Spring came and autumn went, and winter snowed.
When Gou Liang could walk a hundred meters without his crutches, winter came quietly.
This year's winter seemed to be particularly cold.
Unlike the evergreen trees in Jiangnan, Shangjing was already wrapped in winter.
The Eastern Palace burned low-grade silver charcoal, and the smell of smoke was strong. If one stayed for a long time, their eyes would tear up. However, even the lowest grade silver charcoal in the palace was still in short supply in the Eastern Palace. Li Yan had many family members, and there was not much left for the Crown Princess and children. Therefore, Li Yan and Zhong Yue could only hide in the main hall in this cold winter and try to avoid going out.
Throughout the night, the sound of coughing came from the inner room. Zhong Yue wrapped the quilt tightly around his body and covered his nose to avoid the pungent smoke, but he could only endure it because he was too afraid of the cold.
Li Yan was silent and deep in thought outside the hall, turning a deaf ear to his coughing.
He was still thinking of a solution to the predicament in front of him.
During the earthquake that day, the Emperor did not push him out to calm the people. He even suppressed the news that King An spread that he was a coward and that he tried to assassinate King An in Yan.
In the end, the person responsible for this was the former Crown Prince, the son of the Gao family who was imprisoned.
The Emperor had plotted to have someone search his study and find a forbidden item — a small voodoo figure with the Emperor's, Crown Prince's, and An Wang's birth characters written on it. Then, the Imperial Astronomer came out and made a conclusion. They blamed the previous Crown Prince for the heavenly punishment, the Crown Prince's prolonged illness, and An Wang's assassination.
Without waiting for the Emperor to make trouble, the former Crown Prince, who found out that he had been exposed, committed suicide in his residence. He left a letter of repentance: He admitted that he had sinned deeply and begged for the Emperor's forgiveness.
The courtiers would never have guessed that the former Crown Prince was not the Emperor's biological son. They only thought that he had "poisoned" the Emperor before.
In their opinion, the former Crown Prince's temperament was too despicable. After the Emperor was almost killed by him, he still cared about the father-son relationship and did not take his life. However, they did not expect that he would not repent and even curse the royal family to die except for himself. His intentions were truly vicious!
This crime was monstrous. Even if some people knew that this was not true, it was enough to convince them to put down their doubts.
The courtiers' hearts settled down, and the court returned to peace after the disaster relief. The end of the year was approaching, and there was joy and peace again.
However, he, the Crown Prince, was still sick. His condition did not improve at all …
"Cough cough cough!"
The cough interrupted Li Yan's train of thought again, and he frowned in annoyance.
Zhong Yue had only moved into the main hall a few days ago. Before that, he had been living in the side hall. Even Li Yan, the Lord of the Eastern Palace, was not as carefree as he was, but he had never once stepped into the side chamber. This was because King An had specially arranged for this place to please Zhong Yue, and he did not want to dirty his feet if he walked in.
Yes, ever since Prince An returned to the capital from the Yan Lands, he had been very attentive to Zhong Yue. He had even violated the Emperor's taboo by repeatedly sending good things to the Eastern Palace.
On the surface, he pretended to be close to his brother, using the excuse that he was worried about his sister-in-law and nephew. But in reality, those things were sent to Zhong Yue's side chamber as soon as they entered the Eastern Palace.
The reason why Zhong Yue was hiding here was because of the heavy snowfall a few days ago. The emperor caught a cold and his old illness relapsed. In a hurry, the emperor took the risk and used the medicine he stole from Zhong Yue. Who knew that he would almost die! Unfortunately, he was so close … Thinking of this, Li Yan hated the Imperial Astronomer even more. He swore that one day when he ascended the throne, he would take care of Liu Buyu first!
That day, it was Liu Buyu of the Imperial Astronomer who delivered the medicine that saved the emperor's life.
But this time, his illness was so severe that even after taking the medicine, he was still bedridden and unable to take care of himself.
The Emperor's temperament had become abnormally irritable due to the near-death experience and his deteriorating health. When Prince An was performing his filial piety in front of his bed, he had repeatedly scolded him. He had even said such heart-wrenching words as him colluding with the Crown Prince to plot against Zhong Yue and working together to harm his life.
At this juncture, no matter how difficult it was to say, Prince An did not dare to be friendly to Zhong Yue and provoke the Emperor.
But even so, Prince An did not have the heart to save the Emperor. The angry and ill emperor looked at him as if he was looking at the former Crown Prince. He did not want to see him at all.
Therefore, the one who stayed by the emperor's side was Liu Buyu, who had been an invisible person in the court for more than ten years.
Zhong Yue could guess that there was someone behind Liu Buyu. Naturally, the emperor also had doubts and could not trust him wholeheartedly.
After a little testing, Liu Buyu was terrified. He knelt in front of the dragon bed and said, "Your Majesty, I have no one behind me. I only have the legacy left by my late master."
"That year, my master received the imperial edict and felt that he had let you down. Before leaving the capital, he did a final divination for Liang. He predicted that Liang would face a great disaster in more than ten years and entrusted it to me. If it was not for this divination, my master would not have failed to foresee the disaster that would befall the Zhong family. How could the assassination attempt that day have killed the entire family … without any power to fight back? "
Hearing this, the emperor did not doubt him.
After all, he already knew the inside story of that year and also understood the loyalty of the Imperial Advisor to the Imperial Family. Today, the thing that saved his life again was the life-saving medicine that the Imperial Advisor left for Liu Buyu.
He sighed regretfully, "I trusted the villain wrongly. I let the Zhong family down and almost harmed the people of the world … Cough, cough, cough."
Liu Buyu hurried forward and said, "Your Majesty, take care of your body. The past is the past. My late master was a wise man and had already accepted life and death. Your Majesty, you don't have to blame yourself. It's just that … "
The emperor looked at him, "Why did you stop talking?"
Liu Buyu kowtowed and said, "I have something that is stuck in my throat. I'm afraid that I will offend Your Majesty. I don't know if I should say it."
"If you have something to say, just say it. I'll forgive you."
A trace of darkness flashed in the emperor's eyes.
"Your Majesty, my late master and his family died tragically in the fire. Not even their bones were left. Because they were guilty, there was no one to restrain them. There was no tombstone and no descendants to pay tribute to them. "
When it came to the sad part, Liu Buyu burst into tears and choked, "Every time I think about it, I can't sleep at night. I only feel that I have no face to see my late master after death. Now that the world has changed greatly, there are signs of the truth being revealed … I am willing to use my head to guarantee that the memorial was not written by the State Preceptor. It was also not the State Preceptor who incited the late Lin Prince to murder the late Crown Prince! Therefore, I boldly request Your Majesty to reopen the case and clear the name of the State Preceptor's family, return their innocence, and bring justice to the world. "
The emperor originally thought that he would make an even more excessive request. Hearing this, he was slightly relieved and then said solemnly, "Your request is exactly what I want."
He immediately ordered the Imperial Chief Eunuch to send the Head of the Secretariat to come in the middle of the night and ordered the three departments to jointly reopen the case and clear the injustice of the State Preceptor Zhong.
This case was like heaven helping. The three departments quickly found clues and followed the handwriting on the letter to find the person who wrote it.
This person's surname was Wu. He was a scholar from the countryside and was best at imitating all kinds of handwriting. It was so vivid that it was difficult to distinguish the real from the fake.
According to his testimony, the memorial was proven to not be written by the State Preceptor himself. It was the Gao family who asked him to write it.
He was greedy for life and afraid of death. When he saw that the contents of the memorial were shocking, he knew that he would be killed. After he finished writing, he did not even care about his wife and children and fled through the night. Later, when he heard that the State Preceptor's family was exterminated, he did not dare to return to his hometown and hid his name. This time, when he passed by the suburbs of the capital, he found out that the State Preceptor's family was buried nearby. He felt uneasy, so he bought incense and paper money to pay his respects and express his repentance. However, he did not expect to be caught by the Ministry of Justice.
The old case that had been silent for fifteen years was finally cleared.
Not only did the emperor announce the case to the world, but he also put the crime of killing loyal people on the head of the rebel Gao family and the former Crown Prince. He also set up a memorial tablet for the State Preceptor's family in Huguo Temple to receive incense and worship. He personally wrote an inscription praising the deeds and virtues of the State Preceptor Zhong's ancestors. On the day of the memorial, he dragged his sick body and personally led the officials to pay their respects.
When the news reached Yangzhou, Gou Liang set out to hold a memorial ceremony to comfort the spirits of the original owner.
The original owner's negative soul power was thus reduced by half.
That night, the old man secretly burned incense and arranged wine in the backyard. As he drank, he said, "Heartless girl, now you can be at ease."
"Grandfather, what's the point of drinking alone? Why don't I accompany you?"
As the rolling wooden wheels approached, the old man lifted his eyelids to look at Gou Liang. It was a windy and warm night, but this kid was still wrapped up tightly like a ball. Fortunately, he was in a wheelchair, otherwise he would roll around as he walked.
His heart was filled with disdain. Seeing that Zhong Quan wanted to stop him, the old man waved his hand and said, "Today is a happy day. There's no harm in letting him drink a few cups."
The old man drank strong wine, so he specially prepared a small cup for Gou Liang. He drank it in one gulp and was so spicy that he stuck out his tongue. His eyes were filled with tears, but he still excitedly handed the old man a cup to drink. Zhong Quan saw that he was unhappy if he did not drink, so he could only return to the courtyard to get the Lin family's home-brewed wine. After warming it, he gave it to him to drink.
Gou Liang happily drank three cups in a row. The mellow taste of the wine entered his stomach and his whole body warmed up. With the moon hanging in the sky, good wine in hand, and a loyal dog by his side, this was the peak of life!
Gou Liang excitedly patted Zhong Quan's shoulder and said, "Let's go, we'll go up there. Tonight we won't go back until we're drunk!"
The reason why the Green Summit Courtyard was called this name was because there was a natural stone rockery in the backyard. It was as tall as ten people, and it was as if the sun and moon were within reach.
The old man also came to join in on the fun. Seeing that Zhong Quan was not drinking, he pulled Gou Liang over to drink a cup. He talked about the naughty past of the original owner's mother when she was young, complaining that she had poor taste. There were so many good men in the world, but she chose a short-lived ghost. One old and one young unconsciously drank a lot. Zhong Quan wanted to take him back, but Gou Liang refused and said, "How can there be no wine in front of the moon? How can there be no song in front of the wine?"
He raised his jade flute and was about to play it for them.
The flute under the moon sang nine songs, and the shadows on the peak became a pair.
The flute sound was ethereal and pleasant to listen to, full of open-mindedness. Listening to it made one's heart calm and mind open, as if they had put down thousands of burdens. All of their melancholy drifted away with the flute sound. Even the unsolved mysteries that troubled them gradually had an answer in their hearts.
The old man who was lying on the ground sat up and threw his wine cup to the side. He shouted crazily, "So that's how it is, haha, so that's how it is!"
As he said this, he ran down the rockery. When he returned to his room, he couldn't wait to grab the fire toad that he had been raising for several months and didn't know what to do with. He was about to slaughter it and develop an unprecedented poison.
Zhong Quan quietly looked at Gou Liang, who was playing the vertical bamboo flute. He let go of those unspoken obsessions in his heart, which made him unconsciously feel relaxed.
【Ding, the target's favorability has been updated. Current favorability: 99!】
Gou Liang opened his eyes and looked at Zhong Quan. The sound of the flute gradually faded away and disappeared between the mountains and rivers.
Putting down the jade flute, Gou Liang smiled and asked him, "Does it sound good?"
Zhong Quan nodded and squatted down to help him tighten his cloak. He softly asked, "Master, does this song have a name?"
"Of course." Gou Liang handed the jade flute to him and said, "This song is called Heaven's Inquisition. It is a chapter of the Inquisition of the Heaven Secret Technique. It asks the heavens and the earth, and asks the heart. Listening to this song is to listen to the heart. No matter what troubles you have, your heart will give you the answer … Zhong Quan, what were you thinking just now? Did you get the answer? "
Zhong Quan looked at him hesitantly.
Gou Liang pinched his face and threatened, "I asked you a question. You dare not answer?"
His hands were cold. Zhong Quan held them in his palms and used his body temperature to drive the cold away. Seeing Gou Liang smile, his gaze unconsciously softened.
"This subordinate once had a question in his heart."
"Oh?"
"This subordinate often thought … Master is the son of heaven, you can ask the heavens for longevity. But I am just an ordinary person, a hundred years in a hurry, or even less. If I die, what will happen to Master? If I am old, what will happen to me? Zhong Quan is not willing to let other people stay by your side, and I am not willing … to let other people cure your poison. "
Gou Liang was blessed by the heavens. Originally, he only had joy in his heart, but he didn't know when, but this mood gradually changed.
He became greedy. Even if he held his master in his arms, even if he didn't go anywhere except by his side, he still wasn't satisfied. He wanted to be forever, he wanted to be the only one. But lifespan was determined by the heavens. He could compete with other people, but how could he compete with the heavens? And when he was old and couldn't carry his master, or when that thing became weak, would his master still be young? Would he only be able to watch his master touch other people's skin …
Every time he thought of this, his heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. He wished he could kill all the men in the world before he died.
"Then what is your answer?"
Gou Liang asked him.
"As long as Zhong Quan is alive, I won't let anyone get close to you. To be able to hold you for a lifetime is my blessing. After I die … I only hope that Master can remember me and explain it to me. "
"Fool."
Gou Liang sighed and leaned over. Just like Zhong Quan had done many times before, he pressed his cool face against Zhong Quan's always warm face and rubbed his ears.
"Master …"
Zhong Quan searched for Gou Liang's lips, tentatively and carefully kissed his soft lips. Seeing that Gou Liang did not refuse and instead smiled, she felt happy in her heart. She kissed his dimple, and then contentedly pulled him into her bosom.
Gou Liang poured him a glass of wine and raised it, saying, "Come, today is very satisfying. Drink with me."
Zhong Quan drank from his hand. He saw that Gou Liang's eyes were already a bit drunk. His pair of eyes, which were always cold, was now filled with a smile, like a cat that had stolen a fish. Gou Liang fed him another mouthful and drank it himself, letting out a comfortable sigh. Drink another glass. His eyes turned, and on a whim, he moved closer to Zhong Quan's mouth to feed him.
The hand on Zhong Quan's chest told Gou Liang that the other's heart was beating faster, almost to the point where it was about to jump out of his chest. Zhong Quan's kiss became deeper and deeper. In the end, it was unknown who drank that mouthful of wine. Neither of them tasted it, only their lips and tongues intertwined.
【Ding, mission progress bar advanced. Current mission progress: 61%.】
After the kiss, Gou Liang asked him, "Does it taste good?"
Zhong Quan nodded carelessly, and then repeatedly sucked on his mouth, making loud kissing noises.
Gou Liang laughed and said that he was becoming more and more impudent, but he was completely dependent on him. He didn't complain even when he was kissed, but instead raised his head and let him do whatever he wanted.
Zhong Quan held his face in his chest, and after a while, he calmed down and said in a hoarse voice, "The wind is blowing, master, let's go back."
Gou Liang didn't mind, but he still remembered to bring the bottle of wine. He nestled in his arms and secretly took a sip. He glanced at Zhong Quan again, and seeing that he didn't notice, he happily took another sip. Zhong Quan's mouth curved into a doting smile, letting him drink happily.
In the end, Gou Liang naturally got drunk.
He sang He Chongfeng's "Drunken Drinking Jianghu" on repeat, as if he couldn't get tired of singing it.
"Lying drunk in Jiuzhou, my heart is quiet. Nursing grievances in the mountains and rivers, the rivers and seas are colorless. Jianghu never forgets, forgetting to break Du Kang … "
Zhong Quan saw that he was fascinated by the song, and Gou Liang smiled and asked him if it was good, but he only nodded. Gou Liang was overjoyed, and his creative inspiration exploded. His voice was full of passion, and he sang,
"If you like sour and sweet, eat little tangerine ~ If you like sweet and sour, I have little lemon ~ If you like sweet and sweet, little strawberry is by my side …"
"I have a little shadow guard, but I never ride it …"
The sound of the medicine furnace exploding and the old man's earth-shattering roar came from next door!
He kicked the door open and came in, holding a silver needle in his hand. He angrily rushed over, "Make him mute! Otherwise, I'll kill him! "
Zhong Quan hugged Gou Liang and dodged easily, causing him to miss.
The old man was furious, "Are you deaf?! Make him shut up! "
Zhong Quan sincerely said, "It's quite nice."
Gou Liang hugged him and laughed. He kissed him on the face, saying that he was obedient, and opened his mouth to sing,
"Come ~ Be happy ~ Anyway, there's a lot of time …"
The old man, "…"
From afar, the sound of a child crying could be heard. The moon was hidden, and the night was even quieter, leaving only the unique singing voice.
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