Peach blossoms remain
Seasons come and go, time flies by, and time always seems to be cruel. It does not stop for anyone, nor is it moved by any emotion. It just flows by day after day, unknowingly scraping the memories of those in it over and over again, leaving behind those that are unforgettable, and taking away those that have nothing to do with themselves.
There are so many royal relatives and noble families in Yongjing City that the common people never lack topics to talk about.
Although the Xiao family case shocked the court and the public at the time, no one mentioned it again over time, as if there had never been such a family in Xiangping, and there had never been a dazzling young man named Xiao Luochen in Kyoto.
Su Musong had been recuperating in isolation in Wanhua Castle for more than a year. When he saw the wild geese flying south in the sky, he suddenly began to miss the snowy scenery of Nanhu Lake. So he chose a clear and crisp autumn day and embarked on a journey back to Nancheng.
Because he was not in a hurry to travel, Su Musong did not follow the usual route through Xizhou. Instead, he chose to go south along the border between Shenghuang and Hanyun, go out to sea at the southern border of Shenghuang, go east around Hanyun and reach Xiangping, and then take the official road north. After all this trouble, the winter solstice had passed when he returned to Yongjing.
Su Musong led the horse through the streets. It seemed that Kyoto had not changed at all. It was still as prosperous, noisy and bustling as before.
Before they knew it, they arrived at Wangjing Tower. Su Musong stared at the gate of Wangjing Tower in a trance. The waiter who greeted guests was surprised and happy to see Su Musong, and hurriedly told the shopkeeper that the eldest son had returned.
The shopkeeper hurried out to greet them. He had been managing Wangjinglou for many years, and Su Musong and Xiao Luochen were frequent customers there. He knew better than anyone else that Su Musong and Xiao Luochen were in a relationship. When he heard that Su Musong had gone to Shenghuang to recuperate, he vaguely guessed that it was because of Xiao Luochen's death.
In the past, Su Musong always came with Xiao Luochen. Now, seeing Su Musong standing alone at the door in a daze, the shopkeeper felt a little sad.
"Sir, you're here! Please come in. What would you like to eat today? I have a new chef named Yuelong, who is an expert at making Zhangcheng cuisine. Would you like to try his cooking?"
The shopkeeper warmly welcomed Su Musong into the store and did not mention anything else, just pretending that Su Musong had never left Yongjing City.
"Okay. Bring me one portion each of the snacks I used to eat."
Although Su Musong just wanted to try the snacks, he did not refuse the shopkeeper's suggestion.
The shopkeeper led Su Musong to the private room on the second floor, deliberately avoiding the one he and Xiao Luochen used to use. Su Musong saw through the shopkeeper's thoughts, but did not expose him. Instead, he took a seat in the private room arranged by the shopkeeper.
The snacks were still the same snacks, but Su Musong felt that they were not as delicious as before. After taking two bites of each, he felt bored. So he did not stay in Wangjing Tower for long and went straight back to the Anguo Mansion.
The people at home only knew that Su Musong was coming back, but they didn't know the exact day.
Su Mufeng and Su Muliu found a good excuse to be lazy, saying that they wanted to wait for their eldest brother to come back. They even didn't go to the master's place at Biyun Temple. They ran to the door several times a day, eagerly hoping that Su Musong would come home early.
Su Musong was riding on a horse and saw from a distance two little men sitting side by side on the steps in front of the gate of the Duke of Anguo's Mansion, stretching their necks and looking around, as if they were waiting for someone.
The view from here is unique. You can clearly see the gate of the Duke's Mansion, but people over there cannot see what is happening here.
Su Musong suddenly felt playful and did not go to the main gate. Instead, he took a detour and chose a side door. The servant guarding the gate was stunned when he saw Su Musong, and then he remembered to take the reins from his hand.
Perhaps amused by the servant's reaction, a smile appeared on Su Musong's face.
"Are the Duke and his wife in the mansion?"
"My Lord, the Emperor is hosting a banquet in the palace today. The Duke and his wife have gone to the palace and are not in the mansion at the moment."
It turned out that both parents were not at home. No wonder Su Mufeng and Su Muliu dared to sit on the steps and wait in such a cold day.
Su Musong ran straight to the gate. The weather was so cold that the two little kids would be frozen to death.
On the steps at the door, Su Mufeng and Su Muliu had been waiting for half a day. Although they were dressed warmly and holding a heater in their hands, their little faces were still red and purple from the cold wind.
"Do you think Big Brother will be back today?"
Su Muliu had just asked Su Mufeng this question, but asked it again a while later.
"Do you want to go back to Lingxi Pavilion?" Su Mufeng looked at Su Muliu, who was patting his face to keep warm, and said, "It's too cold here. You go back first. I'll wait here. When my brother comes back, I'll take him to find you, okay?"
Su Muliu shook his head
"No, I want to wait here with you. If we sit closer, it won't be so cold."
Looking at these two little guys, Su Musong felt a sense of comfort.
"Let me see which little fool is drinking the cold wind at the door?"
Su Musong rushed out from behind the two of them, holding one hand on each side, trying to grab the ears of the two little guys, but he didn't expect that they could dodge him.
Su Mufeng and Su Muliu have been learning martial arts from their master for nearly two years. Although they are still young and lack strength, they have become quite flexible and easily avoided Su Musong's sneak attack.
Seeing that the person who attacked them was actually the big brother they had been waiting for, Su Mufeng and Su Muliu's anger turned into joy instantly. One grabbed Su Musong's back, and the other grabbed his neck, and they both jumped on him, almost crushing Su Musong to the ground before he could even stand firmly.
Su Musong couldn't pull the two pendants apart, so he had no choice but to take the two little guys back.
"Brother, your illness has been cured, right?"
Su Mufeng and Su Muliu never quite understood why their eldest brother had been away from home for so long. Their parents said that their eldest brother had gone to his uncle's house to recuperate, so they thought so.
Su Musong just smiled and didn't answer. Is the illness healed? Maybe it is, maybe it will never be healed.
At first, Su Mufeng and Su Muliu were wondering why Brother Luo Chen didn’t come to play, and why their mother told them not to mention Brother Luo Chen in front of their eldest brother?
Until one day, when Su Muliu and Su Mufeng were arguing and mentioned Xiao Luochen, Su Musong burst into tears without warning and made an unreasonable scene. The two little guys had never seen their eldest brother lose his temper like this, and they remembered the lesson from then on.
Later, Su Musong went to Wanhua Fort to recuperate. Su Mufeng and Su Muliu also learned from their second brother what it meant to execute an entire family and exterminate three clans. They were unable to judge right from wrong, only knowing that the three words "Xiao Luochen" had become a taboo in the family that could not be mentioned.
After returning to Yongjing, there is a place that you must visit, where Xiao Luochen's relatives are buried.
Su Musong held the token to enter and exit Zhongling, but he had never used it. At that time, he was drinking every day to escape reality and had no courage to stand in front of the Xiao family's tomb.
Zhongling was well maintained. Su Musong entered the mausoleum unimpeded with the token. He first paid homage to Marquis Wuning, and then went to the Xiao family's cemetery.
Princess Duanmin happened to be measuring the land. The storm had completely subsided and she was preparing to add a tombstone to the Xiao family's tomb.
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