Zhu Yunwen was low on energy, so he fell asleep while talking.
Li Qing stopped talking, stood up and helped him lie down, sat on the edge of the bed and stared for a long time, then slowly exhaled a breath of filthy air.
"Go and have a rest."
Li Qing turned his head after being tapped on the shoulder.
"Master..."
"Go for a walk and leave it to your teacher." Zhang Slutty said.
Li Qing nodded, stood up and walked out of the room.
As soon as he walked out of the door, he met Zhu Qizhen who was coming.
"How is he doing now?" Zhu Qizhen asked softly, "Is there really no room for recovery?"
"Oh...it's obvious." Li Qing looked lonely as he walked down the eaves and walked forward on the snow, with constant creaking under his feet.
Zhu Qizhen glanced inside and saw that Zhu Yunqi had fallen asleep and Zhang Sugao was guarding him, so he turned around and followed Li Qing.
He wanted to say something, but looking at Li Qing's lonely back, he didn't know what to say.
Inexplicably, Zhu Qizhen felt distressed: How did he get here all the way?
Although he was beaten frequently, Zhu Qizhen knew that Li Qing was a very emotional person, otherwise he would not have protected Jianwen, the King of Han, him, and... Daming.
Zhu Qizhen could feel the sadness, and he knew that the sadness in Li Qing's heart was far heavier than he imagined.
Just empathy is almost unbearable for him. What kind of pain will it be for those who actually experience it?
He couldn't imagine it.
He wanted to comfort Li Qing, but felt that any words were feeble.
Li Qing walked in front, and Zhu Qizhen followed behind. The two walked quietly, leaving two rows of footprints in the snow.
After a long time, Zhu Qizhen shouted: "Sir..."
Li Qing stopped but didn't look back, "What's the matter?"
"It's cold, let's drink a glass of wine to warm up." Zhu Qizhen said.
"No need, I've survived even colder weather." Li Qing waved the back of his hand and continued walking.
Zhu Qizhen stared blankly, but did not follow.
He knew that he couldn't keep up and could only accompany him for a while.
…
As the days pass by, Jinling City is filled with the joyful atmosphere of the New Year, and every place is filled with a strong flavor of the New Year.
There were more than double the number of people on the street than usual, with smiles on their faces, attending the New Year's fair and buying New Year's goods.
Tailor shop, market entrance, people are bumping into each other, crowded...
The family also bought a lot of New Year goods, including Spring Festival couplets, door gods, and red lanterns...
Getting rid of the old and welcoming the new is just around the corner, but Li Qing loves the old and hates the new.
For several consecutive sunny days, the ice and snow melted little by little, became shallow little by little, and finally turned into clear water and sank to the ground.
Finally... the New Year is here.
On New Year's Eve, at Zhu Yunwen's request, Spring Festival couplets and door gods were posted at home, and red lanterns were hung high.
On this day, the weather was sunny.
On this day, Zhu Yunwen looked very good.
The bright sunshine eliminated the gloom in our hearts, and everyone laughed.
Under the sun, the family sat together, with candied melon seeds on the table, and had a tea party.
On this day, everyone smiled more than in a month and talked about all the wonderful things in the past.
In the end, all the beauty melts into the sunset. There is still too much to talk about, but the final chapter has come...
New Year's Eve,
Not staying up late.
Zhu Yunwen was lying quietly on the bed with a peaceful face. His old face was full of calmness, relief and joy...
Completely opposite to him were the few people standing.
The red envelope in Zhu Qizhen's hand was so tight that it was deformed, and his eyes were red.
The little old man is no longer as free and easy as before. His eyes are a little cloudy and his waist is a little rickety.
Li Qing was neither sad nor happy, his expression was dull, he was very silent.
"Master, you are an elder. There is no reason for elders to keep vigil for juniors. Go back to your room and rest." Li Qing stepped forward and said softly.
Zhang Sloppy didn't say anything, he gently pushed away Li Qing's hand holding him, turned around and walked out.
Before the mourning hall could be decorated, the house remained as it had been before Zhu Yunwen's death, and Li Qing and Zhu Qizhen kept vigil for him.
~
It’s a new day, a new year, but some people stay in yesterday and last year.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the two of them helped decorate the mourning hall. Zhu Qizhen and his wife were dressed in plain clothes and wore linen and mourning.
Zhu Yunwen was very low-key, had no network of connections, and his funeral hall was clean.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the descendants of the Li family came to express their condolences.
The new generation of Cao Guogong came in person, presented elegiac couplets, stayed for a long time, and said many words of condolences before leaving sadly.
Father Li also brought his son over to express condolences and cried for a while.
After that, the coffin was sealed. Before the coffin was sealed, Zhu Qizhen put his only remaining dragon robe on Zhu Yunzhen.
The little old man disappeared without a trace. He disappeared without leaving a single word.
But Li Qing is not worried. The little old man is by no means the kind of mentally fragile person. He must have his reasons for leaving.
The seven days of filial piety passed by in a flash.
But Zhang Slutty still didn't come back, and Li Qing began to prepare Zhu Yunwen's life. No matter what, this was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, so he couldn't take things lightly.
~
Xiao Li Hong is very sad these days. Even though he received a lot of red envelopes during the Chinese New Year, he is still unhappy.
He is seven years old and he knows what death means.
That kind old grandfather was very kind to him. He gave him good snacks every time he came and gave him big red envelopes every New Year.
But now... this kind old man is gone, gone forever, and he can only live alone underground in the future.
He hugged his knees, and the more he thought about it, the sadder he became, and he couldn't help crying.
Li Qing found the crying little guy, stepped forward to hold him in his arms, and whispered: "Grandpa Zhu just went to a new home, don't cry."
"My godfather is lying, and all the children know it," the little guy cried, "Grandpa Zhu is obviously... wu wu wu..."
Li Qing had a gentle voice: "My godfather didn't lie to you. Grandpa Zhu is walking on the way to his new home."
"But he obviously lives in a coffin."
"Because... the road is long and difficult, and his body is too heavy, so he can only travel lightly." Li Qing hugged the little guy and spoke softly.
"Really?" The little guy stopped crying and was no longer so sad.
Li Qing smiled and nodded: "Really."
~
Seven days later, Zhang Slutty came back.
He was carrying a particularly thick log, one meter in diameter and nearly one foot long. It was the finest golden nanmu that is rare in the world.
"The wood of that coffin is too poor to be worthy of Xiao Zhu." Zhang Sloppy put down the wood, "We can't wrong Xiao Zhu, he is my close disciple."
"Well... that's what the master said." Li Qing said hoarsely and couldn't help but blush.
He knew that the little old man prepared this for himself.
But Li Qing couldn't persuade him. This was the master's choice.
Such top-quality wood cannot be wasted, so Li Qing went to the best coffin shop in Jinling, spent a lot of money to buy the best blueprints, and then bought various carpentry tools.
After returning, the master and apprentice cut the wood, polished it, and assembled it...
Both master and apprentice were silent, quietly building the coffin.
During this period, Zhu Qizhen also wanted to help, but was rejected by the two.
After working hard for five days, the master and apprentice built a top-quality golden nanmu coffin, a coffin worthy of Zhu Yunwen and the envy of even emperors.
Li Qing put Zhu Yunwen into the golden nanmu coffin, and also put Zhu Yunwen's life inside, which recorded Zhu Yunwen's life.
In addition, Li Qing also put some seeds of various crops, as well as poetry, history, and Taoist classics.
Zhu Yunwen likes farming, harvesting and reading.
With these companions, it is expected that he will not be lonely, no, he will definitely not be lonely. In addition to these, he also has relatives.
His father, grandfather, and grandmother are all in Xiaoling, so how can he be lonely?
~
There are troops stationed in Xiaoling Mausoleum. It is not easy to bury a person in it, but who are the master and the apprentice?
Both of them can break into the palace at night, and breaking into the imperial mausoleum at night is no problem.
After testing it a few times and figuring out the pattern, I started right away.
It was late at night, the moon was dark and the wind was high. The master watched the wind while the apprentice dug the soil.
In Zhu Yuanzhang's Xiaoling Mausoleum, Li Qing held his hoe high and waved it constantly.
He was extremely fast, and in just one hour, he dug a grave large enough to hold Zhu Yunwen's coffin.
The two of them worked together to put the coffin into the grave pit smoothly and buried it shovel by shovel. At the same time, they buried the coffin as well as the love between master and apprentice.
After the burial, Li Qing trampled the soft soil firmly, and then spread a thick layer of dry soil on the surface. He sprinkled and stepped on it until there were no flaws, and then he felt relieved.
Everything is perfect, the only regret is that there is no tombstone.
The master and apprentice looked at the flat ground and stood silently for a long time. They had to leave until the morning star lit up in the east.
~
There are fewer people in the family and it is much deserted.
Zhu Qizhen is no longer as cheap as before. He even jokes less frequently. Without someone to quarrel with, life is much less fun.
The house is obviously decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, but it doesn’t feel like the New Year.
Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but miss the last Chinese New Year. It was so full of flavor. The family ate, drank, talked and laughed, and even being beaten while making noodles made him miss it.
In the blink of an eye...well, these damn years are like a thief.
Zhu Yunwen left, and no one took care of the family business. The master didn't like to take care of it. Little Li Hong was still a child, so Li Qing handed over the business to Zhu Qizhen.
There were officials in Jinling who had seen Zhu Qizhen, but only once. In fact, few people dared to look directly at the emperor.
Even the officials of the capital had not seen him for two years, coupled with the subjective belief that he was in the grassland, and Zhu Qizhen's own changes;
It can be said that as long as Zhu Qizhen is not wearing a dragon robe, he will not be recognized even if he is seen.
However, for safety reasons, Li Qing asked him to be careful when going out and reorganized his image.
Li Qing personally performed the surgery and shaved Zhu Qizhen's beard cleanly, leaving only the beard on his lips. Although he only lost his thick beard, Zhu Qizhen seemed like a different person.
"Try to leave the work to the servants, and you can take the general direction yourself," Li Qing instructed, "You have tanned a lot in the grassland, try to get more sun in the future, and say goodbye to the thin skin and tender flesh of the past. .”
"……knew."
"Don't act like a resentful woman." Li Qing said angrily, "Unless you want to be grounded at home forever, you must make changes."
Zhu Qizhen sighed: "I understand."
He handed over the 'essay' written according to Li Qing's request and asked, "Are you leaving now?"
"Well, it's been so long since the Lantern Festival, and it's time for me to go back." Li Qing sighed, "There are still many things to do, and I can't stop at this stage."
Zhu Qizhen was silent for a while and said with regret: "Thank you for your hard work. I will watch over here for you."
Li Qing curled his lips and said to Zhang Slutty: "Master, I...have returned to Beijing."
"Well, let's go." Zhang Sloppy leaned on the recliner and turned the pages of the book without raising his head.
Li Qing looked away in shame and looked at Zhu Qizhen: "Live your life well and respect the old man more, otherwise I will break your legs when I come back."
"...Do you still need to say this?" Zhu Qizhen was speechless, "Besides, I don't dare to offend the old man."
"It's good to know." Li Qing hummed, took the horse's reins, and said, "Let's go."
"Sir." Zhu Qizhen suddenly spoke.
"What's wrong?" Li Qing turned around, his face full of impatience.
Zhu Qizhen's eyes were sincere and he said softly: "I'm sorry!"
Li Qing was startled, then smiled casually: "It's all over. Just live a good life from now on. You don't need to send me away when you leave."
After that, he led the horse out of the door.
After getting on his horse, Li Qing took the reins and looked back again, not looking forward for a long time.
He didn't know what he was waiting for, maybe... he was waiting for the old man on crutches to send him off.
But he... couldn't wait any longer.
"Drive~"
The whip fell, the horse spread its hooves, and carried Li Qing away.
Those who have left have left, and those who remain will have to go on...
~
ps: Writing is a happy and painful thing, because you put yourself into it.
