Chu Qiao's fingertips turned white, and the sound of armor and soldiers from the past echoed in her mind again, like a beautiful wind music.
"Sir, will you come with me?"
Chu Qiao shook her head and smiled faintly, "I want to stay here."
He Xiao nodded and bowed, "Take care, sir."
There were drops of dew outside the window, and the moon at night was big and white. Chu Qiao looked at the quiet moonlit night and murmured, "The wind is about to blow."
The Zhuge family sent three noble ladies with tied hair, but Chu Qiao sent them away. An older woman from the Jing family also volunteered, but Chu Qiao did not agree. In the end, it was Meixiang who was sent to the bedroom the night before her wedding.
Meixiang, who had always been strong, had trembling hands as she dressed her in a gilded crabapple-patterned brocade cloud auspicious dress, with a golden phoenix pattern edging, a small eight-colored bridal gown, and a peony pattern, adorned with eight-treasure necklaces, blue jade, white Hetian jade, and purple blood jade, gold medallions and purple ribbons, a head full of pearls and jadeite, and golden phoenix wings. Under the glittering lights, it looked resplendent and magnificent.
Meixiang's tears rolled down from her eyes, but the corners of her mouth were raised high, and her smile was as bright as a wave of clouds.
Chu Qiao reached out her hand to wipe away her tears, then hugged the woman who had been by her side for many years. The rouge on her cheeks was as red as the maple leaves in September, with a golden glow.
"Miss." Meixiang hugged her, her voice trembling, with uncontrollable crying, "Miss, Miss..."
She could no longer speak, but just hugged Chu Qiao, calling her "Miss" again and again, and then burst into tears.
Early the next morning, Chu Qiao finally welcomed her wedding day.
Bian Tang's ceremonial officers and guards were there, and the wedding was carried out in full accordance with the etiquette of the princess's wedding. The phoenix carriage set out from Zhuge's mansion and came to Bian Tang's villa in Zhenhuang. It first received the imperial edict from the late Emperor Li Ce, and then received the gift from the current Tang Emperor Li Xiuyi. It went out of the Zhuangyi Gate and the Qiankun Gate. There was joy everywhere, the sound of shengs and drums, red gauze curtains, and red brocade. Along the way, gold foil was scattered like frost and snow. Zhenhuang sent a large number of ceremonial officials to accompany the emperor, and the sounds of drums and music were all the ceremonies of the marriage.
The people gathered together, densely packed like mountains and seas. Eighty bridesmaids sat in the small phoenix carriage, and behind the carriage were the sisters and noble ladies of the Zhuge family. Chu Qiao's palms were wet and slippery, as if she had been sweating a lot. The red veil blocked her vision, and she could only hear the joyful sound of gongs and drums.
Chu Qiao's heart was tense. The convoy was getting closer to Sima Mansion. She knew the road by heart. Chu Qiao knew that if nothing unexpected happened, the ceremonial officer from Bian Tang would hand over the wedding sedan to the ceremonial officer from Da Xia at the Peacock Bridge ahead, and Zhuge Yue would pick up the bride at the Peacock Bridge.
However, just as they reached Yueliu Lake, the Luan carriage suddenly stagnated and stopped.
Chu Qiao's heart skipped a beat, and almost at the same time, an ancient and melodious bell sound suddenly came from the direction of Shengjin Palace. Fourteen desolate and solemn bell tones echoed in the wide street, five long and nine short. Different from the nine long and five short imperial sounds that had been heard before, the sound at this moment sounded solemn and desolate, like the sound of a gray wind whistling across this luxurious and splendid land.
All the sounds of walking, standing, looking and busying stopped at the same time. There was a momentary silence between heaven and earth. Even the birds in the sky seemed to have stopped flying. I don’t know who reacted first, but soon after, everyone knelt on the ground and bowed towards the direction of Shengjin Palace.
A huge wail suddenly rose into the sky, coming from the direction of Ziwei Square.
Chu Qiao pulled down her veil and lifted the carriage curtain. The breeze blew on her hair, causing it to sway gently.
It was not until this moment that she suddenly understood one thing.
Emperor Xia has passed away...
The ceremonial officials of Daxia all fell to the ground and cried bitterly, while the ceremonial officials accompanying Bian Tang were stunned, not knowing how to deal with such an emergency.
Zhuge Huai rode up from behind and solemnly directed the troops to return along the original route.
The breeze blew through the car curtains. Chu Qiao looked at the Peacock Bridge spanning the clear lake from afar. The chaos in her heart was like a lake tide, rolling in wave after wave. As the convoy moved further away, the Peacock Bridge vaguely turned into a stone pier shrouded in mist, obscured by layers of red flowers and green willows, and could no longer be seen clearly.
Chu Qiao suddenly felt anxious and didn't know where she was. It was as if she had returned to that winter day at Qianzhang Lake. The two of them walked farther and farther away, and were finally covered by heavy snow, which seemed endless.
She lifted up her skirt and pushed open the door of the car.
"Your Highness!" A pair of thin hands suddenly grasped her tightly. Yu Xiaohe looked at Chu Qiao who was about to jump out of the car in shock and shouted in panic, "What are you going to do, Your Highness?"
At this moment, a person in front of him turned his head. His slender eyes were like cold and deep pools. He looked a bit like Zhuge Yue. It was Zhuge Yue’s brother Zhuge Huai.
Chu Qiao's movements gradually froze. Facing thousands of armored soldiers, she slowly closed the car door, then leaned back in the chair, silent.
Chu Qiao was brought back to the Bian Tang Inn. She sat in her room for the entire day without stepping out. In the evening, Ping'an came to report that there were frequent military movements outside the city, and the cause of the emperor's death had not yet been announced in Shengjin Palace. The people were hiding in their homes, and the people in the city were in panic.
After it was completely dark, the Bian Tang Inn was completely surrounded, and even Ping An was unable to go out to get information.
The moon was rising above the branches, and suddenly a noisy sound of footsteps was heard outside the inn, as if a large number of people and horses had surrounded the inn. Ping An ran out to negotiate, but was only greeted by a tall man.
Zhuge Huai stood at the door, still smiling humbly, but his attitude was not as good as before.
"The city is in chaos. Your Highness Prince Xiuli, please wait here for a while and do not move around casually."
Chu Qiao nodded and replied very gently: "I understand, don't worry, big brother."
Zhuge Huai smiled faintly, said nothing, turned around and walked out.
At midnight, there was a sudden burst of fighting sounds, bow and crossbow sounds, screams, and the inaudible but even more chaotic sounds of gongs and drums from the direction of Shengjin Palace, all mixed together.
Ping An ran in anxiously and shouted, "Sister, we are surrounded!"
Chu Qiao was still wearing her wedding dress, sitting in the main seat, holding a teacup in her hand. She did not move when she heard the words, only her brows were slightly furrowed, proving that she heard what the child said.
"Sister! We will protect you and help you get out!"
Jingjing put on a warrior's uniform and carried a small bow and arrow. Several elderly Bian Tang ritual officials stood by in panic, their faces pale with fear.
Chu Qiao shook her head and looked outside the door, half-clenching her fists. Her bright red wedding dress looked so gorgeous in the candlelight that it seemed as if it were stained with blood.
"Miss, Zhuge Huai is not a good person. He is putting us under house arrest." Meixiang also stepped forward and said.
At the second watch, the shouting and killing outside gradually subsided, and Zhuge Huai came again. This time he did not try to hide anything and said frankly, "Please come with me."
"How's Rong'er?"
"Don't worry, Li Ce and I have no grudges against each other. As long as you are willing to cooperate, I guarantee that the boy will be fine."
Chu Qiao stood up and said readily, "I'll go with you."
Zhuge Huai looked at her admiringly and said approvingly, "Old Four has a pretty good eye."
"You betrayed the family, aren't you afraid of retribution?"
Zhuge Huai laughed. He must have finally been able to vent his long-term forbearance today. He smiled faintly and said, "Betraying the family? How do you know that the family didn't abandon him?"
Chu Qiao's eyes suddenly narrowed, and after thinking for a moment, she finally nodded and said, "I understand."
"He is indeed a smart man, he understands it immediately."
Chu Qiao asked: "What benefits can Zhao Yang bring to the Zhuge clan that is worth taking such a big risk?"
"It's not good." Zhuge Huai said calmly, "But if Zhao Yang comes to power, Daxia will still be Daxia, and the clans will still be clans; if Zhao Che comes to power, Daxia will become Qinghai, and become Donghu. I'm not sure where the clans will go."
really. Chu Qiao nodded and said no more.
"The fourth brother has been surrounded in Ziwei Square. He only has the 3,000 soldiers with him. The rest of the soldiers are outside the city. The Jingji Army, the Xiaoqi Battalion, and the Green Camp Army are all ours. Now Zhao Che's Donghu Army has fled eastward out of the city. He has no way to turn the tide. If he continues to hold on, he will die. If you can persuade him to surrender, I can still save his life."
Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows, looked at him steadily, and asked, "Are you serious?"
Zhuge Huai smiled, "It's absolutely true."
"Okay, the winner takes all, there's nothing to say, just lead the way."
Zhuge Huai said: "Then I will have to inconvenience you a little."
Chu Qiao stretched out her hand and said, "Come on."
Two guards with swords came forward, holding ropes, and tried to tie Chu Qiao up.
The room was brightly lit, the shouting and screaming outside had stopped, and Chu Qiao was dressed in auspicious clothes, looking calm and composed. Two burly men stood beside her, each holding down her arm with one hand. Zhuge Huai stood opposite her, followed by four personal guards.
The candlelight crackled, the wind whistled, and somehow, I seemed to have traveled through the snowy time and heard the teachings of my former instructors.
You have to act fast, identify your position accurately, keep a steady mind, and use strong force...
At the moment when the rope was tied, Chu Qiao's figure flashed, and she squatted down, dodging the guard's hand. She moved extremely quickly, pulling out the swords of the two big men with both hands like thunder, and slashed them inwards with force, blood splattered, and a red light appeared!
Before the two screams could penetrate the eardrums, two steel knives were pulled out and thrown, piercing the hearts of the two guards who rushed forward. Chu Qiao took advantage of the situation and stepped forward, stretched out her hand to grab a man's wrist, grabbed the man's neck, threw him over her shoulder, and twisted his wrist hard. With a sudden cracking sound, the man fell to the ground in a strange posture.
Seeing Zhuge Huai turning around and trying to run away under the protection of the only remaining guard, Chu Qiao plucked out a red hairpin and threw it away. He jumped up on the spot nimbly, grabbed the guard's hair, pulled off a large piece of bloody scalp, put his arm around the man's neck, and twisted it hard. The man struggled with his legs and rolled his eyes.
Everything happened in an instant. Chu Qiao dealt with the last guard and slowly walked to Zhuge Huai, who had a red hairpin stuck in his neck. She took out a dagger from her boots and said calmly, "The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. Do you have anything else to say?"
Zhuge Huai opened his eyes wide and struggled desperately. Chu Qiao swung the blade down suddenly, and a line of blood flew out.
The door was thrown open with a bang, and the night wind suddenly blew up, howling and blowing up yellow sand and fallen leaves.
The soldiers in the yard looked up at the same time, and saw a woman in a bright red wedding dress standing coldly in front of the door, holding Zhuge Huai's head in her hand. With a cold look in her eyes, she threw the head to the ground.
Outside the posthouse, there were the sound of horses clattering and large groups of torches gathering together. The guards turned around in panic, only to see a white flag with red clouds fluttering in the sky full of torches, with the word "Beautiful" written on it. He Xiao rode his horse into the house, holding a one-year-old child in his arms, and said loudly, "Sir, I have fulfilled your mission!"
Chu Qiao walked into the crowd fearlessly. A general dressed in the uniform of a senior military officer finally reacted and shouted, "Brothers! Avenge Master Huai! Kill this..."
However, before he could finish his words, a sharp arrow whizzed over and pierced his throat accurately, bringing up a strange crimson color in the dark night.
He Xiao had a blank expression on his face. Behind him were countless black-armored soldiers, each holding a crossbow. They were like a group of dumb stones, looking coldly at everyone in the field.
A gloomy atmosphere was floating in the venue. Chu Qiao was wearing a red wedding dress embroidered with a golden phoenix pattern of a first-rank princess. She casually picked up a sword from the ground, turned over and jumped onto the warhorse brought by He Xiao, and swept her eyes over everyone in the field. Wherever she went, the air pressure was low, like a layer of cold sea water.