#804 - We will meet again
Half a month later.
Days rose and fell, the world ever-changing.
As the warm breeze of early summer relieved people of their cotton clothes, and the roadside weeds grew wildly to ankle height in the blink of an eye, when everything in the world was once again bursting with vitality, the great war involving the seven kingdoms finally came to an end.
Of the 700,000 who died or surrendered outside Fengyuan City, the Qian-Hui allied forces stationed in the other prefectures and counties of Xin Feng naturally no longer harbored any illusions, and soon abandoned their cities and fled back to the territory of Da Hui.
A million-strong army came aggressively, but in less than half a year, they returned in disgrace.
In the end, less than one in ten of the generals who went on the expedition returned, only a step away from complete annihilation.
The courts of Qian and Hui could not accept such a result.
It is said that Emperor Jing Guoqing of Da Qian fell seriously ill after hearing of the army's defeat, and was bedridden for five consecutive days before he could barely walk.
During these five days, rumors of "Yinghuo guarding the heart, the true dragon is about to fall" spread, and various forces were ready to move, and the prestige of the Jing family in Da Qian fell to the lowest point in nearly a hundred years in an instant.
As for Da Hui, where even the emperor died...
Without a doubt, Lü Hongji's death was too sudden.
After all, apart from a few Kui Dragon people, no one else knew where he went or what he did.
In this way, very few people knew how he died.
Of course, although no one knew the truth, someone had to take the blame.
So Wei Changtian transformed into the real culprit who "killed" Lü Hongji, and the Lü family even offered a sky-high reward of 100,000 taels of gold for his head.
One hundred thousand taels of gold, one million taels of silver.
Such a reward price can definitely be regarded as "second to none" in the world.
However, no one is a fool, and everyone knows that wanting to earn this money is basically tantamount to courting death.
Therefore, the matter of revenge will probably have to be done by the Lü family themselves.
It's just that the latter is obviously too busy to take care of this matter at the moment.
Like the drama of "heroes chasing the deer" after the sudden death of all emperors, the entire Da Hui fell into an unprecedented chaos after Lü Hongji's death.
In addition to the three princes who were qualified to succeed to the throne, several princes also participated, all not wanting to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Open strife and veiled struggle, fratricide.
For Da Hui, such a great struggle has undoubtedly just begun. Although it is not known how long it will last, the impact on the entire dynasty will definitely be extremely profound and serious.
If we add Da Qian, which is also badly damaged, Da Jue, which lost a huge amount of war reparations, and Ji, which lost its country...
Without a doubt, the four countries of Qian, Hui, Jue, and Ji, as the losers of this great war, will need a long time to recover from the price they paid.
Thirty miles outside Shuzhou City.
The warm wind is gentle, and the sun is bright.
There is a pavilion by an unnamed stream. Several carriages are parked outside the pavilion, and several women and three little girls inside the pavilion are looking expectantly at the official road not far away, their eyes full of joy.
Obviously, they are Xu Qingwan, Liang Qin and others, and what they are waiting for at this time is naturally Wei Changtian.
"Sister Xu, how is my dress?"
Supporting her hand to block the sun, Liang Qin asked Xu Qingwan in a somewhat uneasy voice, "Is it too bright?"
"Oh, it looks very good!"
Little Comrade Xu looked at Liang Qin with a smile, and after praising her, she said with concern: "Sister Liang, don't stand for too long, sit down and rest first."
"I'm fine."
Shaking her head, Liang Qin didn't sit down, just subconsciously reached out and touched her lower abdomen, the happiness on her face even stronger.
She is only two months pregnant, and in fact, she is far from needing to be careful all the time, and even her figure has not changed at all.
However, even so, Xu Qingwan and others still care about her very much, wishing that she would not be allowed to do anything except eat and sleep.
Obviously, Liang Qin is not a pig, so of course she can't just eat and sleep all day long.
But there are indeed not many things she can do every day, basically just reading books at home, playing mahjong, and occasionally going out for a walk.
For Liang Qin, who has been in the army since she was a child, this kind of peaceful life is pleasant, but it is inevitably a little too boring.
She "protested" to Lu Jingyao and Xu Qingwan several times, but they were all "rebutted" by the two women, leaving her speechless.
Liang Qin couldn't win, so she could only stay at home obediently to recuperate, looking forward to Wei Changtian's return to Shuzhou as soon as possible.
And it seemed that her sincere prayers worked, and the war in Xin Feng actually ended early.
Wei Changtian said before the beginning of winter at the time, but now it is only early summer and the war is over.
Liang Qin doesn't care why this war can end so early, she only knows that Wei Changtian will return to Shuzhou soon.
Therefore, she has been excited these past few days, and today she came here early in the morning to wait for Wei Changtian's carriage.
The same is true for Xu Qingwan and others. Although they didn't show as much excitement as her, they were all looking forward to it in their hearts.
So even though they have been waiting for more than an hour, no one has shown the slightest fatigue.
Oh, except for two little girls...
"Little Martial Aunt!"
On one side of the pavilion, A Chun, who was already a sixth-rank martial artist, quietly poked Wei Qiaoling, who was sleeping soundly while hugging a big black dog. Seeing that the latter didn't respond, she raised her voice a little.
"Little Martial Aunt!"
"Ah?"
Wei Qiaoling, who was awakened from her dream, opened her eyes, wiping the saliva from the corner of her mouth, and asked vaguely, "What's wrong? Is Big Brother here yet?"
"Not yet."
A Chun replied, and then whispered, "Little Martial Aunt, I'm sleepy too, let me pillow Da Gui for a while."
"Oh..."
Hearing this, Wei Qiaoling yawned, and moved her body very generously, leaving half of the "pillow" for A Chun.
And A Chun was not polite, and immediately pillowed on the big black dog's belly and fell asleep comfortably.
A gust of breeze blew past, and the two little girls soon fell into a shallow sleep. Xu Qingwan and the other women looked back at them, with doting smiles on their faces.
Only the black dog inside and outside the pavilion seemed to be a little "overwhelmed". Just as it wanted to move its body, it was slapped on the head by Wei Qiaoling.
"Da Gui! Don't move!"
"."
Startled and suddenly stopped moving, the big black dog finally accepted its fate helplessly, lowered its head and lay down obediently, acting as Wei Qiaoling and A Chun's "mobile pillow".
And at this moment, accompanied by a distant sound of horses' hooves, a cloud of dust finally rose at the end of the official road not far away.
Shuzhou City, Weiyang Palace.
"Your Majesty, the carriage is ready."
In the main hall, an old eunuch stood beside Ning Yuque, who was reviewing memorials, and said softly, "Young Master Wei should be here soon. Do you want to leave the city now?"
"Yes, let's go."
Nodding, Ning Yuque put down the vermilion pen in her hand and slowly stood up.
She was not wearing a dragon robe now, but a light and elegant plain dress, with no other decorations in her hair except for a silver hairpin.
Compared with her usual dress, Ning Yuque's appearance now is obviously much simpler, but the dignified temperament formed over time has not changed due to the different clothes.
"Is the state banquet ready?"
While walking towards the outside of the hall, she casually asked the old eunuch behind her: "Also, what about the matter of conferring rewards? Have the Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of War discussed any results?"
“Reporting to the Emperor, the state banquet is being personally prepared by Prime Minister You, and everything has been arranged. Now we are just waiting for Young Master Wei to return.”
The old eunuch bowed his head and replied, “The memorial for the conferment of rewards was also submitted this morning and is on your desk.”
“Is that so? Then I'll take a look after we return.”
“By the way, inform Datong City and the Bureau of Heavenly Works in advance that the Young Master will definitely visit these two places after he returns.”
“Yes, this old servant understands.”
“Mm.”
As they spoke, the two quickly walked out of the main hall and towards the carriage not far away.
Like Ning Yu Ke's attire today, this carriage is also not the usual “Imperial Carriage”, but just an ordinary style.
Wearing plain clothes and riding in an ordinary carriage, it was obvious where Ning Yu Ke was going.
Although she knew it was a bit inappropriate, she couldn't help but want to go outside the city to meet Wei Changtian.
As for why she was so “impatient”, perhaps even Ning Yu Ke herself couldn't explain the reason.
“Old Huang.”
Stopping by the carriage, Ning Yu Ke's cheeks suddenly flushed slightly, and her tone was no longer as aloof as before.
She hesitated for a moment, looked at her dress, and then asked softly, a little embarrassed:
“How does this dress of mine look today? Is it too plain?”
“...”
The old eunuch, who was lifting the curtain for Ning Yu Ke, was stunned when he heard this, and immediately understood what the former was thinking.
For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
Alas, the only person in the world who could suddenly turn His Majesty into such a young woman was probably Wei Gongzi...
“Your Majesty is naturally beautiful, and any clothes are graceful.”
With a smile on his face, the old eunuch certainly couldn't say anything else, but praised in a sharp voice: “This old servant would never dare to speak falsely.”
“Is that so...”
Although she knew that the old eunuch would say the same thing no matter how ugly she dressed, Ning Yu Ke still breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her head to get into the car.
But just at this moment...
“Your Majesty!”
Suddenly, an urgent shout came from not far away, and You Wenzong was seen running towards this side with a letter in his hand.
“Prime Minister You, why are you in such a hurry?”
The old eunuch glanced at Ning Yu Ke, then stepped forward to meet him, and said in a low voice: “Your Majesty is about to leave the palace now. If it's not something important, then wait until Your Majesty returns.”
“It's a secret letter from Young Master Wei.”
You Wenzong shook his head with a wry smile: “Your Majesty will know what it is after reading it.”
“Young Master Wei?”
The old eunuch looked puzzled, wondering why Wei Changtian would send a letter when he was about to arrive in Shu Prefecture City.
But Ning Yu Ke's face changed when she heard this, and she immediately took the secret letter and quickly read it.
There was not much content in the letter, and she quickly finished reading it, her eyes becoming a little complicated.
After a while, under the gaze of the old eunuch and You Wenzong, she finally slowly folded the letter and said softly:
“Let's go back.”
“Dad! Why are you the only one?”
Outside Shu Prefecture City, just as Ning Yu Ke was reading the letter, Liang Qin was standing by the newly parked carriage, looking at Liang Zhen who got out of the car and asking:
“Where's Brother Changtian?”
“Uh...”
Looking at the women around him who also looked puzzled, Liang Zhen stammered and replied: “Changtian, he didn't come back with me...”
“Ah? Then is Brother Changtian going to be a few days late?”
Liang Qin was even more puzzled: “Why didn't he tell us?”
“This, this...”
Seeming to realize the consequences of what he was about to say, Liang Zhen's forehead couldn't help but ooze with sweat.
But after hesitating for a long time, he gritted his teeth and replied truthfully:
“Changtian has something to do and won't be back for the time being.”
“The reason why he didn't tell you in advance was also to cover up his whereabouts...”
“Wha, what?!”
Her eyes widened suddenly, and Liang Qin exclaimed in shock when she heard this.
The same was true for Xu Qingwan and the others, and a feeling of worry and loss suddenly surged in their hearts.
The surroundings were silent for a while, and a group of women stared blankly at Liang Zhen, making the latter feel a little hairy in his heart.
“That, that, it's really not my fault, it's Changtian who didn't allow me to tell you...”
“Yes, yes, he wrote you a letter, maybe you'll understand after reading it.”
As he spoke, Liang Zhen hurriedly reached out and groped around his body, and the aura of the dignified Great Shu Zhenguo General disappeared.
And at this moment, Xu Qingwan, who was the first to come back to her senses and was also the most rational, asked a very crucial question.
“Uncle Liang, I wonder what my husband went to do?”
“This...”
Liang Zhen paused, turned his head and looked around, and after confirming that there were no outsiders present, he whispered back:
“He went to seek revenge.”
Da Hui, Yongding City.
As the capital of Da Hui, Yongding City is no smaller in scale than Fengyuan City or Shu Prefecture City, and has a population of over one million households.
More importantly, unlike other large cities, Yongding is not built on a plain, but is built around a low mountain called “Dragon Head.”
It is said that under this low mountain lies the dragon vein of Da Hui, so the founding emperor of Da Hui thousands of years ago decided to build the capital here to protect Da Hui for eternity.
No one knows whether this matter is true or false, after all, the history of Da Hui is far from “eternity.”
However, the Yongding City formed by this is indeed unique in the world, and it really looks more magnificent than other big cities from a distance.
At this moment, a black carriage was mixed among the pedestrians coming and going outside the city, and drove slowly towards the huge city gate.
“Husband, if we don't go back to take a look this time, Sister Qin'er and the others will definitely be angry with you.”
In the carriage, Yang Liushi looked at Wei Changtian, who was looking at Yongding City, and said with a smile: “You also lied to them that you would go back, isn't this making them happy for nothing?”
“That's what I said, but I have no choice.”
Curling his lips, facing Yang Liushi's “responsibility”, Wei Changtian's expression showed no guilt: “Since I said that I would destroy Da Hui Daqian within a year, then I must do it.”
“Take advantage of his illness to kill him, since they planned to do so in the first place, then I can't let them go.”
“Besides, Chu Xianping is most likely in Da Hui now.”
“...”
Staring at the huge words “Yongding” on the distant city wall, Wei Changtian “fiercely” explained why he came to Da Hui directly from Fengyuan without stopping.
And the moment he mentioned Chu Xianping, Li Zimu, who was sitting next to Yang Liushi, trembled slightly, and a trace of loneliness appeared in his eyes.
“...As for Wan'er and the others, I didn't mean to lie to them.”
“Anyway, there are still long days to come, so it doesn't matter for a while.”
On the other side, Wei Changtian didn't notice Li Zimu's abnormality, and was still talking endlessly.
However, Yang Liushi gently held Li Zimu's hand at a certain moment, and then gently said as if responding to Wei Changtian:
“Yes, there is still a long way to go.”
“If the fate is not broken, we will always meet again...”
“...”
In Li Zimu's dazed eyes, Yang Liushi's last sentence floated out of the car, mixed with the morning breeze and sunshine, and floated into the magnificent Yongding City.
At this moment, the people living in the city do not know what kind of turmoil they will experience in the next period of time, and are still working hard for survival.
All the love and hatred, whether heroic or ordinary, are transferred in this mundane world, and one day they will turn into smoke and dust for thousands of miles, either completely dissipated, or reunited again.
(Volume 8, End)
