He Xiao lowered his head and said, "I dare not."
"You said you didn't dare, but that's just blaming me." Chu Qiao smiled bitterly, and the smile lines passed across the corners of her mouth, and then disappeared in an instant. "Whether you believe it or not, you and I have fought side by side for many years. I have always regarded you as my best friend. I am leaving, but I am not abandoning you."
"I understand." He Xiao suddenly raised his head, his eyes as calm as ever, no longer as majestic as when he dominated the battlefield. He said quietly, "I have never blamed you. You just cared about us and arranged the best way out for us. I understand all of this."
This was the first time He Xiao addressed Chu Qiao as "you and I". He looked at her quietly and said slowly, "Over the years, I have watched you come step by step. I understand all the pain in your heart. Sometimes I think that maybe I was selfish at the beginning. If I had thought it through earlier, I would never let the situation force you into such a situation. Even if the Southwest Town Envoy became a bandit and was annihilated, I should not let you bear the responsibility and confront the King of Yan, leading to the current situation."
Chu Qiao shook her head. She wanted to say that there were irreconcilable contradictions between her and Yan Xun. Even if there was no Southwest Governor, there would be other reasons. The problem would break out sooner or later. It was just a matter of delay.
He Xiao didn't wait for her to finish her words and said directly: "After all, you are just a young woman. We just ignored it at that time."
He raised his head and smiled gently, like an elder looking at his junior, and said softly: "His Majesty said that only when you completely let go of the past can you find true peace. I no longer call you sir, not because I am resentful or distant, but because I hope you can let go of your burdens and live for yourself."
The dew on the leaves fell with a swish, splashing on Chu Qiao's soft white embroidered shoes. She frowned slightly, and a touch of emotion rose from her heart, so sour.
"Although Bian Tang is warm, the weather is cold now. You should go back early, young lady."
After saying that, he stepped aside and wanted to let Chu Qiao leave, but Chu Qiao suddenly called out, "Brother He."
He Xiao was stunned and suddenly raised his head to look at her.
Chu Qiao said in a deep voice: "We have been together for many years, and have lived and died together many times. To me, you are like a comrade-in-arms, but even more like a family member."
The whistling wind blew through the forest. He Xiao's eyes trembled slightly. After a long time, he still kept that posture and took a step back quietly. He said in a deep voice: "I will go to the southwest to take up my post. Perhaps, there will be no chance for us to meet again."
He already knew it.
Chu Qiao's fingertips felt slightly cold. Looking at He Xiaomo's standing figure, she felt a trace of sadness lingering in her throat. She nodded quietly, said "Take care of yourself", and turned to leave the pavilion.
Just after taking a few steps, I heard a voice behind me quietly, "Xiao Qiao, take care on your journey."
She turned around immediately, only to see He Xiao still standing quietly in the same posture, the wind blowing through his clothes, revealing his azure court robes with a turquoise sea and cloud pattern. There was a dark green belt around his waist, already worn out, but it was still the same belt that Xiu Li wore in the army back then. He just stood there quietly, without even raising his head, as if the words just now were not said by him.
Chu Qiao stood there in silence for a moment, then finally turned around and walked in a random direction.
After turning around a few times, Shanglin Garden was finally out of sight. Chu Qiao looked up and found that she had accidentally come to Fran Mountain outside Roufu Palace.
Although it is called a mountain, it is actually just a pile of fake stones. The surface is entirely carved with white jade, which looks crystal clear and can be regarded as a major scenic spot in the Jinwu Palace. But when Chu Qiao looked at the white rockery at this moment, she felt a chill spreading in her heart, like a worm with tentacles, trapping her in circles.
"Miss?" Meixiang called out worriedly.
Chu Qiao didn't say anything. Her eyes froze slightly as she looked at the several wintersweets on the rockery. However, she seemed to be able to see through that place and see very far away.
"Miss, in this world, everyone has different thoughts, but you only have one heart, and you can't take care of so many people."
Mei Xiang's words rang in her ears, but Chu Qiao seemed not to hear them clearly. The wind was so strong that she suddenly felt a little sad.
"Commander He has followed you for so many years. In time, he will surely understand. All good things must come to an end. Don't be too sad."
Chu Qiao turned around and suddenly reached out to hug Mei Xiang's shoulders, saying softly: "Mei Xiang, if you want to go, just let him go."
Chu Qiao clearly felt Mei Xiang's body tremble suddenly, and her back straightened up like a startled rabbit. After a long time, a pair of arms slowly wrapped around Chu Qiao's back, and Mei Xiang's voice quietly said in Chu Qiao's ear: "I am reluctant to leave Commander He, but I am even more reluctant to leave Miss."
The afternoon sun shone brightly on the ground. The sky was so high that there was not a single cloud in sight.
"Young lady, please stop worrying about others. Master Zhuge is not a completely good person, but he is the only one in the world who is devoted to you. For you, he is willing to kill and burn, and sacrifice himself to become a demon. He is also willing to put down his butcher knife and become a Buddha. You will never find another person like him even if you search with a lantern."
Mei Xiang suddenly laughed, "As for Commander He, he will eventually see things more clearly, just like me. This kind of thing cannot be forced. Each of us has our own karma."
The freedom of the blue sea and blue sky is what she has been praying for for many years.
Chu Qiao looked up and seemed to vaguely see the man’s clear eyes. The wind was chilly and the court of Daxia was in turmoil. Is he okay?
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year again. This year had been full of turmoil. Perhaps in order to dilute the decadent atmosphere after the war, at the strong request of all officials, Li Ce ordered a grand spring banquet with the utmost luxury.
On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Ce hosted a banquet for all officials in the Imperial College Hall. He opened a banquet for officials to present their opinions on the performance of the previous year, highly praised those with outstanding performance in the current year, granted officials of the third rank and above the honor of eating in the same hall, and personally composed a poem to be passed down through the ages, and ordered the eunuchs to copy it, and gave a copy to each court official.
The harem was also decorated with lights and lanterns, and the banquet was held all the way from the Yixin Hall to the Shangqing Palace. There were endless colorful pavilions and countless lanterns, with colorful silk lanterns forming auspicious patterns such as "Long Live the Emperor" and "Eternal Strength of the Country" and pasted on the red walls and green tiles. It was magnificent, with brocade lanterns, singing and dancing in the air, and a magnificent atmosphere.
Li Ce invited Chu Qiao to attend the banquet several times, but she didn't like such grand and lively occasions, so she declined lightly. She just stayed in her own palace with a group of palace maids and servants to clean and prepare, hold the banquet herself, and prepare the items for the New Year's Eve.
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, a number of blue cloth horse-drawn carriages drove into the main gate of the Jinwu Palace and, after being notified, headed all the way to Mi Heju. However, after the carriage arrived and boxes of things were unloaded, it caused a sensation in the entire harem. All the palace maids and servants rushed to Mi Heju to find out what was going on. Even some ladies who could not wait any longer came eagerly.
Twenty horse-drawn carriages and two hundred large and small nanmu boxes. After opening the box, everyone's eyes suddenly lit up and were filled with gleams of light. Jadeite, emerald, ruby, cat's eye, white jade, oriental pearls, brocade gauze, Suzhou embroidery silk, precious furs, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, etc., almost all the luxury that the world can imagine is gathered before your eyes. Not only that, there are also red hairpins, necklaces, palace clothes, jade shoes, and jewelry that girls like. There are top-quality flowers, intact corals more than three meters high, rare orchids, curtain screens inlaid with oriental pearls, jade self-luminous lamps that can glow at night, as well as some rare objects from overseas, such as matches, telescopes, glass ornaments, simple self-ringing clocks, dresses of foreign women, precious specialties from the Hu land, and various medicinal materials worth more than gold.
What’s even more ridiculous is that there are several boxes of very rough local products that look similar to sweet potatoes. Chu Qiao studied it for a while before she suddenly realized that this was the Qinghai melon that he had described in his letter to her. She put it to her nose and sniffed it, smelling a slight fragrance. A faint sweetness suddenly arose in her heart. She felt that all the pearls and jades put together were not as good as these ugly melons.
Presumably, the locals heard that the King of Qinghai wanted this thing, so they did their best. Not only are the melons very large, but each one is also tied with a circle of red string and wrapped in red cloth, making it look quite out of place.
There was a small piece of letter in the melon. She picked it up and untied the gold thread with her tender white fingers. She saw a long paragraph written in very thin and flying handwriting inside.
He was always like this. Even when he wrote letters, he used an awkward tone, chatting about everything from the weather to political affairs to the development of the local economy, just like a cordial meeting between two heads of state. Only at the end he would carefully remind people: watch out for the door, be careful of the doors and windows before going to bed, and beware of villains.
Once, Li Ce was furious after reading Zhuge Yue's letter. He cursed Zhuge Yue for being a villain who slandered others behind their backs. Chu Qiao was looking at the man who secretly opened other people's letters but acted righteously, and she felt that what they both said was true.
Today's letter is not very long. After a short beginning, the ink seems to be much thicker. It can be imagined that the person has been thinking for a long time, and when the ink has dried, he dipped the brush in ink again and wrote: I have something to do, wait for me.
There was a clamor of exclamations all around, but Chu Qiao, holding a thin piece of letter in her hand, felt that everything around her was peaceful and gentle. The wind blew silently, the startled swallows chirped, the flowers were bright and the leaves were green. Even though it was winter and chilly, her heart was still filled with the warmth of spring.
That night, Chu Qiao, Meixiang, Jingjing, Qiusui and a group of other palace maids gathered in Miheju. Chu Qiao cooked herself. Although her cooking skills were average, her cooking method still shocked these guys. Everyone was a little reserved at the beginning, but gradually they relaxed.
At midnight, fireworks suddenly started outside. Chu Qiao and the palace maids ran to the courtyard, stood under the osmanthus tree, looked up, and watched the sky full of fireworks. The bright colors sprinkled on their faces, and their spirits were high.
Jingjing and Ping'an and a few other maids set off firecrackers. The crackling sounds rang in their ears. Chu Qiao covered her ears and was surrounded by the crowd. Her face was red and she was wearing a new furry jacket, like a child who had not grown up.
This is the happiest New Year she has ever had after coming here for so many years.
Even if the person in your heart is not around, the years are still quiet and peaceful.
There was still laughter outside. Chu Qiao bent over the desk and sketched out two lifelike Q-version cartoon characters with a few strokes. They had big heads on their small bodies. One was lively and handsome, while the other was serious and awkward. The two little people stood side by side on a high hillside, staring blankly ahead, with a hint of silly cuteness. In front of them was a vast grassland with herds of cattle and sheep, and in the far distance, there was a large expanse of blue water.
She wrote two words at the end of the letter in very serious handwriting: Waiting for you.
No more warnings, no more inquiries, she thought, she wanted to be completely selfish for once, to be seriously willful for once, and to trust for once.
Putting down the letter, she put on her cloak and ran out to find Meixiang and the others. Unexpectedly, as soon as she walked out of the hall, a handful of white petals came over her head, like a handful of snow, falling all over her.
Everyone laughed in unison, and the sound penetrated the fireworks in the Jinwu Palace and spread out.