When he left Dongpei when he was seven years old, Jiang Yixue had sworn that he would never come back here again in his life, but now in the dark night, he once again stood at the door of this familiar palace.
The doors and windows, which had been in disrepair for a long time, were broken in all directions and covered with thick dust and cobwebs. Several thick flat wooden bars were nailed to them. Half of the plaque on the palace gate fell off and creaked under the howling of the winter wind. The loud sound seemed particularly eerie in the silent night.
Just as the attendant said, the entire palace has been sealed.
He raised his head in silence and looked at the dilapidated plaque with the words "Fuyu Zhai" written on it.
Once upon a time, these three words were his original sin.
The name he heard most when he was young was the one spoken by those in the palace: the child from Fuyuzhai.
The more he talked, the more he understood that the underlying meaning of these three words was abandoned, unwanted, unworthy, unworthy, willing to be bullied...
He also innocently asked his mother if we could move somewhere else.
But his mother smiled with tears in her eyes, touched his face with her thin and warm hands, and said, "I'm sorry, Ashue, we can't go anywhere."
Jiang Mingwu didn't want them, but he didn't let them go either.
He is of royal blood, and his mother is from the harem. Even if he dies, he will have to die in this repetitive palace.
A gust of cold wind blew from the palace road, which was so cold that his bones shivered. Jiang Yixue shivered subconsciously. She touched the dilapidated palace door with her hand and said in a voice so soft that it seemed to be scattered in the wind: "Mother...it's you ?"
The only response to him was the cold wind whistle.
After a long time, he pulled out the long knife he brought and slashed hard at the crumbling palace door.
"boom!"
With a loud noise, the plaque of the Book Pill could not bear the force. It swayed slightly and then fell to the ground, breaking into several pieces.
A piece fell next to Jiang Yixue and was kicked away by him.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Several loud noises erupted one after another on the deserted palace road in the middle of the night. The thick and flat wooden bars fell one by one. The already damaged wooden door could no longer bear it, and soon a large black hole was broken.
Seeing this, Jiang Yixue threw away the long knife, panted heavily and looked into the darkness, feeling a strong fear that could not be ignored in her heart.
After an unknown amount of time, he stretched out his legs and stepped through the mess, reaching the overgrown courtyard.
Eight years later, he still remembered the vegetable garden surrounded by his mother, the swing set up, and the stone stools in the yard... But just when he thought he would see the scene in his memory, he saw a corpse first.
At that moment, he almost felt like he was being swallowed by darkness from all directions, and even breathing became difficult.
His legs couldn't stop feeling weak. He rolled and crawled to the body, trying to stretch out his hand to identify it, but he couldn't stop trembling.
The corpse has turned into bones, and the clothes on it are dirty and damaged due to exposure to wind, sun, and insect bites, but the original appearance can still be roughly seen.
He lifted up a corner of his robe with shaking hands. Under the thick white bones, there was a jade bracelet that had been broken into several pieces.
——That jade bracelet was worn by her mother since she was a child. When she grew up, she couldn't take it off no matter how thin she was. But there was nothing she could do if she had nothing to eat. She thought that even broken jade could be bought at a reasonable price, so she could only He cruelly broke it into pieces and wanted to exchange it with the palace servants for some food, but no one was willing to take it until the end.
However, even so, she carried it with her day and night, hoping that one day it would come in handy.
…
Now, it comes in handy to teach her son to recognize her bones.
Jiang Yixue's eyes were red, and she was about to collapse. She stretched out her hands to pick up the bones, but was afraid of breaking them. She could only touch a piece of clothing, squeezed tightly, fell down beside it and cried bitterly. : "Mother... mother..."
There was no burial, no restraint, just leaving her in this secluded palace courtyard, exposing her body to the wind and sun...
Jiang Yixue clenched her fists until blood overflowed from her palms.
The pain finally made him sober up a little. The cold wind blew by, and he slowly raised his head, facing the corpse with a smile as gentle as that of a young child, and said with parted lips: "Mother, don't be afraid, I will definitely , I will definitely avenge you..." He spoke each word slower than the last, filled with majestic hatred: "I will let Jiang Mingwu repay you a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times for the pain you have suffered... …”
After a long time, he stood up staggeringly, walked to the small swing covered with spider webs, knelt down, and dug out the first handful of soil.
He dug faster and faster, his hands were dripping with blood, he was going crazy and could hardly control himself.
My ears are ringing like cicadas and my mind is confused.
...What to do...What to do...
Yin Shang, where are you...
Where are you.
help me……
help me.
…
My mother said that people are made of soil by Nuwa. He once came to the world intact, but was ruthlessly broken into pieces. It was Yin Shang who kneaded him back together bit by bit.
If it breaks again, will he die?
…
A handful of bloody soil was sprinkled on the corpse until it was completely buried in the soil. Jiang Yixue picked up the long knife and clumsily carved a monument for his mother.
The moonlight reflected the mottled tree shadows, and the cold wind howled.
Every moment and every stroke of the knife was filled with dripping blood and endless hatred.
The moon is setting and the stars are setting, and the sky is about to break.
————————————————
Everything that happened in the remote palace late at night was like raindrops falling on the sea, without causing any waves. It was not until the faint morning light shone into the palace that Jiang Yixue returned to Mingxue Pavilion in a state of embarrassment, with a miserable expression on his face. Shaky.
The palace guard who was keeping watch at night came forward with concern and shouted: "Your Highness?"
As if he hadn't heard anything, he stepped into the room like a zombie and fell heavily to the ground.
There seemed to be a few more worried calls coming from outside. Jiang Yixue opened her mouth and shouted hoarsely: "Get away...get out of here, get out of here!"
He laughed infatuatedly and cried in despair. He felt like he was going crazy and his ears were filled with noisy noises.
I don't know how long it took, but the thick darkness around him attacked him unstoppably. The tense nerves in his brain were severed, and the world finally became quiet.
…
Jiang Yixue fell seriously ill.
When he woke up again, what he saw was the unfamiliar top of the bed. There was a sharp pain in his head, and he couldn't tell where he was for a moment.
It’s not Fuyuzhai, it’s not Pulantai… it’s not Yin Shang’s sleeping face in her dream.
"Your Highness? Your Highness?" A voice came to his ears. He turned around with difficulty and saw several people dressed as medical officers kneeling beside the bed with serious faces, and several palace officials standing behind him.
It's Dongpei, he's back.
When the memory came back, Jiang Yixue's eyes were cold and she said in a hoarse voice: "What's wrong with me?"
The medical officer said: "Your Highness was so short of breath that his blood stopped returning to his menstrual flow and he fainted. Although I will prescribe medicine and acupuncture for you, you still need to rest well before you can recover."
Hearing this, Jiang Yixue said quietly: "I understand, go down."
The medical officers responded and respectfully withdrew.
Another palace servant brought the medicine bowl to his bedside and said, "Your Highness, your hand is injured. Can your servant help you drink the medicine?"
Jiang Yixue lowered her eyes and realized that her hands were covered with gauze, and there was blood overflowing from her fingertips and palms.
He allowed the palace man to help him up and asked softly: "How long have I been unconscious?"
The palace man replied: "It's been almost seven days. I've been having high fever and nightmares. I just woke up today."
It’s been seven days…
Yin Shang said he would write to him.
With his long and delicate eyelashes lowered, he opened his lips slightly and swallowed the bitter concoction one mouthful at a time.
After drinking the medicine, he lay down on the quilt and said in an indifferent voice, "You all can get out."
Several palace people responded and respectfully stepped back.
However, the palace attendant who gave the medicine was still kneeling and sitting on the bedside, motionless.
Jiang Yixue frowned and looked, and when he was about to speak, he saw the palace man quickly stuffing something under his brocade quilt, and said softly: "Your Highness, please ask me about your health."
After saying this, he didn't wait for Jiang Yixue's reaction, stood up on his own, and quickly retreated.
The palace door opened and closed gently, making a slight sound.
After a few breaths, Jiang Yixue sat up from the bed with her heart beating like thunder and took out the thing under the brocade quilt.
It's a letter.
As soon as he opened it, he saw extremely familiar handwriting. He subconsciously bent the corners of his mouth and stared at the handwriting for a long time before he took in the words——
"Axue:
Is it safe? It's cold in winter, so put on more clothes.
I have chosen a person to protect you, called Li Min, and will send it to you along with this letter. If you have something important, you can also give the letter to him, and he will find a way to deliver it to me.
At this time, our country is in turmoil, Dongpei is in danger, and everything is precarious. I hope you will take care of yourself.
I will protect you, don’t think about it, do it carefully.
Yin Shang. "
A few drops of hot tears streaked across her cheeks and fell silently into the brocade quilt.
The scarred hand gently touched the word "Yin Shang" on the letter, carrying endless affection and longing.
————————————————
Turning over the past year, the war in Dingzhou has come to an end.
The eldest prince Ji Zhou Li was completely defeated. Princess Yongning Zhou Zhan withdrew his troops and returned to Tingxi with his daughter Zhou Yuan to withdraw from the war.
On Zhou Tai's side, the veteran Xu Yong sent by Zhou Wan was killed by Zhou Wan, but Zhou Wan himself was seriously injured. Both sides suffered countless losses, and both sides suffered losses.
In addition, Zhou Wan led a total of 120,000 troops, most of which were borrowed from neighboring countries. Among them, he borrowed 30,000 troops from Qi Hui, a neighboring country to the southeast, and borrowed 20,000 troops from Shibai, a neighboring country to the northwest. The remaining soldiers were all It originated from Xidi. However, Dong Shaochang, the king of Xidi, was a defensive king and had quite a lot of complaints about Queen Zhou Wan's crusade against Emperor Yongzai. If he forcibly withdrew his troops, all the achievements Zhou Wan had made previously would be in vain.
At the moment, the new emperor Zhou Tai, who had hastily ascended the throne, had no one available and was showing signs of decline. However, Xi Di, the largest source of troops behind Zhou Wan, also felt timid and wanted to withdraw his troops. Zhou Wan was under pressure from both sides and did not move for a while.
This battle may be won or lost, and there will be no ending until the last moment.
…
Under the bright lights, Yin Shang was sitting in front of his mother's desk, looking at the war reports from various places on the table.
Yin Shu looked solemn and said: "There may be no winner in the battle of Dingzhou in the end."
Yin Shang nodded and said: "At that time, the entire Dingzhou Fifteen Kingdoms will be in disarray. If you want to seize the power of heaven under such circumstances, there will be a bloody battle."
Yin Shu said: "Lingzi is ready to attack Dongpei. If Dongpei is annexed, the next one will be Yuezhi, which is not much better than Dongpei. If the Three Kingdoms are established, Lingzi will be the only one in the family."
Yin Shang said: "Of the three sons of Yuezhi, only the youngest son Suo Qianduo grew up in Yuezhi. The king of Yuezhi doted on this only child who grew up around him, but he never named him the crown prince. The eldest daughter and second son returned to Yuezhi. After entering the country, he ordered people to prepare for the canonization ceremony."
Yin Shu said: "It can be seen that King Yuezhi's mind is still clear, much better than that of Lingzi."
Yin Shang picked up the map, thought for a moment silently, and said, "In a few days, the situation of Dingzhou's war will be clear. I will take this opportunity to go to Yuezhi to negotiate first."
Yin Shu said: "Well, it's time to seize the time, and the domestic troops and horses should be reorganized. Once the general situation is decided, we will know the next move."
Yin Shang nodded and said, "I'll go back and prepare."
"Wait a minute," seeing her about to stand up, Yin Shu suddenly remembered something and asked, "Wang Qing of Dongpei, oh, that's the one named Jiang Yixue, what are you going to do?"
Hearing this, Yin Shang was stunned and asked, "What should I do?"
Yin Shu smiled and did not answer the question. Instead, he asked: "Do you like him?"
Yin Shang did not hesitate and replied naturally: "Well, I like him."
Seeing her calm demeanor, Yin Shu was a little surprised. After thinking for a few moments, he asked, "You know he is lying to you, right?"
Yin Shang's face remained calm, without any trace of surprise, and said, "I know," she continued smoothly, "I have my own plans regarding Jiang Yixue. Mother, don't worry, I have not been bewitched by him and have forgotten it. What should I do?"
There was a trace of inquiry in Yin Shu's eyes, and he said, "Do you want to protect him? Or do you want to use him?"
Yin Shang did not hesitate and said directly: "I want to protect him, but I also want to use him."
Yin Shu looked at her for a moment, and after a few breaths, he nodded in acquiescence, and finally warned: "There is no best solution in the world, don't hurt yourself."
Hearing this, Yin Shang smiled, nodded and said, "I know, mother."
…
Under the soft moonlight, Yin Shang returned to Shaotian Cangfu from his mother's palace.
She was officially crowned the crown prince some time ago, so she also moved out of the palace and lived in the crown prince's residence near the outer palace.
As soon as she entered the room, Lin Boyu handed her a few letters. Yin Shang took them and entered the room to open them.
The first letter was from Suo Qianjing. She had made it known to the world that she had given up the imperial lineage of Dingzhou, just to let everyone who was vying for the throne of Dingzhou know that she had no heir and eliminate hidden dangers for herself.
Yin Shang corresponded with her a few days ago, saying that he wanted to visit Yue Zhi secretly and meet her. Suo Qianjing also agreed. This letter explained the time and place.
She first took a note and then burned the letter.
The second letter was from his younger brother Yin Zhi. After he came back to see her, he returned to Mingshan to practice martial arts not long after. He often wrote to her about daily trivial matters that he wanted to share with her.
Looking at the flying words, Yin Shang could not help but reveal a smile. He read it quickly and put it aside for the time being.
The third letter is from Jiang Yixue.
Thinking of what his mother said not long ago in the palace, Yin Shang sighed slightly in his heart, held the envelope in his hand, and did not open it for a long time.
In fact, she had known about Jiang Yixue's "cheating" for a long time.
——In fact, it wasn't a lie, but he deliberately let her see Zhan Lubo and others bullying him. In the final analysis, he wanted to find a shelter for himself.
Later, he took the initiative to approach her, exposed his wounds to her, and induced her to help.
In fact, if it were her, she would have done the same thing if she didn't have the ability to protect herself at the time.
It's just an act of survival, so there's no point in cheating.
But why did she still feel uncomfortable after hearing her mother point it out so mercilessly?
Does he like her, or is he just trying to protect himself?
…
I don't know how long it took before Yin Shang woke up from his thoughts, put down the unopened letter in his hand, and reached out to pick up other documents.
