70 Knife
◎Author: This is a dream.◎
Huo Qubing fell into a deep sleep and could only vaguely hear the crying. When he opened his eyes, he saw a room full of linen. Many of the people coming and going were ministers and officials he had met before, and all of them were in tears.
Someone died.
He thought about it, then naturally walked to the front of the hall and looked around.
He had never seen such a display in the hall before.
Perhaps some important person whom he didn't know passed away.
Until the silent young man in front of the coffin raised his face, he took a step back in a trance.
Ah Yan! ?
Why is Ah Yan kneeling before the coffin?!
It seemed as if everything that had just been blurry became clear in an instant.
He saw his aunt and mother hugging each other and crying, and several uncles wiping their eyes.
He also saw his uncle being supported by someone, tears welling up in his eyes, and he was coughing lightly while crying.
The dull lung sounds, one after another, turbid and suffocating.
Everyone seemed to be much older than they are now, and he could even see the fine lines around his uncle's eyes and the white hair at his temples.
Ayan, Ayan.
Who are you crying for?
Is it your uncle?
Why don’t you see me!
He had a thousand questions, but in the end he just walked slowly towards his younger brother with light steps, then knelt beside Huo Yan and asked softly.
Huo Yan, however, seemed to be blind to him. He simply pressed his head against the heavy coffin, his lips tightly drawn. Huo Qubing approached him and only then saw what Huo Yan was holding in his arms.
It was a little kid who looked very much like Ah Yan. Huo Qubing liked the kid at first sight, but at this moment the kid's black almond-shaped eyes were silently filled with tears.
"Uncle, why is Grandfather still sleeping? My uncle is crying, and I want to cry too."
Huo Qubing saw that Huo Yan's hand, which was placed behind the child's head to comfort him, trembled for a moment. He almost bent himself into a circle and used his body to block the child's eyes from continuing to look out.
"My uncle is tired, and my grandfather is tired too. Shan'er, be good."
Huo Qubing suddenly reacted.
He looked at his coffin.
It turned out to be a dream, it turned out that he was dead.
He watched his younger brother's much thinner body bend over his coffin for a long time. He bent over like that, protecting his child in his arms, as if he wanted to hear the long-lost heartbeat and calling voice from the coffin.
Ah Yan, why don’t you cry? Just cry and it will be fine.
Huo Qubing followed Huo Yan almost like a shadow, watching him arrange everything as usual, watching him handle the funeral, comfort Liu Che, and soothe the hearts of the Wei and Huo families, watching him coax A'an to sleep, and watching him handle the government affairs that originally fell on him.
Huo Yan was like a mechanism. After he left, he tirelessly took over his part, acting as a powerful minister of the Han Dynasty, a favorite of the emperor, the person in charge of the Wei and Huo families, and the prince's greatest reliance.
It's autumn again, the pear trees are full of sweet pears, and everyone is coming out.
Because A Yan is still around, A Mu is still the ancestor of the Chen family, the prince is still the prince, and Wei Huo is still in power in the court.
Because his uncle was still alive, the emperor could still attack the Huns.
The autumn wind in the sixth year of Yuanshuo was very cold, but everyone came out.
The autumn breeze of the first year of Yuanding carried a sweet fragrance.
There is also a pear tree in the Marquis Guanjun's Mansion. The servants said that it was planted by Huo Yangang when he came to this residence bestowed by the emperor.
Now it is as tall as a canopy.
Huo Qubing leaned on a pear tree branch, waiting for Huo Yan to ask someone to pick pears for making pear soup.
Just make a bowl with only dried dates and that’s it.
But that year, no.
The pears were silently taken away by the servant and dried in the sun, which Huo Guang chewed silently. This calm child, who had always been calm since childhood, gave a piece to his second brother, who used to be the most playful and cheerful. He looked at the young man calmly and said softly, "Brother Zhong, the pears this year are not sweet."
The young man continued to bury himself in government affairs. Seeing that Huo Guang was fine, he rubbed the increasingly serious vertical wrinkles between his eyebrows. Huo Guang tactfully left. Huo Qubing sat in front of Huo Yan. The young man could not see him. However, after Huo Guang left, he put down his pen and stared at the dried pear for a long time without eating it.
Huo Qubing also looked at him for a long time.
A Yan, say something, you see the pear is very sweet, try it!
Ever since Huo Qubing left, the Marquis of Guanjun's mansion has always been quiet.
Except for the slight movement caused by Huo Xian's return, the rest of the time was as quiet as a tomb.
Huo Xianfang was just five years old when he strode through the door, following the same movements as his grandfather, dragging the lazy little Piaoliang along with him. As soon as he saw Huo Yan, he called him "Uncle Zhong" in a sticky manner.
Huo Yan was still sitting in front of the corridor, smiling softly.
This little guy was like a spring breeze. As he walked over, all the men, women, and children in the Huo family smiled.
In a place where no one knew, Huo Qubing also smiled.
The little guy grew up day by day. Just like his grandfather, he liked to ride a horse and have fun in the stable. He would wear the most flashy horse harness and take his young men from Wuling to ride the pony to shoot deer. The golden bells on the saddle would ring with every step, and the child would smile brightly.
Wei Qing often looked at A'an, and as time went by, he could no longer laugh.
A'shan, get rid of diseases.
Huo Yan remained silent, immersed in official duties and did not interact with others. As Wei Qing's health gradually deteriorated, Liu Che handed over more power to Huo Yan.
He holds financial, military and political power, and is a top-notch powerful official. Although he does not have the reputation of being omnipotent, he has the power to do so.
The fame and fortune that the world seeks are like a handful of dirt in his palm, and he can let go of any of them.
However, the young people were in control of everything, but their only purpose was to raise money for the war, recommend talented generals, allocate funds to distribute farm tools to the people, and popularize education.
He seemed to be kind-hearted to the core, and only wanted to be a minister of the emperor serving the people.
He remained silent, as if he had lost his edge. Now he only wanted to obey the emperor and make friends with his ministers.
It was not until the first year of Yuanfeng that the emperor wanted to take the young Marquis of Guanjun to Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony.
Despite the highest honor and favor, Huo Yan frantically tried to stop the emperor, but he refused to listen. The emperor was so confident that even when Huo Yan brought up Huo Xian's poor health, the emperor refused to listen. The emperor was convinced that the Lord of Mount Tai would bless his young champion marquis to not die young.
Huo Yan went crazy for the first time, like a monster whose last precious thing was taken away.
He drew his sword and injured Gongsun Qing, who had strongly recommended Fengshan, and a group of Confucian scholars. Blood splattered on the court hall and formed a pool of water.
The whole court was in an uproar, but after seeing the emperor's expression, they fell silent.
The young man held the sword horizontally, inserting it firmly between the stone slabs of the hall. He knelt before the sword, enunciating each word as if crying blood.
"I am guilty of a capital crime. Your Majesty, please revoke my title and the title of Marquis of Guanjun. I have no children to date. Your Majesty, please be so kind as to adopt Ah Xian to me. I am willing to die a hundred times in vain."
Huo Yan lowered his head, "I am willing to die a hundred times in exchange for this!"
His words infuriated the emperor. Liu Che's face was cold, but his eyes were filled with sorrow. "A'an is the descendant of Qubing. He is the next champion marquis of the Han Dynasty."
The table was overturned to the ground with great force, and the memorial hit Huo Yan's face like snowflakes. Huo Qubing almost subconsciously knelt in front of Huo Yan, but could only let the memorial pass through him and hit Huo Yan, scratching Huo Yan's face and causing blood to flow slowly.
It turns out he is dead.
Huo Qubing looked at Huo Yan and wanted to touch his face, but he passed through again, "Ayan, does it hurt?"
He is already dead.
He could only watch as his younger brother slowly knelt down again, his back bent like a full circle, and he could vaguely see the water stains on the ground.
"I've already lost my brother and my uncle. I only have A-Han." The young man tried his best to control his body, but couldn't help but tremble slightly. "He's all I have left. I don't want him to go fight the Xiongnu. I only wish he would live a long life with many children and grandchildren. Your Majesty, I beg you, I can redeem my life with gold!"
His once carefully styled hair was now disheveled, a few strands draping freely across his tear-stained cheeks. His neck unconsciously stretched, making him look like a helpless, helpless, and wounded crane.
"How much gold can I use to redeem my brother's life?" he asked the emperor, tears streaming down his face. "Uncle, why didn't I redeem my brother back then?"
The emperor shed tears.
Peace was originally created by the general, and peace will appear without the general.
A'shan did not go to Mount Tai. He became Huo Yan's child, and everything seemed to be settled.
The autumn wind blows year after year, the elders gradually pass away, and even Xiao Piaoliang can no longer wake up from her long sleep.
A long time later, my uncle died. Without Huo Yan, the Wei family would have been completely broken up.
The military spirit of the Han Dynasty is gone.
Huo Yan sent the generals he had trained to the battlefield. Although they were not as ferocious as Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, they at least won more battles than they lost.
Everything will be fine.
Until Huo Xian joined the army.
This child was raised by Huo Yan to look too much like Huo Qubing. He was so much like Huo Qubing that he also wanted to go to the battlefield and fight against the Huns despite Huo Yan's obstruction.
Then, he also died in the fight against the Huns.
Huo Yan is crazy.
He finally went crazy.
He touched his reflection in the mirror, muttered to himself, and then smashed the mirror like crazy.
Huo Qubing watched his younger brother's increasingly brutal methods of exterminating local powerful families. Secretly arranging trusted aides to penetrate the powerful families' ranks, gathering irrefutable evidence of their corruption, abuse of power, and robbery, and then, once the evidence was irrefutable, laying out the incriminating evidence before the court, leaving the powerful families speechless. He refused to tolerate this. Like an unchecked vicious dog, he mobilized his private army, surrounded the mansion at night, and rounded up all the key members.
He played with the ministers in the court like playing with livestock. He cleverly exploited the contradictions between various forces, carefully fabricated charges, and imprisoned all the voices opposing him one by one, completely eliminating them.
He transferred Sang Hongyang away from Chang'an and beheaded Jin Midi.
For a time, everyone in the government and the country felt insecure, and no one dared to challenge Huo Yan's authority easily.
Wherever his knife touched, blood flowed like a river.
No one can hold Huo Yan back, not even the prince.
Just like the Crown Prince couldn't control his father who was becoming more and more crazy.
Liu Che and Huo Yan went crazy together.
They both went crazy looking for the gods to appear, one hoping to meet his relatives, and the other hoping to achieve immortality.
No one believed that the murderous Huo Yan was still conscious. They only knew that he had killed another alchemist who had deceived him and the emperor.
Confucian scholars all over the world hated him, scolded him, and spat on him, but they also obeyed him.
No one dared to disobey a madman who was as sharp as a monster.
For a time, the wealthy and powerful families and local gentry dared not show up, the country became richer and richer, and the lives of the people all over the world became better and better.
They had books to read and food to eat. If they wanted to move up in social status, they could go to the Imperial College, submit their business cards, and take exams.
Huo Yan was still going crazy, but his symptoms seemed to be much better, and he no longer attacked people with a knife for no reason.
He just spent more and more time in front of the mirror every day.
He could only see his face full of wrinkles and white hair, and his almond-shaped eyes were now cloudy, so different from the person he remembered.
"No, no, no, no."
The mirror in his hand flew out, fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
Huo Guang, who was kneeling below, hardly dared to move.
He was afraid of death, so he was afraid of his second brother.
He respects power, so he respects his second brother.
Huo Qubing looked at Huo Yan, and Huo Yan looked at Huo Guang's departing back with a dark look in his eyes.
Huo Qubing understood Huo Yan's thoughts almost subconsciously.
"Ayan, you are tired."
Huo Yan suppressed a slight cough, but could not stop the blood in his chest.
He is going to die.
Or when the autumn wind blows.
He could not survive Liu Che. Even if he had killed Jiang Chong, who knew that there would be no Li Chong or Zhang Chong after his death.
Huo Qubing saw Huo Yan holding a knife in another autumn wind. He did the last thing for the prince.
Regicide.
At the moment when he was about to be dragged out by the guards to be tortured to death, Huo Yan threw out his short spear.
He had never hit the target in his life, and neither did he this time. The arrow just pierced the bone between Liu Che's thigh.
"Success depends on heaven. Your Majesty, it is not your fate to die. Your Majesty, is my knife very sharp?"
He laughed heartily, letting himself fall powerlessly onto the cold stone slabs, and slowly closed his eyes.
It seems like it's brother, brother, are you here to blame me?
His tears oozed out in big drops, and his eyes gradually became unfocused.
I'm sorry, I didn't protect them. I couldn't even protect my daughter.
But I am so tired. I vomit blood every day. I have no blood anymore. I have no son anymore. I have no uncle anymore. I have no mother anymore.
I have nothing.
My brother has abandoned me for a long time.
I am a madman. My brother is a hero.
I can no longer go to Maoling, so the tomb of Marquis Tai'an next to my brother will remain vacant.
From now on, I won’t even be qualified to see my brother.
We can't return together.
Huo Qubing wanted to hug him, but he could only let Liu Che have someone carry his body to his side.
The prince arrived soon. The blood in the room made him break out in a cold sweat and he almost fell down in front of the couch.
The old emperor was in tears, his blood almost covered the entire bed, but he was calling out to the assassin beside him, his child.
"Ayan, Ayan, I grant you innocence. Get up, Ayan."
Liu Che was almost roaring. His blood was flowing more and more, and even the witch doctor couldn't cover it up. No one dared to ask His Majesty to amputate to save his life. The ones who really dared were sitting under the bed. They could only let the emperor's eyes become dull.
"Ayan, Ayan, I am so lonely, Ayan."
Get up!
Huo Qubing held his younger brother in his arms, watching his uncle brush away his younger brother's hair bit by bit. The old emperor's cloudy eyes seemed to return to the brightness of his youth. He took Huo Yan's hand in his, panting, and said to the prince, "I have lived too long. He is worried about you, so he wants to die with me."
His eyes were so clear that Liu Ju almost fell to the ground.
Liu Che laughed and shook his head, "You are not worthy of me."
The prince's face was pale.
"Your son..."
He wanted to explain, but Liu Che waved his sleeves and said, "Let him be buried in Maoling with honor."
Liu Ju was as if he had been pardoned. He snatched Huo Yan from Huo Qubing's arms, cried silently, and choked his voice as he called out "Brother". A grandfather of his cried like a child.
His brother died.
The brother who had always helped him, protected him, and solved his problems even if he went crazy, died.
Liu Che's lips were pale. He did not call his stupid son, but just looked at the bed curtain and took his last breath.
Thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, come to comfort my loneliness.
He is so lonely!
Huo Qubing held Huo Yan's hand with one hand and placed the other hand on his hand.
Liu Ju widened his eyes in disbelief, collapsed to the ground for a moment, and tears fell silently.
His father, his uncle, died.
Huo Qubing woke up from a long dream. He held his forehead with his hand and could not remember the content of the dream clearly, but he just felt that it was a bad dream.
He only remembered that A Yan in his dream kept crying and he was very sad.
"Weng Weng, is Ah Yan's pear soup ready? He doesn't like it with honey."
【Author’s words】
Regarding Tetsuko asking Ayan to go to Maoling, this is possible.
The knife that Ayan was talking about is his knife, and it is also him.
I have another more sadistic version, from Ayan's perspective, looking in the mirror.
I just wrote a little bit and I wanted to die and cried so hard.
It is better to be bullied by others than to be bullied by others alone.
The first year after Huo Qubing's death, Huo Yan felt lost. He had been too close to Huo Qubing, and it felt like a vital part of his soul had been ripped out, leaving him with a sense of emptiness. His heart was filled with an endless void and confusion, as if half of his life was missing, and he could never put his whole self back together again.
He is so lonely.
"Brother, please pay attention to me. I'm too bored."
"This bamboo has been cut down, the pear tree has been cut down, and the bed has been broken."
"No, don't touch anything. Don't touch my brother's things."
"Dried pears are terrible. Otherwise, I can't swallow them at all."
In the second year after losing Huo Qubing, Huo Yan always loved to look in the mirror. He spent a fortune to make a mirror, just hoping that the mirror could see his face clearly so that he could see his brother again in his own face.
He was extremely glad that he and his brother were twins, because they looked very similar and he could always remember his brother's face.
In the twelfth year after losing Huo Qubing, Huo Yan smashed all the mirrors.
“No more mirrors in the house.”
Brother, I can’t seem to see you anymore, but A-Xian is still here.
I will definitely protect him.
In the twenty-second year after losing Huo Qubing, Huo Yan hated everything reflective, but he couldn't help looking at it.
"Brother, when you get old, will you look like me?"
During the twenty years when Huo Yan became increasingly crazy, he liked to smash the mirror and smash himself to pieces, wondering if his brother trapped in the mirror would come out.
After you die, every mirror is a nightmare.
At first I loved our similar faces, but later I hated our similarities because you were forever young and I gradually couldn’t see you anymore.
"Brother, you are old too, and look just like me!"
"Or we could be twins!"
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