Gu Yunqiu was hugged by mistake.
In fact, Princess Ning was not the only one who gave birth to a child in Baoguo Temple on August 15th of the second year of Chenghe.
The monks went out of the temple in the rain to invite the midwife back. When they returned to the temple gate, they unexpectedly met a civilian woman covered in blood, unconscious and about to give birth.
It was a night of lightning and thunder, strong wind and rain. The commoner woman and the princess gave birth to their children one after another. The midwife was extremely busy with her work. In addition, the commoner woman had difficulty in giving birth and the war was chaotic. She was wrapped in the wrong swaddling clothes:
Two children were betrayed, and the son of a commoner woman became a noble prince, while the real prince became an orphan by accident.
The woman was injured and had a haemorrhage after giving birth. She passed away in a hurry without leaving a single word. The monks only found a Yue Qin and a washed white handkerchief in her luggage.
There were no flowers or birds embroidered on the veil, which was not like something for women. Master Yuankong took it under a lamp and took a closer look, only to find the word "李" embroidered with colorful threads in the inner corner.
Originally, the orphan without a father and mother should have been sent to the Salesian Bureau in the capital, but Master Yuankong saw that the child was pitiful and that he was blessed to be born on the same day as Prince Ning, so he kept him in the temple.
According to the surname Li on the handkerchief, Master Yuankong gave him the common name Congzhou, which means "you can travel freely in Congzhou, no matter where you are not carefree".
Later, according to the seniority of the monks in the temple who were perfect, pure, wise and enlightened, he was given the corresponding dharma title Mingji, and he was counted under the disciple of Master Yuankong.
Although Master Yuankong was an eminent monk, he cared deeply for all the young novice monks in the temple. He especially felt sorry for the child who lost his mother when he was young, so he took him with him to educate him personally.
Li Congzhou also strives for success and never disappoints Master Yuankong.
Even though he grew up in a Buddhist temple, he has always been diligent and hardworking:
In the morning, he would fetch water and chop firewood, read and practice calligraphy. In the afternoon, he would ride a horse, practice swordplay, and step on plum blossom piles. After nightfall, he would light up the lamp to help Master Yuankong interpret and translate scriptures. He could read the Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures at a young age.
When he was eight years old, he could already write good calligraphy with silver hooks and iron calligraphy.
When he was twelve years old, on the night of the Lantern Festival, His Majesty wrote a painting question in the Xuanwu Tower to test all the candidates. In the end, the winner was the monk Mingji who was inscribed as "A Monk of Baoguo Temple".
Later, when an eminent monk from overseas visited him, he crossed his legs and discussed Taoism with him. The eminent monk praised him and said that he would become a great master in the future.
Later, during an autumn hunt, Li Congzhou stood in a monk's robe under the eaves, closed his eyes and fired his bow, hitting ten targets in a row, each target hitting the red heart, using this skill to dominate the crowd and take the lead.
Master Yuankong is proud of him, and the monks of Baoguo Temple also love this little junior brother very much. No matter where they go to participate in Dharma gatherings, they will think of him - they brought him food and toys when he was a child, and brought him a solitary scripture when he grew up.
Although Li Congzhou did not know his life experience, he respected Master Yuankong as his father and all the monks as his brothers, and truly regarded Baoguo Temple as his home.
Unfortunately, a fire broke out in the 15th year of Chenghe, and hundreds of monks, including Master Yuankong, were burned to death in the temple without any explanation.
Li Congzhou happened to be sent to the Jiuhua Mountain Dharma Assembly at that time, but he was lucky enough to escape.
When he came back, the government was already collecting the remains. When asked, they only said that it was rogue bandits who were responsible.
The people in Beijing were talking a lot——
Some people questioned how no one could come to the rescue once a flood broke out in the Guoguo Temple. It must be that Wanghuo Tower was negligent in its duty. However, some people brought up a previous suspicious case and said that Baoguo Temple colluded with corrupt officials first, which led to this retribution...
In short, that was the last time people in the capital saw Monk Mingji.
He buried his mentor and all his brothers, and stayed in front of the smoky ruins of Baoguo Temple for seven days and seven nights, and then left the capital and headed north.
He grew up his hair and returned to secular life, then traveled to the northwest and joined the military camp.
Further on——
Everyone is spreading the rumor that there is a bloodthirsty war god in the northwest army. He will fight every battle and be invincible. With only a small team of 500 people, he miraculously defeated the Xirong army of tens of thousands.
…
At the banquet, the midwife didn't realize what she had said, but she still happily held Gu Yunqiu's hand, and even said without any discernment: "The prince is born well, like a princess."
Gu Yunqiu felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles, with cold sweat breaking out on his back.
It wasn't until Princess Ning staggered and fainted, causing the entire banquet to become chaotic, that the old lady realized something was wrong.
The guests who knew or were not aware were sent away one by one, and Gu Yunqiu was also surrounded by the silver-armored guards, who politely sent him back to the Ningxin Hall in the backyard.
At the same time, a fast horse left the capital and headed to the northwest with an autographed letter from Prince Ning.
When they arrived in the northwest, Li Congzhou happened to have crossed the Gobi and was sending troops to the royal court of Xirong——
The military situation is overwhelming, no matter how helpless, Prince Ning's Mansion can only wait.
Gu Yunqiu was placed under house arrest in Ning Xintang, and at first he felt more confused.
—— His life has been misplaced for twenty years, and in the end, he doesn’t even know who he is.
After the tension subsided, he couldn't help but worry about Princess Ning:
She was in poor health, how could she withstand such a fright...
Although she has a prominent family background and a noble birth, Princess Ning is gentle and kind, and treats everyone with kindness.
Even if she is an ordinary peasant woman, she is willing to squeeze to the ridge of the field and beg someone to teach her embroidery; similarly, Gu Yunqiu has been personally taken care of by her since she was a child, and she even learned the songs of peasant women to put their children to sleep for him.
Gu Yunqiu wanted to visit, but when he reached the door, he was ruthlessly stopped by the silver-armored guard.
They were quite polite to him. The palace did not neglect Yunqiu's food and clothing from the beginning, and even allowed the original servants and servants to serve him.
However, he didn't know how Prince Ning and Princess were going to "deal with" him in the end.
This made him panic and gradually despair during the long wait.
There were also a few servants who had whimsical thoughts. They gathered together and said that the battlefield was dangerous. They wondered if their master could continue to be the heir if Li Congzhou could not come back.
Later, as news of good news from the northwest came frequently, those servants began to find excuses to leave.
In three months, winter is approaching.
News finally came back from the front line that Li Congzhou had led his troops to a great victory, had captured the King of Xirong and his princess alive, and was preparing to escort them back to Beijing.
The people from Prince Ning's Mansion also found him and explained everything to him.
Gu Yunqiu didn't know how Li Congzhou reacted after learning the truth. He only knew that after that day, the last nuns around him resigned one after another, packed their bags and left Ningxintang.
All the people in the courtyard were gone, leaving only a lame and stuttering servant.
After that day, the number of things sent to Ning Xintang gradually decreased:
The style of meals is getting simpler and simpler, sometimes even sour, and the charcoal needed in winter is gone.
The handyman went to ask, but was beaten by the steward in vain.
The steward said in a bad tone, "Who has time to deal with that fake master? Don't you know that the princess is seriously ill? The whole family is busy taking care of her. It's good if you have something to eat. What more good food, food and charcoal do you want? Drink northwest Let the wind go!”
The handyman was stunned and limped back to Ning Xintang. Seeing that Gu Yunqiu looked depressed, he did not tell him about it in the end.
And when Gu Yunqiu looked at his dark blue eyes, his heart gradually became cold.
It snowed heavily that night. Gu Yunqiu put on a thin blanket and watched the falling snow quietly.
He always thinks of his childhood:
On snowy days like this, Prince Ning would take him to build snowmen, have snowball fights, and take him to walk on the ice on the frozen moat; Princess Ning would prepare hot antique pots, roast venison, and roast rabbit for them...
He stood by the window all night without enough charcoal fire, and the next day his eyes were sore and his whole body felt hot.
The handyman was anxious. He was already stuttering, and now he couldn't speak clearly. He gestured with the silver-armored guard at the door for a long time, but only got a sneer from him:
"The real crown prince is back today, and the palace is going to hold a grand celebration to recognize his ancestors and return to the clan. Please don't give up on this idea, my master, the prince will not come."
The handyman was anxious and wanted to say something, but Gu Yunqiu leaned against the door and waved him back.
"Mr. Gongzi."
Gu Yunqiu smiled, but couldn't help coughing violently.
The handyman panicked and turned to look for the silver-armored guard again.
But Gu Yunqiu grabbed him and said, "...Stop being busy, it's cold, come and talk to me."
He no longer cares about what Prince Ning and Princess think of him, and he doesn't want to delve into whether these harsh treatments were instructed by those two people or whether they were the actions of the palace's cunning servants.
He just thought it was absurd, ridiculous, and pitiable.
Gu Yunqiu sat back down by the firepit in the house.
They had long since lost their charcoal fire for the winter, and now they were burning only the furniture that could be dismantled in the house. Gu Yunqiu sat cross-legged, wrapped himself tightly in the blanket and pushed the fire in front of him, then covered his mouth and choked.
In the end, the handyman did not sit down, but squatted down, picked up the cattail leaf fan, and fanned out the black smoke from the fire pit.
Gu Yunqiu didn't really want to talk about anything, but at this point, he didn't want the only servant around him to be ignored again.
He didn't speak, and the handyman was very quiet.
Gu Yunqiu looked outside the courtyard nervously:
I heard that Li Congzhou asked King Ning for this grand ceremony to recognize his ancestors. He said he wanted to invite relatives of the emperor and civil and military ministers to attend the ceremony. He even made a big list, saying that if these people didn't come, he wouldn't be there.
With a whoosh, the gun salute took off.
The palace, which had been silent for a long time, finally became lively again at this moment.
Gu Yunqiu twitched the corner of his mouth mockingly, and suddenly understood what was true:
Fengzi, dragon and grandson, Tianhuang nobleman.
Not long after, before he could clarify his emotions, a scream suddenly erupted from the busy front yard, followed by more and more miserable cries:
"Help—!"
"Killing—!"
Gu Yunqiu was stunned, and the handyman was so frightened that he dropped the cattail leaf fan in his hand into the fire pit.
Several silver-armored guards guarding outside Ningxintang looked at each other in shock when they heard the voice. They gave Gu Yunqiu a warning look, and then sent two of them to the front yard to investigate the situation.
However, the shrill screams did not stop, and the noise became louder and louder——
Thick smoke billowed out, and there was even light from the fire.
The two remaining silver-armored guards couldn't sit still. After hesitation, a dozen people suddenly jumped out of the corridor. They were covered in blood and their faces were in embarrassment. If you look carefully, they were still important officials of the imperial court.
The silver-armored guard hurriedly came forward, "Sir, what are you doing..."
The official he stopped just widened his eyes, muttered "madman" twice as if he was stimulated, and then ran forward with a strange scream.
The silver-armored guard chased after him for a few steps, and more people came out behind him. Their faces were ashen and their bodies were injured.
"What happened?" The silver-armored guard was pushed away by the opponent even after blocking several people. Finally, he met a familiar steward, only to find that the other person had lost an arm. "What happened? Your hand?!" "
"Hurry, run away..." The steward was furious, "The real prince... went crazy. He suddenly went on a killing spree at the banquet..."
The silver-armored guard was stunned, but the steward tilted his head and died.
Gu Yunqiu didn't know about their conversation, but happened to be listened to by the handyman who came to find out the news.
The servant's expression changed, and he limped back to Ning Xintang. After telling Gu Yunqiu the news, he picked him up and ran out.
The handyman was lame and stuttering, but his mind was alive. Before going out, he even covered Gu Yunqiu with a veil.
There were too many people running out of the front yard. In the chaos, the few silver-armored guards ignored them and actually asked them to leave Ningxintang.
The two of them followed the crowd and heard more about what happened in the front yard along the way——
The princess was ill, and Prince Ning had been taking care of her these days. Although he couldn't take care of many things, he still invited all the people on the list as Li Congzhou wished.
Li Congzhou was wearing black iron armor and looked like a hellish Shura. As soon as the salute was fired, he suddenly took action. He drew his sword in public without warning and pierced the academician of Zongzhengyuan beside him with one sword.
The academician's eyes widened in disbelief, but Li Congzhou looked at him and suddenly laughed out loud.
From the emperor's relatives to the servants and aunties, he didn't say a word nonsense. He raised his knife and dropped it, not letting anyone go.
The Yulin Army and the Silver Armored Guards stepped forward to stop him, but were mercilessly killed by this madman.
There were so many people running away that they ended up crowded in the corridor.
However, when the door to the backyard opened, standing outside were soldiers wearing black armor like Li Congzhou. They also said nothing and just picked up their swords to kill.
The screams started again, and the crowd dispersed and fled again.
Gu Yunqiu was still ill, and he really had no strength after walking this distance. The handyman had no choice but to drag him back to Ningxintang.
There is a low wall in the backyard of Ningxintang. It is not high. Maybe they can get out through that.
At this moment, Prince Ning's Mansion has become a hell - there is blood and bloody corpses everywhere.
The more Gu Yunqiu watched, the more frightened he became. As soon as he returned to Ningxintang, he couldn't help but tear off his face towel and hold on to the pillars to vomit.
Originally, the handyman was still there to help him, but when he suddenly turned around, he panicked and stuffed a dirty little cloth bag into Gu Yunqiu's arms, "M-Sir, you, run away -"
Gu Yunqiu frowned and caught it, finding a bag of broken silver inside.
The handyman pushed him hard, then turned around and limped towards the gate of Ningxintang.
He closed the door with difficulty, bolted it, then turned around and leaned his back against the door panel. He pointed in the direction of the low wall with his chin, "Mr. Master, you can climb over and you can..."
Before he finished speaking, a sword was thrust out from the crack of the door.
The sword edge tempered with blue light penetrated his chest, and the gurgling river of blood dripped down the sword tip onto the snow.
The handyman opened his mouth wide and stared blankly at the sword on his chest. After a while, he shouted to Gu Yunqiu again: "Young Master, run -!"
He held on to his last breath and blocked the door, refusing to let a step pass.
Gu Yunqiu shuddered and fell softly to the ground.
——He didn’t even know what the handyman’s name was.
The door of Ningxintang was finally kicked open, and Li Congzhou walked slowly with a blood sword in his hand, his eyes were as cold as ice, his expression was crazy, his cheeks were stained with blood spots, and his mouth had a wild smile, like a Shura from hell.
Before Gu Yunqiu had time to speak, he was beheaded by his sword.
Then he came back.
Back in spring and April when I was eight years old.
Thinking about being exhausted physically and mentally from his previous life, Gu Yunqiu was actually coaxed to sleep by Princess Ning.
In a hazy state of consciousness——
He smelled the scent of osmanthus, which was warm and a little sweet like fried sugar granules.
