48 Father
"Shall I take you back to Fuliang Mountain?"
At this moment, the two thousand Black Flag Iron Cavalrymen were full of momentum, waiting only for the order to charge through the pass.
Feng Sanhe felt a chill run down his spine; the presence of thousands of people guarding him made him tremble with fear.
If he had known this would happen, he should have sent the central army into the city much earlier, instead of being suppressed and beaten.
At Xu Youcai's command, three hundred iron cavalrymen charged out like lightning.
Caught in the middle, Shen Suqin was swept along through Yongsheng Gate and sped toward the palace in the blink of an eye.
Zhao Chengchun led the remaining men to hold off Feng Sanhe and prevent him from reinforcing Mingde Hall.
The palace path was long and secluded, and the horses' hooves made a dull sound as they trod on the snow.
The Black Flag Heavy Cavalry, like a sharp sword, cleaved through the imperial city and charged straight towards the Mingde Hall.
Soon, they stopped outside the Mingde Hall.
"Break down the door," Xu Youcai ordered.
Meanwhile, inside the gate, blood had already flowed like a river.
Xiao Pingchuan, carrying a long, blunt-bladed sword, shielded Shi Ye in a corner behind him, while a dozen or so trembling soldiers stood in front of him.
Marquis Anping's eyes were bloodshot as he sat down in a pool of blood not far away, with his son Wei Xun's head lying beside him, his eyes wide open in death.
The snow is still falling.
The pure white snowflakes melted into the blood on the ground as soon as they landed, leaving only a thin layer on the already frozen corpses, outlining their contours with exceptional clarity.
Xiao Pingchuan was already exhausted, and Shi Ye was also dizzy from excessive blood loss.
The courtyard gate was banging loudly.
Xiao Pingchuan wondered if he was hallucinating. He glanced in that direction for a moment, then looked away, and casually finished off one of the men with his knife.
Finally, the door was kicked open.
Xu Youcai rushed in first, but stopped abruptly as he crossed the threshold.
Shen Suqin followed behind him, and when she looked up, she was also stunned for a moment.
Countless corpses were piled up in the front courtyard of Mingde Hall, one layer on top of another, resembling a living hell.
Xiao Pingchuan, sword in hand, was surrounded by dozens of people in a corner, his body covered in blood, his fierce aura soaring to the sky.
Not far from his feet was the trembling Marquis of Anping.
Seeing the gate wide open, Marquis Anping was overjoyed. A smile appeared on his face, which was contorted with blood and cold sweat, and he shrieked, "You, you can't kill me, in front of so many people..."
Xiao Pingchuan followed his gaze to the courtyard gate, his eyes unwavering, and in the blink of an eye, he killed another person.
Shen Suqin bypassed the stunned Xu Youcai, stepped through the blood that was up to her ankles, and walked steadily toward Xiao Pingchuan.
As she passed the few people still standing, she turned the curved blade in her fingertips and swept it across their necks, killing them all.
Then, he walked up to Xiao Pingchuan, raised his hand to wipe away the bloodstains splattered on his eyelids, and said softly, "It's over."
Xiao Pingchuan shook his head, walked past her, and headed towards Marquis Anping.
At this moment, Marquis Anping was nearly driven mad with fear. He knelt on the ground, desperately kowtowing and begging for mercy, "Spare me, please spare me, I'll never dare to do it again..."
Xiao Pingchuan did not hesitate at all. He raised his dulled blade and slashed it across the man's neck, almost severing his head completely.
Amidst the splatter of blood, he coldly said, "Too late."
Xu Youcai then came to his senses, silently walked into the courtyard, directed his men to clean up the bodies, and went to check on Shi Ye's condition.
Shen Suqin walked to Xiao Pingchuan's side, lowered her eyes, took his right hand, and slowly untied the wristband wrapped around it, which was covered in blood and flesh, and threw away the knife with the blunt blade.
With a clatter, the knife fell to the ground, and Xiao Pingchuan seemed to be awakened and recognized the person in front of him.
He looked down at her closely, from her eyebrows to the corners of her lips, as if he were seeing such a vibrant person for the first time.
At this moment, Xiao Pingchuan realized that he liked her, so much so that just seeing her gave him boundless courage.
He wanted to kiss her, desperately wanted to, but he didn't dare. So he pressed his bloodied thumb against her soft lips, rubbing it against them, feeling her warm breath.
Shen Suqin tasted the blood; it was a little sweet and a little fishy. Her fingers pressed hard on her lips, and she felt a little pain. She looked up at him, and a slight pain spread from the corner of her lips into her heart.
So she stood on tiptoe and pulled him tightly into her arms.
Xiao Pingchuan released half of his strength and buried his head in the side of her neck. After a while, he raised his hand again, put his arm around her back, and pulled hard, as if he wanted to meld her into his body.
He was tired.
They've become numb from killing.
Numbed by the wind and snow of the North.
Numbed by the weight of a mountain of 100,000 people.
But that was the North, his home; those Black Flag soldiers were his brothers.
They were both the monuments that gave him his footing and the shackles from which he could not escape. Day after day, he carried them forward, with no one behind him and no one in front of him.
He held her in his arms, feeling her strong response. They were like wrestling, devoid of any tenderness, like two small animals frozen by the wind and snow, desperately struggling to draw warmth from each other.
Shen Suqin sensed his utter exhaustion.
It was her fault. She had always looked down on Daliang from a high place, applying her superficial understanding of the rise and fall of history to this world.
Little did they know that powerful families, authority, human lives, and national destiny all have their own set of rules for operation.
The consequence of her forceful breaking of the agreement was the tragic death of Jiang Yao, the loss of power by the Crown Prince, and Xiao Pingchuan's desperate struggle.
"You've worked hard, my general."
"Hmm." Xiao Pingchuan said, almost with a sigh, "I knew you would come, because you pity me."
He thought, "So what if I feel sorry for you? It's better than not caring at all."
“No, I have never pitied you,” Shen Suqin finally said. “You are a great general who stands tall and upright.”
She felt she should continue speaking, but after thinking for a long time, she still didn't know what to say, so she gave up.
Xiao Pingchuan gave a soft "hmm," but it was unclear whether he had taken it to heart.
This matter is settled.
Xiao Pingchuan casually wrapped up his wounds, walked up to Shi Ye, and said, "Your Highness, please give me a list of the people you want to get rid of, and I will give Your Highness a great gift in return."
Shi Ye, wrapped in a blanket, squatted under the eaves, staring blankly at the corpses scattered on the ground.
He didn't react quickly when Xiao Pingchuan spoke to him.
"Forget it, I don't want to see any more blood," he said.
Xiao Pingchuan remained silent for a long time before saying, "Alright."
————
The residence of the General of the Cavalry.
Jiang Yao's body lay in state in the main hall.
When Xiao Pingchuan first learned that Jiang Yao had been implicated and died, he was stunned for a long time.
He actually caused the death of Shen Suqin's mother.
This made him dare to talk about the future. He wished he could rush out and make Shi Yunzhu pay with her life.
But Shen Suqin said she wanted to do it herself.
Right now, she is kneeling in the hall keeping vigil.
Xiao Pingchuan knelt beside him.
Night fell, the snow stopped, and the world was completely silent; even the wind had ceased to blow.
The woman in front of me was dressed in plain white mourning clothes, her face bare, her figure thin and frail. Even a slight gust of wind at the doorway might blow her away.
Xiao Pingchuan took off his outer garment and draped it over her, saying, "Your health is the most important thing."
Shen Suqin nodded.
It must be said that they suffered a crushing defeat in this battle.
The powerful families remained unshaken, but they ended up losing Jiang Yao's life.
What's even more embarrassing is that this matter is far from over.
Breaking into the palace, murder, inciting refugees... each of these is a serious crime.
Those whom the Crown Prince had initially gathered all retreated upon seeing this.
They knew very well that if it weren't for the two thousand Black Flag Iron Cavalry standing outside the General's Mansion, they would be in prison right now, instead of sitting comfortably in the General's Mansion.
"There's news that Pei Lian entered the palace overnight," Shi Ye said as he walked in.
Shen Suqin held the paper money in her hand closer to the flames, and the fire swept up, almost burning her hand. Fortunately, Xiao Pingchuan snatched the paper money from her hand in time.
Xiao Pingchuan: "Hmm."
"After this incident, his desire to kill me has only intensified."
Xiao Pingchuan glanced at Shen Suqin, then looked at the mourning hall, then stood up, supporting himself on his knees, and said, "Let's go outside and talk."
He still has injuries, and although he has applied medicine, they won't heal anytime soon.
Shi Ye nodded, stepped forward to offer Jiang Yao an incense stick, and comforted Shen Suqin, saying, "Please accept my condolences, and take care of yourself."
Shen Suqin remained silent.
Since arriving in the capital, Shen Suqin has rarely had time to be alone with Jiang Yao. She knows that Jiang Yao has a lot to say to her, but she is always busy with this and that, thinking that there is still plenty of time and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.
Perhaps because he could never catch her, Jiang Yao always liked to take a stroll in her room before going to bed.
Sometimes it's bringing her a bowl of sweet soup, sometimes it's helping her change a bouquet of flowers.
In late autumn, the chrysanthemums in the yard bloomed especially beautifully. There was always a constant supply of fresh chrysanthemums in the vase in her room.
That's when she noticed it and made up her mind to return something as well.
I thought about it for many days but couldn't figure it out, and then I forgot about it.
If she had known this would happen, she should have stuck to her all the time and taken her everywhere.
"Mother, do you miss me very much?"
She knelt in the mourning hall all night, while Xiao Pingchuan stayed with her in the courtyard all night.
When he heard her call out "Mother," Xiao Pingchuan looked up at the night sky and thought that if his mother were here, she could continue to love her in place of Madam Shen.
Unfortunately, he also lost his mother.
As dawn broke, Xu Youcai came to report that people from the Shen family had arrived.
"Who?" Xiao Pingchuan asked.
"It is Lord Shen."
"Okay, bring him in." Xiao Pingchuan turned and left the courtyard.
Shen Jinghe arrived with injuries, which he sustained yesterday when he stopped Shi Yunzhu from taking Jiang Yao away.
This morning, the general's mansion sent people to the mansion to ask for him, and only then did he come out.
He changed into presentable clothes and brought Jiang Yao's favorite sweet cakes to pick her up.
To my surprise, the first thing I saw when I went inside wasn't a living person, but a memorial tablet.
Shen Suqin heard someone come in. It was Shen Jinghe. She could tell that his footsteps were different from others.
The footsteps stopped in front of the foyer, then became lighter and more disordered, finally stopping beside her.
"Zhaozhao," a large hand stroked her head, "Are you cold?"
Shen Suqin suddenly broke down and cried.
Shen Jinghe didn't cry. He even smiled and said, "Look, our little girl looks so beautiful even when she cries."
“You were taken away shortly after you were born. You were such a good baby, you never cried, so she never saw you cry. After you left us, she would often talk about you, wondering if you looked ugly when you cried. She also said she often dreamed of you crying. Whenever she missed you, she would make little clothes and dresses for you, and send them back with some money. It's a pity you didn't receive them, even though they were all very pretty.”
“Zhaozhao,” Shen Jinghe squatted down, “we are sorry for you. You were born without parents to take care of you. We finally came back, but we left again after a short time.”
"How will you manage on your own from now on?"
Shen Suqin stopped crying for a moment, then burst into tears again, "Are you leaving too? You don't want me anymore."
Shen Jinghe stroked her head and whispered, "I didn't abandon you. We will always be watching over you."
"That's different."
Shen Jinghe didn't reply to her, but said, "Could you go and fetch the general? I want to say a few words to him."
Shen Suqin remained unmoved.
"I won't leave until you come back, I swear."
Shen Suqin then got up.
She had been kneeling for too long, and her legs were numb, making it difficult for her to move step by step.
Fortunately, Xiao Pingchuan was there the whole time. When he saw her come out, he quickly went up to her and helped her up. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Shen Suqin looked up. "My father wants to see you."
"Um."
Xiao Pingchuan helped her back to the mourning hall.
Shen Jinghe was burning paper money when he saw him come in and said, "Zhaozhao, don't kneel anymore. You kneel for her for a while."
Xiao Pingchuan nodded, helped Chen Suqin sit down, and then knelt down himself.
“Her mother has lived a very frugal life with me all her life. I’m giving her some paper money so she can have a little more money.” After saying that, he added all the paper money in his hand to the fire, and then took out a few silver notes, a few taels of silver and copper coins from his pocket, and handed them to Xiao Pingchuan. “This money is all our savings, which we originally intended to give to Zhaozhao. I’m giving it all to you. You must treat her well and not let her suffer. If one day she doesn’t want to live with you anymore, you must return this money to her so she can have something to rely on.”
"If she still wants to be with you, please take good care of her for us. Don't bully her; she's not strong, so don't hit her. She's suffered a lot since she was little without parental protection, so please be kind to her. Our Zhaozhao is a good person..."
Shen Jinghe thought for a moment, but couldn't think of anything else to say, so he looked up and asked Jiang Yao, "Is there anything you want to say?"
After asking, he paused, then said, "Oh, that's all, that's all." Shen Jinghe glanced at Shen Suqin and Xiao Pingchuan one last time and said, "You two can go out now."
Xiao Pingchuan wanted to say something.
Shen Jinghe shook his head, signaling him not to speak.
Xiao Pingchuan insisted, "No matter what happens between us in the future, I will protect her, even with my life."
He did indeed do it later. When Shen Suqin was assassinated, 70,000 Black Flag Army soldiers made a thousand-mile raid and searched Ningyuan City overnight. But that's another story.
Shen Suqin stood up, walked to Shen Jinghe's side, curled up into a small ball, and said softly, "Shall I take you back to Fuliang Mountain?"
Shen Jinghe was stunned, then asked with some surprise, "Is that alright?"
Shen Suqin nodded.
Shen Jinghe was very excited, "Great, great, I've dreamed of going back all my life."
"Um."
Then, Shen Suqin got up, took Xiao Pingchuan's hand, and slowly walked out.
Behind them, Shen Jinghe stood up and stared intently at them.
When she reached the door, Shen Suqin suddenly stopped. She turned around, looked at Shen Jinghe, and said to him, "Father, please tell Mother that I really like the wedding dress she embroidered, and I also really like the flowers she planted. I like you and her very much."
Shen Jinghe's eyes reddened: "Good, good child."
After saying that, he added, "Zhaozhao, what you did was right. Don't blame yourself. Your mother won't blame you, and neither will I."
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