When He Yan returned to the room, the lights were still on. The two maidservants were lying on the side of the room, playing with a flower rope. When they saw He Yan, they quickly stood up and greeted, "Madam."
He Yan whispered, "It's nothing. You can sleep. I'm going to rest. Is Young Master asleep? "
Cui Jiao shook her head, "Young Master has been reading."
He Yan nodded, "I know. You should rest early too."
She pushed the door open and entered the room. Xiao Jue was sitting at the table, flipping through a long scroll in his hand. He was only wearing his inner garment. The snow-white garment hung loosely on his shoulders, revealing his jade-like skin. His collarbone was thin and as beautiful as the moon.
He Yan closed the door and walked to his side. "Governor?" he asked.
Xiao Jue only raised her eyes and glanced at her indifferently without saying a word.
"I thought you were asleep." He Yan removed the whip from her waist and hung it on the wall. The colorful tassel hanging from the handle of the whip swayed with her movements. The red pomegranate flower was even more exquisite and very eye-catching. Xiao Jue's gaze fell on the colorful tassel.
He Yan saw that Xiao Jue was looking at it, so she took off the whip and handed it to him, "What do you think? Commander, does it look good? This is a gift from Fourth Young Master Chu. "
"Chu Zilan is so generous." Xiao Jue narrowed her eyes and said calmly, "It's such an expensive gift. He doesn't think it's a waste to give it to you."
"Expensive?" He Yan asked curiously, "Fourth Young Master Chu said that this pomegranate flower is fake jade and isn't worth much. I accepted it because he said so. "
"Oh." He raised his eyebrows and said mockingly, "He's very considerate."
"Is it really that expensive?" He Yan was a little uneasy, "Then I'll return it to him tomorrow." If there were any unclean things in the future, such as money, it was better to be clear about it.
Xiao Jue said, "Just accept it. Don't you like him very much?"
He Yan was shocked. "Do I like him?" Why didn't she know?
"I didn't want to meddle in your business, but I still have to remind you." The young man's eyebrows were unbelievably handsome under the light. His eyes were dark and deep, with a hint of inexplicable coldness. "Chu Zilan is Xu Jingfu's son-in-law. If you don't want to die, stay away from him."
Xu Pingting was the apple of Xu Jingfu's eye. She seemed to like Chu Zilan. Lin Shuanghe had told her about it before. But what did it have to do with her? Not to mention whether she liked Chu Zhao or not, Chu Zhao was such a refined and polite person. He would definitely not like a woman who sat cross-legged on the bed and practiced boxing.
Xiao Jue was worried for nothing.
"Commander in chief, I think you're too anxious about Fourth Young Master Chu. You're even prejudiced against me." She squeezed to Xiao Jue's side and bent down to look at the scroll in Xiao Jue's hand. "It's so late. What are you looking at?"
Xiao Jue ignored her. He Yan stood behind him and craned his neck to look. After a while, he said, "It's a military defense map! What do you think? Do you see any problems? "
"The way you speak," Xiao Jue said calmly, "makes it sound like you're the commander in chief."
He Yan immediately withdrew his hand from his shoulder and moved a stool to sit beside him. He said, "I'm just too concerned. The Uto will soon know that Princess Meng Ji has been evacuating the citizens of Jiyang City these past few days. Once the Uto receive the news, they will soon mobilize their troops. " He Yan had a headache. "But there are too few soldiers in Jiyang City. Since the Uto dared to attack the city, they must have brought no less than 100,000 soldiers."
20,000 against 100,000. These 20,000 soldiers were the city gate guards who had not fought in many years. No matter how one looked at it, the situation was not very comforting.
"Weren't you a female general in your previous life?" Xiao Jue leaned back in his chair and twitched the corner of his mouth. "Tell me what to do."
He Yan was stunned. What was this? He was obviously telling the truth, but it was treated as a lie.
"In the military defense map, they came from the water." He Yan said, "Since that's the case, we can only … attack with water."
After saying this, she carefully raised her eyes to look at Xiao Jue's expression. The young man's expression was as calm as ever. The wine sword hanging on the wall was sparkling like snow and was as cold as ice.
Strangely enough, she and Xiao Jue had a life and death experience in the water. When it came to water, there was always a shadow in their hearts. The other was that their first battle was a water battle. To him, attacking with water was not a good memory. However, they were in Jiyang City. No matter what, they could not avoid such a battle.
He Yan suspected that she and Xiao Jue were fire spirits in their previous lives. They had such an ill-fated relationship with water.
"Tomorrow morning, I will go to the martial arts field to train the soldiers." Xiao Jue said, "You should go too."
"Me?" He Yan hesitated. "I really want to go, but won't Princess Meng Ji be unhappy?"
In name, Xiao Jue was Da Wei's Right Military Commander. No one could train soldiers better than him. However, He Yan was only Xiao Jue's subordinate.
"Don't worry about her." Xiao Jue said, "You should go with me."
It was late at night.
A man sat in front of the long table in the room and quietly looked at the basket of flowers on the table.
The sugar paintings were red and sparkling under the warm light of the oil lamp. The flowers in the basket were dense and luxuriant. In front of the basket, there were two words written: Zi Lan. Upright and beautiful.
A smiling voice seemed to ring in his ears.
"Zhao means light, while Zi Lan means vanilla. The person who gave you this name must have loved you very much and hoped that you would have a bright future. That's why they gave you such an elegant name. "
The person who gave him this name must have loved him very much?
Chu Zhao never thought so.
His mother was called Ye Runmei. She was the daughter of a small official in Qin County. She was as beautiful as a fairy. His memory was the same. She was a woman with impeccable features. She was beautiful, charming, and pitiful. In her delicate posture, there was a hint of innocence and nobility.
He would never forget such a beauty even if he saw her once. Many men in Qin County wished to marry Ye Runmei, but Ye Runmei had taken a fancy to the equally handsome Shi Jinbo, Chu Linfeng, who came to Qin County to work.
Even in Shuo Jing, Chu Linfeng was a rare handsome man. In addition, he was generous with his money and had been in the midst of women for so many years. He knew very well how to please people. Not long after, Ye Runmei secretly fell in love with this romantic and considerate Young Master Chu.
Not only did she fall in love with him, but she also spent a good night with him.
However, in only three months, Chu Linfeng had to leave Qin County and return to Shuo Jing. Before leaving, Chu Linfeng told Ye Runmei that he would come back to marry her. At that time, Ye Runmei was immersed in her dream of waiting for her sweetheart to marry her. She didn't realize that other than knowing Chu Linfeng's name and where he lived in Shuo Jing, she knew nothing about him.
After Chu Linfeng left, there was no more news about him.
Not long after he left, Ye Runmei found out that she was pregnant.
She was anxious and scared. She didn't dare to tell anyone. However, her belly grew bigger day by day. In the end, she couldn't hide it. Master Ye was furious. He asked Ye Runmei who the father of the child was. Ye Runmei didn't even know the father's true identity. How could she say it clearly? She could only cry non-stop.
In the end, Master Ye had no choice but to call a doctor. He planned to abort the child in Ye Runmei's belly. After a year and a half, he would send Ye Runmei to get married. This matter would rot in her belly forever.
Ye Runmei knew her father's plan and ran away that night.
She didn't want to abort the child. She didn't know if it was because she missed Chu Linfeng or because of other reasons. Anyway, she ran away.
Ye Runmei decided to go to Shuo Jing to find Chu Linfeng.
She was a pregnant woman. How could she walk so far? However, because of her beauty, she met a merchant along the way. He took the initiative to help her and agreed to take her to Shuo Jing.
Before they reached Shuo Jing, Ye Runmei gave birth. Chu Zhao was born at this time. After Chu Zhao was born, Ye Runmei's miserable days had just begun.
The merchant wasn't a kind person. He liked Ye Runmei's beauty and wanted her to be his concubine. Ye Runmei refused and scratched the merchant. In anger, the merchant sold Ye Runmei to a brothel for ten taels of silver.
Chu Zhao was also sold. The brothel mother thought that since Ye Runmei was so beautiful, her son wouldn't be bad either. If he was good-looking in the future, she might be able to earn another sum of money. If he wasn't good-looking, it wouldn't be a loss to be a servant.
Ye Runmei and Chu Zhao lived together in the brothel.
The pampered and spoiled young miss didn't know the evils of the world. In the brothel, she saw all kinds of ugly and evil people. It was as if they wanted to take back everything she had in the past. Ye Runmei's life was worse than death. The long-term torture changed her temperament. She became irritable and irritable. She didn't dare to be rash in front of her clients, but she vented her anger in front of Chu Zhao. She often beat Chu Zhao. If it wasn't for the protection of the other girls in the brothel, Chu Zhao felt that he wouldn't have lived to see Chu Linfeng.
Chu Zhao didn't understand what Ye Runmei's feelings for him were. If she didn't love him, then she left home alone to protect the flesh and blood in her belly. She suffered a lot, but she didn't give up on him. If she loved him, then why did she say those heart-wrenching words to him? Her eyes were full of hatred.
She always hit him with the bamboo pole and said, "I hate you! If it wasn't for you, if it wasn't for you, my life wouldn't be like this! Why did you appear? Why don't you die! "
After the vicious curses, she looked at the scars on Chu Zhao's body and hugged him. She cried, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Ah Zhao, Zilan, don't blame me. I feel sorry for you …"
He was at a loss when he was young. He didn't know whether he loved or not. He just looked at the crying woman and felt a trace of disgust.
He hoped that these days would end soon. He hoped that he could grow up quickly and escape from this dirty and hopeless place.
Ye Runmei wasn't the only one with such thoughts. She was also looking for an opportunity.
She never gave up on finding Chu Linfeng. She cursed Chu Linfeng's heartlessness and was full of hope for him. She always looked at Chu Zhao as if she was looking at all the hope. Maybe she left Chu Zhao in the past so that one day when she saw Chu Linfeng again, she could stand in front of him and tell him, "This is your son." Then she would tell him all the hardships and sufferings in the past few years. Chu Linfeng would feel sorry for her and marry her as he said to her in the past. He would make up for what he owed her and her son all these years.
Ye Runmei thought so, so she always took the initiative to entertain every guest from Shuo Jing. She was born beautiful and easily became the top beauty in the brothel. Although she wasn't in Shuo Jing, there were always people from Shuo Jing who came and went. One day, she actually met someone who knew Chu Linfeng.
That person was Chu Linfeng's friend. At first, when he heard Ye Runmei talk about the sad past, he just thought it was fun and occasionally comforted her to satisfy his kindness as a savior. But when he heard that the person was called Chu Linfeng, was handsome, and was from Shuo Jing, his face gradually changed.
Those who knew Chu Linfeng knew that he was a womanizer and was especially lecherous. It wasn't impossible for him to hook up with a woman from a small family when he was outside. But this matter wasn't done properly. In any case, she told the truth and let him give up. She didn't leave him in the same place and wait for so many years. Instead, it became an ill-fated relationship.
"My poor child … I don't know if he will have the chance to see his father in this life." Ye Runmei covered her face and cried.
"You have a child?" The friend was shocked and asked, "Can I see him?"
Ye Runmei let Chu Zhao out.
Chu Zhao's nose and mouth were like Ye Runmei's, but his eyebrows and eyes were the same as Chu Linfeng's. They were gentle and affectionate. When he looked at people, he always seemed to have a gentle smile. If this face said that he was Chu Linfeng's son, no one would doubt it.
The friend got up, said a few perfunctory words, and hurried out.
Ye Runmei was very disappointed.
When the friend returned to Shuo Jing, the first thing he did was to find Chu Linfeng at Count Shi Jin's residence and ask him if he had a brief relationship with a beauty many years ago in Qin County. Chu Linfeng thought for a long time and finally vaguely remembered that it was a very beautiful woman. Unfortunately, she was a little stupid and believed everything he said without a doubt.
"That woman is now living in a brothel," the friend said. "She even gave birth to a son for you. I've seen that child. He looks very similar to you and is very beautiful!"
This was out of Chu Linfeng's expectations.
Madam Chu was ugly and had never cared about his affairs outside. Thus, he was happy and at ease. He brought nineteen concubines into the residence, all of whom were outstanding beauties. Unfortunately, Madam Chu only had one condition. He could take concubines, but the child had to crawl out of her womb.
Madam Chu gave birth to three children. Chu Linfeng didn't have much interest in having more children, so he felt that it was enough. His only regret was that none of his three sons had inherited his looks. Their looks were mediocre. He knew that his colleagues and friends were laughing at him behind his back. He had been greedy for good looks all his life, but unfortunately, his sons were mediocre and not attractive enough.
But now, someone had come to tell him that he actually had a son who was lost outside. Moreover, the son was very outstanding and looked very similar to him. To him, this was a good thing that fell from the sky. For a moment, he really wanted this child to acknowledge his ancestors. This way, if others said that he couldn't give birth to a good-looking son, he could ruthlessly slap them in the face.
However, Chu Linfeng had been respectful to his wife for many years. Although Madam Chu looked dignified and dignified, she wasn't someone to be trifled with. Otherwise, the concubines in the Chu residence wouldn't have no sons. Chu Linfeng had no choice but to beg the old madam, his mother.
Although Madam Chu didn't care much about a concubine's son, he was still the blood of the Chu family. It wasn't good for him to be wandering outside, especially in a brothel. Thus, she personally went to find Madam Chu. Madam Chu and the old madam talked for two hours. When they left the residence, Madam Chu personally ordered people to go to the brothel in Danzhou to bring the concubine's son back.
However, that concubine's son didn't mention Ye Runmei.
Although Shi Jinbo wasn't the most powerful person in the capital, he was still a high-ranking official. To the people of Danzhou, he was even more unreachable. When the letter flew from the capital to Danzhou, Ye Runmei almost couldn't believe her eyes.
She knew that Chu Linfeng wasn't an ordinary person. He was so generous and his charm was especially different from the men in Qin County. His family background wasn't bad. However, she didn't expect him to be the current Shi Jinbo. He was someone she didn't even dare to think about in her life.
It was as if she had endured and planned for this moment for many years and finally reaped the sweet fruit. She hugged Chu Zhao and cried with joy. "Zilan, your father is here to pick us up. We can go home now …"
Chu Zhao quietly allowed the woman's emotional tears to fall on his neck. His young face was indifferent to his age.
Go home? Who could be sure that this was just jumping from one fire pit to another?
After all, all these years in the brothel, the men he saw were all greedy and evil, and the women were all stupid and weak. There was no difference.
However, Ye Runmei didn't think so. She spent all her savings to buy many beautiful clothes and jewelry. She dressed Chu Zhao like a young master from a rich family and dressed herself like a charming flower. She looked at the woman in the mirror. She was still beautiful, but her skin wasn't as smooth as when she was young. There was no more innocence in her eyes, no more coquettish.
She cried. Spring was as beautiful as before, but the beauty was past her prime.
And the man who promised to marry her hadn't come yet.
Ye Runmei thought that since Chu Linfeng was Shi Jinbo, he definitely wouldn't marry her, but it would be good to make her a concubine. Her son was also Shi Jinbo's son. She had been living a hard life in the brothel all these years. Being a concubine of an official was more noble than being a prostitute here.
She wanted to dress herself up beautifully. When she saw Chu Linfeng, she wanted to tell him how much she suffered for him all these years. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him. Ye Runmei thought that she was clever. Any man in the world would feel proud when he heard that a beauty was infatuated with him. And this pride would make him feel more tender and doting on the beauty, so as to show his heroic feelings.
She wouldn't let go of this opportunity. She wanted to regain Chu Linfeng's favor. Even if she was only a concubine, she wanted to be the one who attracted him the most.
However, Ye Runmei didn't expect that Chu Linfeng didn't come.
It was two women and a group of servants who came. They looked at Ye Runmei condescendingly. They couldn't help but look at her with contempt. It was as if they would dirty their eyes if they looked at her more.
The leading woman asked, "Where is Young Master Chu?"
Ye Runmei felt humiliated. She wanted to get angry, but in the end, she put on a humble smile. "He … he's changing in the next room." She had told Chu Zhao in advance to put in the jade hairpin to make her look elegant and cute.
"Good." The woman lowered her eyes and smiled insincerely.
Ye Runmei felt uneasy. She asked, "What do you want to do?"
One woman came over and pulled her hand back. Another servant covered her mouth with a handkerchief. Ye Runmei's eyes widened. She realized what they were going to do to her. She struggled with all her might and said angrily, "How dare you … how dare you! Aren't you afraid that Chu Linfeng will find out? Chu Linfeng will kill you! "
The woman looked at her coldly. Her smile was bone-chilling. "We don't dare to make such a big decision without the master's permission. Miss Mei … "She called Ye Runmei by her name in the brothel." Would our Count Shi Jinbo's mansion accept a prostitute who rides thousands of men in the brothel? Do you want people to laugh at the master, or do you want people to laugh at your son? "
Ye Runmei struggled with all her might, but her body was slender and weak. How could she be a match for the woman? She gradually lost her strength.
"Getting rid of the mother and keeping the son is already a gift to you."
Ye Runmei's legs gradually stopped moving. She fell straight to the ground with her eyes wide open.
She had waited for her husband all her life. She was so happy that she thought she had made it, but she was waiting for death.
Chu Zhao put in the hairpin and looked around in the mirror for a long time. Then, he walked to his mother's room. He wanted to knock on the door, but when he reached out his hand, he hesitated. He gently pushed the door a little to see what his "father" looked like.
Then he saw two old women carrying Ye Runmei as if they were carrying a dead pig. They hung a piece of white silk on the beam and covered Ye Runmei's head with it. Ye Runmei's face was facing the door. Her eyes met his.
Surrounded by pearls and jade, beautiful snow and red makeup, holding hatred toward the netherworld, unwilling to close her eyes even in death.
He staggered and covered his mouth to prevent himself from screaming.
The people in the room were still talking.
"She is beautiful, but how can she be so stupid? She still wants to marry into the family? She didn't even think about it. Which rich family would accept a woman from a brothel as a concubine? "
"After all, she came from a small family. She doesn't know what it means to get rid of the mother and keep the son. If she had stayed in Qin County, she wouldn't have lost her life. "
"Tsk, she's just greedy."
Chu Zhao slowly retreated. When he was far enough away from the door, he suddenly ran. He didn't know which family he was in, but he closed the door tightly. He gritted his teeth and silently cried.
A woman's voice seemed to fall into his ears. It had a rare gentleness.
"Beautiful clothes like a hero's, rotten clothes like a bright star. From now on, you will be called Ah Zhao. One day, our Ah Zhao will be like Almighty Yun. Wearing beautiful clothes, looking beautiful and brilliant. "
"As for the character, let's call you Zilan. Orchid is beautiful and fragrant. Mother, I used to love orchids the most. "
He innocently said, "In the future, Ah Zhao will buy many, many orchids for mother."
The woman's laughter gradually faded away. His eyes fell on the flower basket in front of him.
The fire was slightly hot. Chu Zhao paused for a moment, then threw the flower basket on the table into the fire. The flame licked the basket. After a while, the syrup flowed everywhere, giving off a burnt sweetness.
He walked away expressionlessly.
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