everything, and he had plenty of time.
Ah Jing was silent, thought for a while, and suddenly asked: "Your Majesty, the girl is very sad, won't you go in and see her?"
"There's no time. I have to go and close the door tonight. Zhao Che has been here long enough. It's time to let him go home and take a look."
Yan Xun left after he finished speaking. Ah Jing stood there, watching Yan Xun ride on his horse and go farther and farther away under the escort of the Imperial Guards. In a trance, she suddenly remembered a sentence he had said to her in Shengjin Palace a long time ago.
I had advised him to put the overall situation first, but he turned around and asked himself, "If I don't have Ah Chu, what use would I have to Yanbei?"
He remembered that sentence clearly, and it still echoed in his ears today, but now, has His Majesty forgotten it? Maybe he didn't forget that Yan Bei was never taken seriously by him. His heart was too big and his wisdom was too high. His eyes were looking at the whole world.
Ah Jing lowered her head, no longer knowing what was right or wrong. Perhaps this day had been destined since the day she followed him.
He turned and walked towards Weiwusuo. For some reason, his usually straight back was bent, as if something was pressing on him and making it impossible for him to walk straight. Chu Qiao rested for five whole days and finally recovered her spirit. Chu Qiao has been very normal these days. She eats well, takes medicine properly, and when she is not sleeping, she does some stretching exercises in the yard. She had been seriously ill before and her face had become so thin that she looked unrecognizable. Now she is getting better, but her complexion is still pale. Luliu was very puzzled, so she secretly went to see her at night, but discovered that although she was lying there, she did not close her eyes at all. She often kept her eyes open until dawn and could not sleep all night.
Today is New Year's Day. The Battle of Guanshang ended three days ago. Shengjin Palace urgently issued eight golden medals to summon Zhao Che back to the capital. Zhao Che had no choice but to withdraw his troops. Yan Xun took the opportunity to attack Yanming Pass. Although he failed to capture it, Daxia also paid a price of more than 50,000 casualties. It could be considered a great gift to Yanbei before the New Year.
Yan Xun rushed back a day in advance, and Yunbi suddenly became the place where the Emperor of Yanbei would spend the New Year. The local officials were so excited that they put up lanterns and decorations everywhere, and the atmosphere was full of joy.
In the morning, Lvliu brought new clothes. They were bright red and embroidered with hundreds of lilies. They looked auspicious and festive. Chu Qiao felt uncomfortable watching it, she felt that the color was like blood, spreading little by little, and she didn't even want to touch it with her fingertips.
Everything has been arranged. The message should be sent out. Shang Shen has also been entrusted to Mr. Wu. As for the Xiuli Army, there is no future for them following her. Mr. Wu and Miss Yu are the backbone of the Datong Guild, and are feared by Yan Xun, so it is inconvenient for them to command the army. The only way is to entrust it to Wan Wan, who also has Yan blood and is a girl. She is the princess of Yanbei and has the Huoyun Army in her hands. She should be able to give the Xiuli Army a good future.
There is no need to stay in this place any longer.
When Yan Xun came in, the room was empty and everything was as usual, neat and clean.
In a trance, he recalled the night when he got engaged to Zhao Chun'er, and his heart suddenly turned cold. It’s not that I didn’t expect it, but I still held a glimmer of hope. Maybe she had figured it out? Maybe she no longer blames herself? After all, they have been together for almost ten years, and she has always been so tolerant of him. No matter what he did, she could forgive him. He had given up the Southwest Town Government, had given up Yanbei, had killed her subordinates, had doubted her and excluded her, but hadn't she never left him? He was just a Zhuge Yue, just a Zhuge Yue. Even if Ah Chu felt grateful to him, how could it compare to the friendship between him and her that they had shared for ten years?
Maybe they just needed to talk, and as long as he spoke his mind openly and honestly, she should be able to understand him. Even if she is angry, she will calm down sooner or later. At worst, I can let her come back to take charge of the army. Now that the overall situation has been decided, there is nothing to worry about.
He didn't know why he was so sure. In the past few days, he had comforted himself hundreds of times in his heart. But at this moment, looking at this tidy and clean house, he suddenly felt panicked. He ran out in a hurry, and his sleeve scraped off a small thing on the desk while walking. There was a snap, and a crisp sound reached his ears. Yan Xun lowered his head and saw a pure white jade ring dropped to the ground under the dim light. It had been broken into many petals, reflecting the candlelight dimly, which was a little dazzling.
Yan Xun stood there in a daze, looking at the ring, and suddenly remembered Ah Chu's words that day: "If Zhuge Yue died in Yanbei, I would never forgive you."
I will never forgive you...
forever……
"Girl?" Lvliu pushed open the door and ran in happily, "Let's go out and see the lanterns! It's so beautiful outside!"
Suddenly seeing Yan Xun standing there in a daze, Lvliu was so frightened that she knelt down and kowtowed in a hurry. After not hearing Yan Xun's voice for a while, she carefully raised her head, only to see the man standing there straight, with a lonely face, like a thick mist that would not dissipate. Chu Qiao was walking down the street, leading her horse, wearing a very ordinary green cloak. She was surrounded by a happy crowd, with colorful lanterns burning brightly, and children running back and forth with lanterns in their hands.
The lanterns were very delicately made, with dragons, phoenixes, tigers, carps, tall white plum trees, the East China Sea God of Longevity, puppies, chicks, well-behaved cats, and cute rabbits...
Fireworks were set off in the sky, the whole street was filled with the strong aroma of wine, street vendors were still hawking their wares, and on both sides were rows of colorful lanterns and riddles. On the ice rink in the distance, people were dancing New Year dances on land boats and lanterns, and playing suonas joyfully...
So many people passed by Chu Qiao, but no one stopped to look at her. People were holding hands, husbands holding their wives, wives holding their children, children turning back to greet their grandmothers, and grandmothers holding their elderly grandfathers. Everyone had a family and relatives, and on this festive day, they walked out of their poor homes and came to the bustling streets, celebrating this rare holiday with smiles on their faces.
"Achu, I have never said these words to you before. I will only say these words once. You have to listen carefully. I want to thank you. Thank you for staying with me in hell for so many years. Thank you for not abandoning me during the darkest days of my life. Thank you for always standing by my side. Without you, Yan Xun would be nothing. He would have died in the snowy night eight years ago. Achu, I will never say these words again. I will spend my whole life to make up for it. There are some things that we don't need to say to each other. We should understand each other. Achu is mine, Yan Xun, and mine alone. I will protect you and take you away. I held your hand eight years ago and never planned to let go."
"Yan Xun, I have never had a hometown. It is because of you that I regard your hometown as my own."
"Achu, trust me."
Believe me, I will protect you, take care of you, and not let you get hurt or suffer any injustice. Believe me, I will make you happy. Believe me...
Tears flowed from Chu Qiao's eyes line by line, without any sound, just sliding down silently, rolling across her pointed face and sliding across her thin chin. The cold wind blew over, like a thin knife. She led the horse and walked slowly.