This place was not far from the Vermilion Bird Avenue. Some houses had been badly damaged by the battle that day, and some people were repairing them in the snowy night.
Ning Que did not seem to hear Chao Xiaoshu's words. He looked there quietly for a long time and suddenly said, "Many people died on the street that day."
Chao Xiaoshu did not say anything else and started scooping out the mutton offal from the pot.
Ning Que filled his bowl with wine and said, "What do you think about the peace talks?"
Chao Xiaoshu said, "It's not convenient for me to speak on important matters in the imperial court."
Ning Que said, "The war is stabilizing, but it is not beneficial to the Tang Empire. Too much blood has been shed, and we need some time to recover. But since we have not lost, we cannot lose out in the negotiation."
Chao Xiaoshu said, "Let's eat first."
The fragrance of the pot filled the air, and the wine was much fainter. After all, it was a time of war. The double steaming that Chao Xiaoshu and Ning Que liked could not be transported from the north.
They ate in silence and did not drink too much. Chao Xiaoshu only spoke when the mutton offal was almost finished and the sauce was almost finished.
"This war involves too many people. All the Tangs are contributing, but Li Yu seems to have been forgotten. But you should know that many people in the imperial court have not forgotten her."
He looked at Ning Que and said, "The prestige of the Academy is too high, and the Empress is powerful. Most importantly, because of the invasion, the imperial court and the public are united. Even her most loyal subordinates have chosen to lie low. But if the war ends or temporarily stops, the conflict will erupt again."
Ning Que said, "The officials in the imperial court are not really idiots. The Empress has shown her means and ability to govern. They have no reason to continue supporting Li Yu."
Chao Xiaoshu said, "You seem to have forgotten one thing. Now everyone in the world knows that the Empress is a remnant of the Devil's Doctrine. Although the Tangs have never submitted to the West-Hill Divine Palace, their faith in Haotian cannot be washed away in a short time. They still have a natural hatred for the Devil's Doctrine."
Ning Que said, "What are you trying to say?"
Chao Xiaoshu said, "That depends on how the Academy and the imperial court are going to deal with her."
"If everything is peaceful, she will be imprisoned in the Princess Mansion forever."
Ning Que looked into Chao Xiaoshu's eyes and said, "If there are any signs of disturbance, I will kill her in the shortest time possible."
Chao Xiaoshu looked at him and said, "You used to be very close to her. Everyone in Chang 'an knows that. I didn't expect you to be so cold to her."
Ning Que said, "As I said, many people have died on this street."
Chao Xiaoshu said, "I want to see her."
Ning Que raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "Why do you want to see her?"
Chao Xiaoshu said, "Let's take a look or talk."
"Although I don't think there's any need to talk, but …"
Ning Que said, "I haven't seen Xiaoman for a long time. Let's go."
…
…
The night street was quiet. The princess's residence, which used to be filled with guests, seemed especially cold and lonely. Even the commoners who occasionally walked by did not want to look at the nervous door.
Ning Que knew that there were many bodyguards hidden in the surrounding market place. He had always thought that Li Yu was an idiot, but this did not mean that the mother and son in the palace would lower their guard against her.
He and Chao Xiaoshu walked towards the princess's residence. Light snowflakes fell on the heavy gate. The inside of the courtyard was quiet and there were no lights. It looked like a tomb.
After the Xuanwei General's Mansion was executed, it also looked like a tomb. When Ning Que had just arrived in Chang 'an, he had visited it several times. He knew that this was what a dilapidated mansion should look like, so he did not find it strange.
He suddenly stopped and the walking stick under his armpit fell into the snow.
Chao Xiaoshu also stopped.
In the seemingly normal night, they felt that something was wrong at the same time. They heard the faint sound of breathing coming from the ancient trees behind the wall. From the frequency of their breathing, they could tell that those people were a little nervous.
Ning Que looked up at the falling snow. The snowflakes fell slowly and looked beautiful, but he was not actually looking at the snow. His eyes brushed past the branches on the wall.
Between the branches, he saw the sharp and cold arrowheads.
"It's a crossbow."
He looked at Chao Xiaoshu and said with a smile, "It seems to be a Shenhou crossbow."
Hearing the words "Shenhou crossbow", Chao Xiaoshu also laughed. A few years ago, he and Ning Que walked into the Spring Breeze Pavilion and killed countless people in the night rain. When they opened the door of the Chao Mansion, they saw a Shenhou crossbow.
There was no rain tonight, but there was snow.
After so many years, they were once again targeted by a Shenhou crossbow. Their expressions were not as solemn as before. Instead, they laughed, because they were no longer the same as before.
Chao Xiaoshu was no longer the king of Jianghu. He had entered the Knowing Destiny State by the lake in the imperial palace. He could also escape from Liu Bai's sword. He already had a place in the ranks of the strongest cultivators in the human world.
Ning Que had changed the most. Although the Old Brush Pen Shop was still his, he no longer sold calligraphy for a living. The once abject youth from the border town was now a person from the Academy who had entered the human world.
Not to mention a few Shenhou crossbows, even if there were hundreds of heavy cavalry rushing towards them from the other end of the street, neither Chao Xiaoshu nor Ning Que would be moved.
They were very strong, and even stronger when they stood together. They had seen it in the night rain in the Spring Breeze Pavilion years ago, or in the night snow in front of the Princess's Mansion a few years later.
"I just want to know where they are from now," Ning Que said.
Chao Xiaoshu said, "They should be the blood cloaks from the Gushan Commandery. They are the most elite subordinates of the Hua family in the army. You may not know, but Hua Shanyue has already returned to Chang 'an from the frontline."
Ning Que said, "What is love in the world? It can turn people into idiots."
…
…
Walking into the Princess's Mansion, it was still pitch-black. Only the lights from other mansions outside the walls could be seen. With the light of the snow, they could barely see the old path between the fallen flowers.
Ning Que had been to the Princess's Mansion many times. He walked directly in with Chao Xiaoshu, passing through the stone gate and the frozen surface of the lake. They saw the bean-like light on the lakeside balcony.
There were many heavy gauze curtains on the balcony. The light was very dim, and the woman sitting there looked very lonely. It was winter, and no one could understand why she was sitting there in the cold wind.
Ning Que lifted the gauze curtain and looked at Lee Yu. He said, "It seems that your mood has been quite good recently. It makes sense. As long as you have a thought in your heart, you can always get through the hard days."
Lee Yu was obviously thinner, but she was still beautiful. She ignored Ning Que and bowed to Chao Xiaoshu, who was beside him. She said, "Thank you, Second Uncle Chao, for remembering me."
Chao Xiaoshu shook his head and did not speak.
Ning Que walked to her with the help of his walking stick. He rubbed the wick with his fingers to make the oil lamp brighter.
He looked at Lee Yu and said, "I used to call you an idiot behind your back. That's because I have too high expectations for you. In fact, you are not that stupid. Then you should be very clear that under the current situation, you can either stay in the mansion or die. The Tang Empire does not give you the right to choose a third path."
Lee Yu did not say a word and only looked at him quietly.
Ning Que said, "Why do you do such a stupid thing?"
Hearing this, Lee Yu laughed. Her laugh was a little sad.
"Being imprisoned to death or being killed directly doesn't make much difference to me now. I would rather choose the latter. Moreover, I can't let Xiao Man live with me in this tomb for the rest of his life."
"These are all excuses."
Ning Que's tone was very calm. This calmness was even colder than the snow on the lake.
"If you are worried about Xiao Man, you can directly send someone to tell me. For the sake of our old friendship, I will not let him waste his life here no matter what. But you didn't, because you still want to get out. And you know, no matter what, I will not let you leave this Princess Mansion."
The cold night wind blew up the gauze curtain and fell on Lee Yu's body. She felt a little cold.
Chao Xiaoshu stood at the side in silence.
Lee Yu looked at Ning Que and suddenly said, "Do you hate me so much?"
Ning Que said, "It has nothing to do with love or hate. You know that I have always only considered interests."
After saying this, he looked around the balcony and said, "Come out."
…
…
It was quiet.
After a while, sounds came from all around the balcony and below. More than ten men in cloaks walked out. Hua Shanyue walked at the front, holding Xiao Man's hand.
These people looked weathered and solemn. They were obviously soldiers. What surprised Ning Que was that their cloaks were all white, unlike the blood cloaks that Chao Xiaoshu had mentioned.
Until a gust of wind blew up the soldiers' cloaks, revealing the blood red lining.
Xiao Man, of course, knew Ning Que. Seeing him standing in front of her mother, she subconsciously wanted to call out to him. But she suddenly realized that the atmosphere on the balcony was a little strange.
Ning Que looked at her and smiled.
Then he looked at Hua Shanyue and his smile gradually faded.
He did not know how this person and the Tang elites in blood cloaks had entered the Princess Mansion, but he knew what they wanted to do. And that was definitely something that he could not allow to happen.
"I can't believe that an idiot who is blinded by emotions can bring you out of Chang 'an. I really don't know if I should be disappointed in you or proud of my judgment back then."
Ning Que looked at Hua Shanyue, but this sentence was directed at Li Yu.
Li Yu said, "I don't believe that he can bring me out of Chang 'an. But since he is here, I can't just chase him away. You have to know that he is the first guest that has come to the mansion these days."
Ning Que said to Hua Shanyue, "You are now the supervisor of three states, only three levels away from becoming a general. I heard that you have made a lot of achievements in the northern front, but they are all going to disappear tonight. Do you regret it?"
Hua Shanyue looked at the crutch under his armpit and said, "Some things have to be tried before you know if you will regret it. I heard that you are seriously injured. Perhaps you are the one who will regret meeting me at this time."
Ning Que pointed at Chao Xiaoshu.
Hua Shanyue said, "I heard that Gang Leader Chao is also seriously injured. Ordinary people can't tell that you cultivators are injured. But according to the military, you are as weak as rabbits."
Ning Que looked at him and the dozen blood cloaks and said, "Wishful thinking indeed makes one crazy."
Hua Shanyue said, "There are 30 Shenhou crossbows pointing at you in the night. Of course I can think."
…
…
(Two chapters tomorrow as well.) (To be continued.) If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
