"Forget it." A deep voice sounded, and Zhao Song waved his hand helplessly, "Ajiang, let's go."
Ah Jiang was stunned. Xiao Ba stepped forward and knocked on his forehead, scolding him softly, "Why don't you leave quickly? Are you waiting for your master to change his mind and drive me away?"
Ah Jiang smiled naively, whipped the horse, and the carriage moved forward slowly. The morning sun was golden, and the rising sun was like a huge round disk, hanging high in the sky.
After leaving Zhenhuang City and departing from Daxia Kingdom, he was no longer the legitimate prince of Daxia, and she was no longer the famous prostitute in the capital. Dust returned to dust, and earth returned to earth. Thank God for giving them a chance to start over and live a new life at the moment before the storm came.
In a dense poplar forest, a woman in a navy blue cloak rode out on horseback, and He Xiao stood not far from her. Several escort teams from the escort agencies passed by, raising a large amount of dust on the post road, but she seemed not to see it. She continued to stare at the departing carriage quietly for a long time without saying a word.
Goodbye, her friend.
Goodbye, her sister.
Goodbye, the two people she felt most sorry for in her life.
The sun gradually rose, but the north wind was still blowing violently. Chu Qiao withdrew her gaze from the distance and raised her head silently.
This is Daxia, it is the smell of Daxia, it is the wind of Daxia, it is the past of Daxia and the old friends of Daxia. Those who have left have left, but those who stay have to continue to face the rest of their lives. No matter it is hardship or adversity, no matter it is ups and downs or twists and turns, each of them has their own responsibilities to shoulder, and each of them has their own people to wait for and protect.
She turned around and faced the majestic and thick city walls in the distance. There were countless pavilions and waterside terraces, countless palaces and golden palaces, countless powers and ambitions, as well as countless conspiracies and traps.
Once upon a time, she hated everything here, but now, she walked into this huge cage willingly, just like her sister voluntarily became a slave. This was the path they chose for themselves. That was her battlefield, but she was not alone, because in the center of the cage, there was someone waiting for her.
Even if everything in the world is wrong, life and death will never come back.
“Gee!” Chu Qiao shouted coldly and rode her horse into a gallop. The cold wind blew past her ears and turned into passing clouds, disappearing quietly.
The year is almost over. Although this year cannot be considered a peaceful and prosperous year with good weather and good harvests, on the surface, Zhenhuang City still appears to be prosperous and peaceful. Half a month before the Spring Banquet, the prefect of the capital lifted the curfew in the imperial city and, with the authorization of the Council of Elders, reduced taxes on merchants during the New Year period to encourage trade and prosper the imperial capital's economy. He also issued an imperial edict in the name of the emperor, summoning officials from other provinces to come to the capital to pay homage and highly praising those officials who had outstanding performance this year.
Just like that, within three days, Zhenhuang City regained its former glory. With the deliberate connivance of the government, this year's New Year was particularly luxurious, and wealthy families from all over the country came to Beijing one after another. The ten miles of Zhenhuang City are prosperous, with trees wrapped in colorful satin and people singing and dancing. No matter how chaotic the situation outside or how imminent the war on the border, the people in the imperial capital are still immersed in the dream of the magnificence of the Celestial Empire.
The cold wind blew through the city, bringing with it a gust of intoxicating fragrance and sweeping far to the north.
However, the war between the northwestern border and Yanbei became increasingly tense. Zhuge Yue went to bed later and later, often staying up all night. The wax from the candle in the study rolled down drop by drop, forming layers of red ripples on the candlestick, reflecting his increasingly ugly face and his still straight back, his figure like a strong javelin.
Three days ago, Chu Qiao finally met Zhao Che again.
It was snowing heavily that day. After four days of accumulation, the snow was more than two feet thick and almost reached up to the thighs when moving. Chu Qiao has been in poor health in recent years. She cannot stand the cold, so she is lazy and unwilling to go out. She stays in her room all day, drowsy.
That evening, Zhuge Yue's laughter could be heard from afar. She leaned on the couch, frowning slightly, but as soon as she opened her eyes, she felt a gust of cold air blowing towards her. She shivered slightly, pulled the soft quilt around her, and straightened up slightly. Then Zhuge Yue smiled and pulled aside the curtain, saying to her, "Xing'er, look who's here?" Then he led the people behind him into the bedroom.
Zhao Che walked in against the light, wearing a black robe without any embroidery or patterns on it, looking low-key and silent. He still looked the same, seemingly taller and thinner, his facial features had not changed much, but his eyes no longer had the rebelliousness of the past. They had become deep and cold, like a cold pond or a deep lake. Even when he smiled, there was a hint of alienation and defensiveness in his smile. He greeted her calmly, still as he did at the beginning, nodded slightly, then smiled faintly and said, "Finally we meet again."
The food from the kitchen was served in a stream. Zhao Che brought Qianghu wine from the north, which was very spicy. As soon as it was opened, a strong aroma of wine hit his nose.
He and Zhuge Yue chatted and drank together, detailing the war and the situation over the past few days, occasionally making jokes and disdaining each other.
Zhuge Yue had few friends, and there was perhaps no one else in the world who could speak to him like this, except for the man before him.
Chu Qiao sat quietly by the side, and as they drank more wine, she listened to them talk about the past, about the embarrassing times when they disliked each other in the Shangwu Hall when they were young, and how they thought highly of themselves when they grew up. It was not until the war broke out, the government was corrupt, wars broke out everywhere, and the empire was in turmoil that they gradually came together.
They both have noble births, transcendent status, and ambitions to swallow the sun and talents; they both are unruly and full of youthful passion, but are not tolerated by their country and the secular world; they both are arrogant, extreme, willful and stubborn, and are considered heretics in the eyes of their clans and regarded as aliens; they both were born in splendor, fell into disarray in splendor, crawled out of the mud, and walked back to the center of power step by step. However, even though his heart is as hard as iron, he cannot hide his enthusiasm. In many cases, the friendship between men is so self-evident.
Chu Qiao sat quietly by the side. She had rarely seen Zhuge Yue so high-spirited, and she had never seen Zhao Che so carefree and uninhibited.
In a trance, she seemed to see two poplar trees that had experienced wind and rain, standing side by side, slowly growing into towering ancient trees.
Another shadow in my mind unconsciously walked out, those dark years of youth, those ups and downs and dangerous days. When Zhao Che and Zhuge Yue were floating side by side in the sea of people, she also went through hardships with someone, but in the end, they did not end up in the same place.
Zhuge Yue actually got drunk that night. His alcohol tolerance has never been very good, but he has always been self-disciplined and knows when to stop. But today, when facing his friends again, he actually became a little carefree and forgetful.
But Chu Qiao knew that he was just too tired.
These days, there is a massive snowstorm in the northwest, a poor harvest in the southwest, and one-third of the empire is in mourning. The food and clothing sent down from the imperial capital are being exploited by local officials and aristocratic families, and are unable to reach the hands of the people for a long time. Zhao Yang was the real power holder in the western part of the empire, but he condoned his subordinates to embezzle money openly and showed favoritism to the powerful families in order to win the support of the upper echelons. Within half a month, more than 200,000 people in the West died, and millions of people began to flee the famine over long distances, heading south, east, and even northwest. A large number of hungry refugees gathered in front of Yanming Pass, Tanghu Pass and Yao Pass, and hundreds of people froze to death or starved to death every day. However, the imperial capital would rather spend a lot of money to repair palaces and buildings and prepare for spring banquets than send troops and food to give the people a way to survive.
Zhuge Yue had already written more than ten letters of remonstrance, but except for a few powerless censors, no one in the court was willing to support him. His memorials were ignored, his letters of remonstrance were shelved, the court and the public were filled with the sound of obedience and enjoyment, the elders of the Presbyterian Church were like a group of rotten termites, who could only see an area the size of a palm, and allowed local officials to sing praises while turning a blind eye to the actual disaster.
He said the local disaster was severe and more than 200,000 Western people had died. But they said that Daxia was at peace and the people lived in harmony, and he was talking nonsense.
He said that hundreds of thousands of people fleeing famine had gathered in Yanming, Tanghu and Yaoguan. If they were not guided, the people would revolt and a catastrophe would surely occur. They said, however, that the three passes were impregnable, that outside the passes there were vast fertile fields stretching for thousands of miles, that the inhabitants left their doors open at night and that people did not pick up things on the roads, that even thieves and robbers could not be found.
He said that the survival of Daxia was imminent, that the elders were deceiving themselves, that the government and the people were unjust, and that local officials were extremely corrupt. If they were not punished, chaos would break out. However, they turned around and falsely accused him of having his own army, creating chaos in the government and the country, and attempting to abuse power and establish a dictatorship.
The war of words in the court was like a pot of boiling porridge, but people were dying everywhere and at any time among the people. They took out the umbrellas of merit and the ten-thousand-word petition presented by the local people, praising the emperor's kindness and love, the court's integrity and righteousness, and the long-lasting prosperity of the Great Xia. Then they turned around and accused him of slandering the court without any evidence.
evidence? She heard him angrily cursing at several generals in the study. His face turned blue with anger and his eyes were like a pool of rolling waves.
They turned a blind eye to the huge masses of refugees outside the three passes, they turned a blind eye to the countless corpses scattered across the western lands, they turned a deaf ear to the heart-wrenching cries that shook the heavens and the earth. Now, they are deceiving themselves by holding the "Umbrella of the People" presented by a group of local parasites, and then sarcastically asking him for evidence?
Before going to sleep that night, he was silent for a long time, then he gritted his teeth and said in her ear that he really wanted to chop all those termites one by one.
He spoke in such a low and suppressed voice that a layer of frost crept up Chu Qiao's spine. She stretched out her hands to wrap around his waist and lightly touched his arms. She felt his muscles tense, his fists clenched, and his skin was cold, as if covered with solid ice.
But Chu Qiao knew that he could only talk. Even though he was powerful, even though he held a high position, even though he held military power, even though he was already a stranger to his family. But there are some things, some people, and some responsibilities that he cannot ignore.
Emperor Xia was in a state of paralysis a while ago, but he has gradually gotten better these days. He is now conscious and can occasionally attend court to govern the country.
No one dared to underestimate this emperor who had been in power for many years and kept his power secret. For many years, he seemed to have always been like this, appearing to have no interest in politics at any time and anywhere, but if anyone dared to step beyond the line, they would suffer a devastating blow. The execution of the entire family of the Lion King of Yanbei fourteen years ago is a bloody example.
However, everyone thought that the emperor was old after all, and he was not a god and would not be immortal. Now that Zhao Che and Zhao Yang are competing for the throne, whoever can please the emperor better and do things that satisfy the emperor better will have a greater chance of winning. But now, the emperor is obviously more pleased with the Umbrella of All People. Who could spoil the mood by bringing up the disaster in the southwest? Even Zhao Che had to consider his reputation in the eyes of the Western clans.
At that time, Zhao Che was not in Zhenhuang, and Zhuge Yue supported the country alone. He extorted silver and grain from the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Grain, and the merchants of various clans, and continuously transported them to the outside of the Three Passes, but it was still a drop in the bucket.
Once, the soldiers of Yaoguan made a small mistake when distributing food. Because the food was scarce, the rice porridge was very thin. In response to the complaints of the people, a soldier said something harsh, which actually caused a small riot among the local refugees. The military and civilians fought each other, more than 30 soldiers died, more than 50 civilians died, and nearly 100 people were injured.