Come to summer.
At this time, there is no trace of spring, and the last touch of warmth and beauty in late spring has left countless faint spring lights, and no trace of spring can be found anymore, and it disappears without a trace.
From this day on, the weather has gradually become hotter; the scorching summer sun shines on the majestic Shangjing City, the majestic imperial palace gates, and the towering palace gates of the Nine Heavens, like a large red cloud. , the imperial capital of the largest country in the world is hidden under the scorching sun, looming; even the apricot-yellow "Dragon Banner of the Great Zhou Dynasty" standing on the city tower and the stone sculptures of "Ming Feng Chaoyang" at the entrance of the city gate, after the summer The scorching heat was actually covered with a layer of rolling heat waves.
The morning sun in summer is bright, blue, and hot. A sunrise hangs high in the sky, as fierce as fire. The rays of rays spread all over the palace and inside, reflecting a dazzling golden light. It is shining, dazzling, and refreshing.
Nowadays, it is the beginning of hot summer. Although it has not yet reached the hottest end of summer, it is still hotter than in previous years. When you wake up early in the morning, all the layers of heat are accumulated in the Feng Pavilion and Dragon Tower of Shangjing Palace. In the meantime, the wind can't blow away, and the rain can't wash it away.
The sun is getting hotter.
This imperial palace of the Tian Family, which symbolizes the superiority, is completely shrouded in the suffocating heat at this moment; even though in the deepest part of the Imperial Palace of the Zhou Dynasty, there are Jinming Pool, Taiye Pool, and Beihaizi. However, due to the unique topography of the palace, it has never been able to absorb the moisture and coolness from the imperial pond. The summer heat has become more and more intense, without reducing it by half.
The summer wind is silent.
However, outside the Ganlu Hall, there were several tall poplar trees planted. Their thick and fat leaves glowed white under the scorching summer light, reflecting a large mottled tree shadow; those entangled in the trees Above, countless singing cicadas seemed to have been released from their shackles, and they were moaning hoarsely and endlessly.
Cicadas chirp.
That's right, it's the chirping of cicadas.
The cicadas chirped with ease, one after another, lingering among the green shades, seeming to disturb people's tiredness and ridicule their embarrassment.
A splendid light and shadow, through the snow-white window lattice, is projected on the jade-like ground of Ganlu Hall, reflecting an incomparably warm luster.
Compared to the steamy weather outside the palace, the current scene in the Manna Palace is completely different.
Today, the atmosphere in the Ganlu Palace is solemn and silent. Both sides are filled with golden-armored guardsmen holding swords and standing solemnly. They are displayed on the palace corridor and remain motionless. The golden armor on their bodies is shiny and far superior to that of the palace guards. The sharp edge of the golden sword in the sheath.
There are many armored soldiers in the palace, and it is silent. Except for the noisy cicadas outside the palace, there is only a fourth-order dragon-shaped copper leaking clock in the side hall, which makes a "tick" sound and makes a distinctive water sound. All the bells in the emperor's bedroom are The eunuchs and palace maids were trapped in the palace by this annoying heat wave, unable to move. They could only guard two huge ice cubes to ensure that His Majesty and the saint were not attacked by the heat.
At the top of Danqi, the emperor and empress sat high on it.
However, they saw that on the throne, His Majesty, the most noble emperor of the Great Zhou Empire, was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, with a hairband on his head, and holding a bamboo slip in his hand. His face was cloudy and majestic. Sitting in front of the dragon table, he only looked at the memorial table in his hand without even raising his eyelids, showing the calmness and confidence of a generation of emperors who ruled the world; while the queen Dugu Yuanji, dressed in red and Hufu, sat beside the emperor. By the side, he was leaning comfortably on a soft agarwood couch. The fingertips of his left hand, as delicate as mutton-fat jade, gently moved his chin. He held a volume of "Vajra Prajna Sutra" in his right hand. He was concentrating on reciting the words in the book silently. Mysterious and ancient verses and scriptures...
The two emperors and empresses, one holding a watch and the other a Buddhist scripture; one is the Lord of the World and the other is the Holy Mother of the Kingdom, sitting side by side on the throne.
For a time, in the Ganlu Hall, the luan and the phoenix sang in harmony, and the red sleeves were fragrant.
Under the Danqi, he stands proudly in white clothes. His handsome and upright figure is as tall as Yuan Ting Mountain. Standing alone in the center of the hall, he is like the silver dragon flag fluttering in the wind. It is majestic and majestic, as quiet as a mountain, and there is no trace of it. Only after years of fighting and tempering on the battlefield can such a formidable and formidable iron-blooded character be forged. Different from the royal power of an emperor and overlord who looks down from thousands of miles away, this is a kind of awe-inspiring military power that can make heroes from all over the world burst into fear and willingly surrender under this person's blade and battle flag.
The man in the palace, with one hand behind his back, is dressed in white clothes, like the frosty white wings of a seagull, sweeping across the endless sea; his expression is as calm as water, his eyes are bright, his sword eyebrows are flowing, and his two sword-like swords are sharp. In his eyes, there was a calmness, but with a touch of pride that could not be ignored. There was a trace of darkness and coldness in that handsome and flawless face, just like the shadow that had stood in the far north for thousands of years. iceberg……
The strong sunlight outside the palace shines directly into the orderly and solemn emperor's bedroom along the exquisite patterns on the window lattice, illuminating Xiao Changling's stern and angular face. Against the background of the summer sunshine, It increasingly highlights his tenacity and determination as the commander of the Beida Camp, like a sharp blade sheathed, gathering that sharp edge and containing a bone-chilling chill.
At this moment, the open Manna Hall was as bright as the hot summer day. The golden-armored forest guards standing in the dark in the corridor all focused their eyes on this man who was less than twenty years old, but at almost the same moment. On the face of the young prince who looks like a jade tree facing the wind.
Xiao Changling stood with his hands behind his back.
The moment he looked back slightly, the cold and murderous gaze of the commander in white had already coldly glanced at the faces of the imperial guards. Although it was the scorching summer, the heat was extremely hot; however, when Xiao Changling's cold gaze was swept away, even the Royal Guards, known as the "Emperor's Guard", couldn't help but shudder. When his gaze touched At that moment, they lowered their heads subconsciously, not daring to look into King Rencheng's clear eyes. Their hands and feet were a little stiff and unruly, as if they were frozen.
After a while, Xiao Changling slowly raised his head, his deep pupils embodying the young man's unique vitality. He looked at the Kowloon Alchemy in front of him, which symbolized the highest imperial power, and at the middle-aged couple sitting on the Alchemy. Husband and wife; suddenly, a bright yellow figure came into the eyes of the young man in white. Xiao Changling could see clearly that it was a dragon robe with a dark background and gold and yellow, and the patterns embroidered on it were A huge golden dragon leaping through the sky, with long beards and sharp claws, and menacing eyes that cannot be looked directly at.
Under the bright yellow dragon robe was the thin body of the middle-aged king; in Xiao Changling's impression, his father had always been unsmiling. Ever since he was a child, he seemed to have never seen his father smile, no matter when facing big people. When the Zhou subjects faced their children, their father always showed unshakable majesty as the king of a country. It was more boring than majestic.
However, when Xiao Changling stared intently, he was surprised to find that in just a few years, his father had become much older. Xiao Changling stood in the corridor of the palace, quietly looking at his father's slightly murderous face. On his face, he could clearly see that the wrinkles at the corners of his father's eyes were obviously a little more numerous, and there were a few thin wisps of silver on his temples... After all, the scars of the years were still on this generation of heroes. There was a mark of ruthlessness on his face.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Changling turned to look at his mother who was standing aside, his eyes full of expectation; for Xiao Changling, his father was a strict father, and his mother was a gentle and loving mother. He sees it this way, and even the eunuchs and maids in the palace also think so. Compared to His Majesty's coldness, Her Majesty's every smile and every move is like a clear spring, refreshing the heart and nourishing everyone's heart, silently Protecting her husband and children; as everyone knows, Queen Dugu was once a wild and passionate Xianbei girl.
Perhaps it was her mother's nature, or perhaps she sensed Erlang's earnest gaze. Dugu Yuanji rolled up the Buddhist scriptures, slightly raised her graceful face, and looked around at the child she loved most in front of her, with a warm smile on her lips. Smiling, and then quietly winking at him.
After receiving his mother's signal, Xiao Changling understood it. His whole face relaxed, and his two sword eyebrows were raised slightly, just like the clouds hidden deep in the gloom. In an instant, the clouds parted and the sun appeared, revealing a large bright dawn; he brushed off the white wristband. He took a half step forward, took a deep breath, and was about to speak.
"have you eaten?"
Before Xiao Changling could speak, he heard a deep and deep voice of a middle-aged man coming from the throne. The speaker was none other than His Majesty the Emperor sitting on the dragon throne, and he was ready to say, "It's the prince in white." His father, the bedside husband of Queen Dugu.
When he heard this, Xiao Changling was slightly startled and confused. He didn't understand the profound meaning of his father's words. Regardless of whether he was in the military camp or on the battlefield, he was an invincible general and a leader among tens of thousands of people. A respected hero, but here, there are no generals or commanders. When facing his own emperor, I am just a son.
"Father, what did you say?"
After that, Xiao Changling said nothing and stood quietly on the spot, his face as gloomy as water; however, out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but glance up. He wanted to see his father's face. expression.
"I asked you if you had eaten."
Emperor Xuan put down the watch in his hand, picked up a bowl of warm bird's nest on the imperial desk, and took a sip by himself. Through the transmitted summer light, Xiao Changling faintly noticed that his father's silver hair on the temples was faintly visible. , flashing with a faint white light, and the wrinkles at the corners of the eyes were not so obvious. At this time, they were smoothed by the sunlight.
After a long while, Xiao Changling concentrated his mind slightly. An elusive light flashed across his eyes. He looked directly into his father's black and gold eyes and spoke slowly and calmly.
"Father, son and minister..."
Unexpectedly, before Xiao Changling finished speaking, Xiao Longxian, who was sitting on the throne, waved his hand casually, interrupting what his son was about to say, as if he didn't care about these false gifts at all.
"Okay, this isn't in the court, it's just the three of us in the family, in front of your father, who are we showing off to?"
Emperor Xuan's tone contained a hint of the smile of an old man teasing his son, but Ci Feng was still as stern as ever. The wise king Xiongcai could see through at a glance the carefreeness and stubbornness hidden under the humble appearance of his second son; no matter how sarcastic and mocking his words were, you could still smell the strong flavor of doting.
However, Xiao Changling's reaction seemed extremely normal; he nodded and frowned, his piercing eyes never leaving his father's face, and he responded in as low a voice as possible.
"Yes, father..., my father taught me that the child got up early in the morning and hasn't eaten yet."
At this time, the emperor placed the half-drunk bird's nest on the table, raised his head and stared at Xiao Changling standing in the palace, sizing up this man whom he favored and loved the most, who was a combination of literature, military skills, intelligence and magnanimity. Erlang, looking at that face as beautiful as a crown jewel, the emperor's heart, which had been cold for a long time, slowly moved, with mixed feelings for a while; but soon, the emperor nodded and said solemnly.
"Well, okay, let's eat first. If anything happens, we'll talk about it after dinner."
Immediately, Xiao Longxian tilted his head slightly and looked at Dugu Yuanji beside him; at this moment, the man in a bright yellow dragon robe seemed to be no longer the aloof emperor, but just an ordinary husband and father, his eyes full of He is full of love for his wife who has been with him for decades, and is full of affection for his son.
"Yuanji, please ask the imperial kitchen to cook some of Erlang's favorite dishes. Remember, it must include the loofah porridge you cooked. I have been thinking about it for a long time."
Dugu Yuanji smiled and said,
"I know, you have liked this food since you were young, and if I satisfy your taste today, we can both take advantage of it."
Just before Dugu Yuanji was about to stand up, she glanced at Xiao Changling first, then gently held the emperor's hand, like an old couple, and told His Majesty the emperor beside her, saying.
"Talk to Erlang."
"I know." Xiao Long first patted the back of his wife's hand and responded softly.
"Thank you for your trouble, mother." Xiao Changling also said in a deep voice.
After Dugu Yuanji left, in the huge Manna Palace, apart from the "tick-tick" sound of copper water leaking, there was only the world-famous royal father and son, one on top and one on the bottom, facing each other so quietly. Watching, time seems to have returned to its previous silence, as if everything had never happened.
…
A stick of incense.
Two sticks of incense.
The faint morning light in summer looks lifeless. The scorching heat wave and the silent summer wind sweep away the warm warmth of March. The city of Shangjing shrouded in midsummer is like a steamer that has just been opened, and the scalding heat radiates from the surface. , actually made this majestic Zhou Imperial Palace look a little listless, just like the dead air, losing the vitality that the Tian family should have.
Not long after, a golden sun finally broke free from the shackles of clouds, penetrated the barrier of blue sky and white clouds, and cast countless blazing shadows; the fiery sunlight illuminated the huge imperial city clearly, and also happened to illuminate it. That nectar palace is integrated into it.
The layout of the Ganlu Hall is divided into the front hall and the side hall. The space is large or small; the front hall is where the emperor reviews memorials, and the side hall is the inner palace where the emperor sleeps and lives. A wooden door with red lacquer and gold , isolates the front hall and the side hall, forming two different worlds.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the Ganlu Palace was extremely cold and solemn. All the serving eunuchs and maids had been escorted out. Now, in the empty dormitory, only the pair of Xiao family father and son who were unique in the world were left: a pair of bright yellow single clothes. Emperor Xiao Longxian of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and Xiao Changling, the king of Rencheng, dressed in white.
The emperor put his hands behind his back, and a bright yellow figure stood in front of a curtain wall of the Manlu Palace. The cold eyes of a hero stared coldly at the map hanging on the wall. This was an extremely wide map. , a map that occupies almost half of the wall, is also the most detailed and meticulously crafted map of Kyushu, covering the mountains and rivers of the world. It not only covers the vast territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but also includes the territories of Southern Chu and Xi Yan, and even the north. Rouran in the southwest, Tubo in the southwest, and Qiang and Hu in the northwest. Both national boundaries and territories are clearly divided.
Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, all over the world, like a magnificent picture scroll, has slowly unfolded and appeared in front of the most powerful king in the world; a frightening chill and indifference came from this middle-aged man in bright yellow single clothes. It burst out suddenly, as if to weld the huge map on the wall deep into the ice and snow.
This is the will of a generation of emperors and the majesty of one emperor through the ages.
Behind the emperor Minghuang Gaojue, stood a proud figure; but he saw Xiao Changling, dressed in white clothes, standing upright beside his father, not moving at all. The summer light spread all over the white clothes, reflecting his original appearance The heroic and upright figure shows even more heroic spirit. The two sword eyebrows on his forehead are still so elegant, and the perseverance in his eyes is like the blades of two long swords, piercing directly towards the dome of the desert grassland and towards the city gate of the border town. No one can Unable to withstand the momentum coming from the commander on the battlefield.
The difference is that Xiao Changling's posture looks quite strange; he is dressed in white, with his hands on his hips, and the fingertips of his ten fingers are tightly clasped on the jade belt tied around his waist, stroking the smooth jade belt. The pattern of his body followed his father's gaze and stared at the Kyushu territory in front of him.
At this moment, Xiao Changling's cold eyes slowly swept across the vast territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty, sweeping across the majestic outline of Kyushu. For a moment, all kinds of feelings came to him from the bottom of his heart. This man who had been in The young commander who was killing everyone on the northern border, his vision gradually blurred... Once upon a time, he rode alone with a sword, whipped his horse, and traveled three thousand miles to his country and his hometown, just to one day crush this country with his sharp blade and iron hooves. The decay of the world creates an eternal wish for peace!
The snowy scenery in the vast north reflected in the eyes of the general in white. Xiao Changling's expression was cold and solemn, and he looked deeply at the mountains and rivers inside and outside; this is where, for Xiao Changling, he was born and raised. This place is also the altar where he used his sword and iron cavalry to lay the foundation for the Great Zhou Dynasty. He left not only blood and tears in this land, but also countless glory and endless splendor.
Both father and son were speechless.
At this moment, His Majesty the Emperor, who had been silent all this time, finally slowly turned around, looked at the son whose brows were somewhat similar to his own with a different look, and spoke very naturally.
"Erlang."
Xiao Changling raised his face slightly and looked directly at the unfathomable emperor in front of him. His eyes were extremely firm and his tone was as calm as water.
"Father."
"What do you think of this country?" Xiao Long looked at him quietly first, his resolute eyes narrowed slightly unnoticeably, but his words still seemed indifferent, no different from usual.
"Weiran."
"Magnificent."
As the words "majestic" and "magnificent" came out of his mouth, Xiao Changling did not hesitate. His deep vision passed by the two thick black mustaches under his father's nose, and he looked towards the vast expanse of land in the extreme north of the territory. Looking at the grassland, the dark and clear pupils seem to contain a bottomless sea water with no end.
Emperor Xuan was obviously very satisfied with his son's answer. He was silent for a moment, carefully reflecting on Xiao Changling's short, concise, yet powerful words. Suddenly, the middle-aged emperor, who had always been taciturn, unexpectedly made an unprecedented move. Laughing loudly, the sudden laughter echoed over the vast hall of Ganlu Hall.
After the laughter ended, Xiao Longxian's face reappeared with the confidence of a generation of overlords.
"Majestic?! Magnificent?! Okay, that's well said! In troubled times, the princes only know how to separate themselves. If I were ten years younger and you and my son joined forces, why worry about not being able to unify these great rivers and mountains!"
At this moment, a cold smile appeared on Xiao Longxian's lips; then, this majestic king spread out his bright yellow dragon robe and pointed calmly and domineeringly at the vast territory, as if the world All in the palm of his hand.
"Ten years, just ten years, if God favors me, I will surely conquer the Central Plains with gold and iron, wipe out the barbarians from all directions, cleanse this chaotic world, and make this world no longer divided into Zhou people, Chu people, and Yan people. "I will devote my whole life to making this world free from the pain of flesh and blood being torn apart, the pain of wives and children being separated, and the pain of political ruin and people dying."
The emperor slowly closed his eyes.
He felt it quietly, only to feel the monstrous waves crashing on the rocks on the edge of the island, arousing the roar of wind and thunder, turning into hundreds of thousands of cavalry soldiers, sweeping past the sun, moon, mountains and rivers.
Until now, the expression on Xiao Changling's face remained calm and determined.
"Father, in my opinion, within ten years, the world will be unified."
"Oh, you are so confident." The emperor looked at Xiao Changling curiously.
Finally, Xiao Changling's slightly unruly behavior gradually changed a little. The pair of unusually tough and stable hands covering the jade belt hung naturally at his side, and gradually clenched into fists; the young commander's eyes were calm. , that handsome face suddenly had a solemn expression, as if it was covered with a layer of pure frost.
"Father, there are twenty states in the world. Our Great Zhou occupies twelve states, Southern Chu occupies five states, and Xi Yan only occupies three states. Our Great Zhou has a population of 7 million, Southern Chu 1 million, and Xi Yan only 600,000. If In terms of strength, the Great Zhou Dynasty is the top of the Three Kingdoms, and Chu and Yan have no chance of victory. What's more, our Great Zhou Dynasty has millions of powerful soldiers, a vast territory, and the whole country and the people are all soldiers. One can fight against a hundred, and they are naturally strong; in the past, Emperor Taizu was attacking Chu. When he was about to die, he still used himself as a bait to protect the people of the six counties from entering our surroundings. The art of war said, "A hundred people were killed, and they were trapped in chaos; a thousand people were killed, and the enemy was captured and killed." Thousands of people were killed, and we were rampaging across the world. 'I, the King of the Great Zhou Dynasty, can command millions of soldiers at my disposal, how can I be invincible? Therefore, I dare to say that within ten years, I, the Great Zhou Dynasty, will be able to sweep across the Central Plains and unify it. The world!"
Speaking of this, Xiao Changling's face became more and more excited like never before, and his eyes seemed to be burning with a raging fire; it was a long-lost feeling, and it only came to him when he heard the angry horses at the border neighing. The fierceness aroused was the restlessness caused by seeing the billowing beacons in the north. Or, in other words, it came from the soldier's character deep in Xiao Changling's heart and his inertia as a commander.
I saw the emperor, who was all bright and yellow, smiling slightly, then turned around, patted Xiao Changling's shoulder gently, and said slowly.
"Okay, Erlang, it seems that your boy has not been practicing on the battlefield in vain these past few years. If the Great Zhou Dynasty wants to dominate the world, it needs handsome men like my son. In my opinion, maybe you will be my great general in the future. Zhou’s mainstay is the mainstay of our Xiao family.”
After praising him, Xiao Changling stood upright, raised his hand to support the hair crown, then strode forward with a steady and powerful gait, walked straight to his father, knelt down straight with an upright expression, and crossed his wrists. With a wave of his hand, he said loudly.
"To help my father defeat the heroes and unify the world, my son, I have died nine times and still have no regrets!"
Xiao Long first helped up his son, who was dressed in white, with a happy smile on his face.
The father and son looked at each other.
"By the way, there is one more thing that I want to inform you in advance."
"What's the matter?"
After finishing speaking, Xiao Changling raised his eyes slightly, swept away the sternness and coldness on his face, stared at his father's upright and calm face, and remained silent.
The atmosphere in the bedroom once again fell into endless dullness.
