As soon as the servant said "that important matter", Mo Xi immediately understood.
Chong Hua had an extremely shocking secret. In the entire kingdom, there were probably no more than five people who knew about it.
And Lord Xi He was one of the people who knew about it.
He braved the wind and snow to arrive at Xi Chen Hall and followed the servant into the depths of the bedroom.
The charcoal fire in the hall was burning fiercely. Two smoke eating little golden beasts were lying by the brazier, singing praises to Jun Shang as usual, "Jun Shang has great fortune!" "Jun Shang has boundless longevity!" All of the servants and attendants had already been dismissed. Only Jun Shang was still sitting by himself on the couch. His face was strangely pale.
"Jun Shang."
"Stove, you're finally here." Jun Shang said weakly, "If you didn't come, I would have died."
Mo Xi: "…"
Although Jun Shang exaggerated a bit, this was indeed Chong Hua's unspeakable secret – Jun Shang had an illness.
Jun Shang was the ruler of the country, but he was suffering from a severe cold.
This kind of cold illness couldn't be cured. Although it didn't endanger his life, according to the patient's physique and fate, he would be paralyzed in bed in ten to twenty years, or thirty to fifty years. In other words, even if Jun Shang took great care to recuperate, he would be doomed to be paralyzed in his fifties at most.
Mo Xi looked at Jun Shang's tired expression and sighed, "Jun Shang, rest. I'll help you get through the cold."
It was rare for Jun Shang to show such exhaustion. He nodded and leaned back on the soft pillow.
When the cold illness flared up, it was painful and unbearable. Only fire elemental cultivators could push their blood to get through the cold and return to normal. This was also the reason why Jun Shang sometimes called Mo Xie a 'furnace'.
Jun Shang closed his eyes and let Mo Xi transfer fire elemental spiritual energy to him. After a long time, the bruises on his lips finally eased.
He still didn't open his eyes, but sighed, "Fortunately, you're here. Otherwise, I would have suffered. Although Medicine Master Lin also has a fire elemental spiritual core, his spiritual energy is far weaker than yours. He won't be able to help me get through this difficulty in a short time."
The little golden beast was still screaming by the brazier, "Great fortune! Live as long as the Southern Mountains! "
Jun Shang snorted twice and sneered: "What great fortune and longevity, bullshit. In the past few months, Gu's Cold Illness had been acting up more frequently, and he didn't know how long this body could last. If my illness is exposed in the imperial court … "He sneered." Hehe, I think those tigers and wolves will be restless. They will dig out my heart and lungs and eat everything. "
At this point, he finally opened his eyelids slightly and looked back at Mo Xi, "If such a day comes, the Lord Xi He will guard the front of the palace for me."
Mo Xi was a person who didn't like to beat around the bush. He knew that Jun Shang was testing his intentions, so he said directly, "The oath of the heavenly tribulation has already been made. What else is there that Jun Shang is worried about?"
Jun Shang smiled: "This Monarch was just casually chatting."
But Mo Xi knew that he wasn't just chatting.
Jun Shang's position wasn't easy to come by, so he was wary of everyone.
That year, Jun Shang's birth mother bribed the imperial physician in order to keep this a secret. But when the Old Lord was about to pass away, this matter was exposed again. The late Emperor was concerned about the Chong Hua nation. He was worried that if this son was weak while on the throne, it would be difficult for him to escape external and internal troubles.
But the late Emperor was weak. He only had this one son, as well as two daughters, Yan Ping and Meng Ze. When he was on his deathbed, could it be that he wanted to make his daughter Queen?
It was too absurd. There were twenty-eight countries in Jiuzhou, and no one had ever heard of a country having a female monarch.
As for the adoption of other children with the surname Murong, the late Emperor had also considered it. It was said that at that time, he wanted to test this child, the Murong Lian. But before he could make any arrangements, the late Emperor's illness worsened and he passed away not long after.
No one knew why the late Emperor suddenly had the intention of abolishing the Crown Prince before he passed away. They thought that it was because the Old Lord was delirious from his illness. And those few people who knew the truth were also placed with the most terrible secret protection spell. From then on, the secret of the new Emperor's cold illness was buried deep in their hearts.
The warm breath of the flame flowed through the body, slowly dispersing the pain caused by the cold illness.
Jun Shang closed his eyes and rested for a while. Suddenly, he said, "Speaking of which … Furnace, Gu Mang has been in your residence for a few days. Is everything going well? "
"Everything is going well."
Jun Shang didn't speak again. After a while, just when Mo Xi thought that he wouldn't continue this topic, he said, "I still remember two years ago, I wrote to you and asked you about the punishment for Gu Mang. You didn't say much at that time. But I see that after you returned to the city, your mind has changed. "
Mo Xi didn't speak. He only silently passed the cold air to Jun Shang.
Jun Shang also didn't look back at him. He lay on the low couch and said, "Furnace, I know you're a person who values relationships. When you don't see him, you only remember that Gu Mang didn't treat you well. But when you really see him, you can't help but remember that he's your brother. Isn't that right? "
The water in the hall was dripping down the drain.
After the cold air dissipated, his body was no longer so uncomfortable. Jun Shang sighed, "You're actually still suffering. I can see it."
"…"
"You remember his evil, but you can't forget his good. You hate that you can't let him die, but when you really see blood, your heart doesn't feel good. "
"Jun Shang …"
"Aiya, it's human nature." Jun Shang said languidly, "Actually, from the day you didn't hesitate to swear an oath to Gu Mang in order to protect the Northern Frontier Army, I understood that in your heart, you still value your old friendship with him. That knife cut into your heart, but it couldn't dig out the past from your flesh and blood. There's nothing wrong with you remembering old friendships. "
After the cold poison dissipated, Jun Shang sat up from the couch. He lowered his head and tidied his clothes. His face regained its former arrogance.
Smoothing out the fine wrinkles on his robes, Jun Shang raised his eyes and looked at Mo Xi, saying, "However, I have something to tell you first."
Mo Xi was silent for a moment, then said, "… Jun Shang, you don't have to say more. I no longer have any friendship with him."
Jun Shang chuckled, "If you really didn't have any friendship with him, you wouldn't have come to ask me for this person." Finished speaking, he picked up the bracelet on the red sandalwood bedside table and slowly played with it in his palm.
"Back then, you didn't hesitate to use ten years of your life and a lifetime promise to protect the remnants of the troops he left behind. You even endured their hatred and became the Northern Frontier Army's' stepfather '. Now you're doing this to protect them — is this hatred? Do you think I'm a fool or blind? "
"…"
His smile faded, and he continued, "I don't care about other things. What I want to remind you is that Gu Mang has committed the crime of treason. The reason I still let him live is not because I'm giving any face to any of you, but because he's still useful. "
As he spoke, he stared fixedly at Mo Xi's face, "Gu Mang is a person of Da Wu, his crime is unforgivable. The people of Chong Hua are all stretching their necks to see his head fall to the ground. One day, when I've used him up, or he can't be controlled anymore, I'll definitely issue an order to kill him. "
Hearing this, Mo Xi's eyelashes moved slightly.
"When that day comes, I don't want to see you lose your mind and stand by Gu Mang's side."
Mo Xi didn't agree as straightforwardly as in the past. He was still silent.
Jun Shang raised his eyebrows slightly, "If you have something to say, Lord Xi He, why don't you just say it to me."
Mo Xi said, "It's nothing."
"Really?"
"He's guilty, there's no way to defend himself."
"Eh, why are you so bored?" Lord Xi He did as he wished, but Jun Shang was somewhat dissatisfied, "You should at least symbolically plead for leniency and let me reject you. Then you can plead again, and I'll reject you again, and plead again, and I'll be furious. This way, our court will be lively and interesting, and not lifeless …"
"…" Mo Xi paused, then raised his eyes, "Then I do have a request."
"Ah, that's right."
Mo Xi said, "I want to do it myself."
Jun Shang was shocked, "What?"
"On the day of Gu Mang's execution, I want to do it myself."
"… Let me take it slowly." Jun Shang held his forehead and muttered in a low voice, "… Why is it different from what I expected?"
"Please grant my wish, Jun Shang."
Jun Shang was speechless for a moment. He sat stiffly for a while, then leaned back in his chair and clapped his hands, "Love and hate, the two of you are so interesting."
"…"
Jun Shang's light brown eyes moved faintly, and he said again, "But I'm afraid you won't be able to do it."
"Then when I really can't do it, I'll let Jun Shang decide."
Jun Shang stared at Mo Xi's face for a while, as if he wanted to dig out something from his eyes, but in the end, he didn't get anything. So he suddenly sighed, "Lord Xi He, why do you have to do this? You only have one brother from when you were young, and you want to watch him live, and watch him die. You ah … you ah … "
Mo Xi said, "I only have this one brother in my life. Love and hate have been exhausted, and there is no obsession. I only have this one request, and I hope Jun Shang will grant it. "
Jun Shang turned the string of beads, closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then suddenly grinned, "I don't think so."
"…"
"As the saying goes, a gentleman keeps his word. I won't be so easily fooled into nodding."
He opened his eyes and put down the string of beads, "Let's talk about this later."
Mo Xi seemed to have expected this answer, and said without surprise, "That's fine."
"…?" Jun Shang was slightly angry, "Aren't you going to keep asking? If you ask again, I'll refuse. If you ask again, I'll refuse again. Then I'll be furious, and our court will be lively … "
Mo Xi didn't give in to his bad taste, and bowed, "It seems that Jun Shang has completely recovered. I won't stay in the night, goodbye."
Jun Shang's mouth twitched, "… Fine. Get lost. You're not fun at all. "
When Mo Xi returned to the residence, it was already late at night, and most of the people in the residence were asleep. Mo Xi walked through the hall, his expression not very good.
He felt that he and Jun Shang didn't seem to be compatible. Only the two of them were alone together, and in the end, it would always make each other unhappy.
He was irritated, and with a gloomy face, he kicked open the door to his bedroom. He was about to wash up and sleep, but the moment he looked up, he froze …
"Li Wei!"
An angry roar resounded through the entire Xi He residence, and the flowers and leaves rustled, and the fish in the pond sank into the water.
"Come here!!"
Li Wei was worried about his dog head, and ran over to greet him, "Aiya, Master is back. This subordinate was feeding the horses in the stables and came late. Master is magnanimous, please don't blame me."
Mo Xi turned his head gloomily, and a pair of knife-like eyes coldly scraped Li Wei's body, and finally landed on his face.
He turned sideways to let Li Wei see the situation in his room clearly.
"Explain." Mo Xi's expression was gloomy, and he said coldly, "I just went to the imperial palace, what's going on?"
Li Wei poked his head out to take a look. Wow, what a guy.
The entire room … What should he say?
One must know that Mo Xi had severe obsessive-compulsive disorder and mild mysophobia, and the place he lived in was always meticulous. Not to mention the things that were placed haphazardly, even the edges and corners of the folded bedding were not messed up.
But now, the tables and chairs were toppled, the bed curtains were in a mess, the pillows were on the floor, and the vase was on the bed. In short, it was as if a thief had sneaked in, then rolled around, danced, and went crazy in this room.
Li Wei trembled as he turned his head, and saw Mo Xi's pale face. He couldn't help but feel a chill on the back of his neck. He stammered, "I, I'll go and investigate the situation."
Mo Xi gritted his teeth and said, "Get out."
Li Wei quickly left, and in less than a cup of tea's time, he rolled back smoothly.
At this time, Mo Xi was standing in the room, staring at his bed in a daze. Seeing him come back, he turned around and said stiffly, "What did you say?"
"A ghost." Li Wei wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and couldn't help but mutter, "I really saw a ghost."
As he spoke, he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Several times, he wanted to speak, but when the words reached his mouth, he didn't know what to say. In the end, before Mo Xi was about to explode again, he slapped his thigh and said, "Everything you say is empty! Master, come with me to take a look, it's really a ghost! "
Mo Xi couldn't stand his exaggerated tone, so he followed him to the firewood shed in the backyard.
If that could still be called a firewood shed.
Mo Xi, "…"
Li Wei was still sighing, "Really a ghost!"
He saw that more than ten pieces of Taihu stone had been piled up outside the originally normal little house. Mo Xi found a few of them quite familiar, as if they had been taken from the fish pond. On top of these stones, there were also tables, chairs, and benches of suitable sizes that had been collected from all over Xi He's residence. The four legs were facing the sky, making the entrance look like a hedgehog with sharp needles all over its body.
In such a short period of time, someone had forcibly turned Xi He's firewood shed into an impenetrable beast's den.
You don't even have to use your toes to guess who did this masterpiece!
Li Wei's eyes were sharp. He pointed at the thick quilt hanging at the entrance and asked curiously, "Eh? Isn't this Lord Xi He's bed … "
Yes, of course it was on his bed.
It was the snow silk quilt that he would fold neatly every day after waking up!
At this moment, it had become the warm curtain that covered the entrance of Heifeng Village!!!
Li Wei was afraid that he would fall ill from anger, so he hurriedly said, "Oh, Master, this is a good thing."
Mo Xi felt dizzy. He gritted his teeth and said, "What's good about it?"
"Think about it, Gu Mang had been looking for rice vats and cellars to hide in before. What does this mean? It means that he is ready to slip away at any time and is not ready to listen to your orders. Master, you can't order him around. "
"Then now?"
"Now." Li Wei cleared his throat and said seriously, "Gu Mang spent a lot of effort to arrange a bedroom in Xi He's residence according to his own preferences."
Mo Xi held his throbbing forehead and interrupted him, "… When did you become blind?"
"Ah, right, it's not a bedroom." Li Wei looked at the fortress-like Taihu Stones and thought for a while to think of a more suitable word, "Nest. He built a nest for himself. "
"Animals build nests, birds build nests, it's the same as people building homes — they have to live in the same place for a long time." Li Wei analyzed, "On the surface, Gu Mang has been tamed by the wise and great Master. From then on, he has the self-awareness of living under someone else's roof. If Master tells him to go east, he doesn't dare to go west. If Master tells him to stop, he doesn't dare to continue walking even if Master breaks his legs."
While he was flattering Mo Xi, he suddenly heard a rustling sound behind him.
The two of them turned around and saw Gu Mang carrying a large pile of mattresses into the courtyard. There was a big black dog at his feet. It looked like the dog that he had depended on in Luo Mei Villa. At some point, that dog had slipped out of Fallen Plum Gardens and returned to Gu Mang's side after a long search for its owner.
The three of them and the dog unexpectedly bumped into each other. Gu Mang, who had stolen the mattresses, was stunned.
Mo Xi also stood in the same place.
"…"
After a few moments of silence, Gu Mang spread out the mattress and covered his head. Then he asked calmly, "Can you still see me?"
Mo Xi, "… What do you think?"
The person under the mattress moved uneasily. Suddenly, he turned around and ran. The black dog also ran happily beside him, barking as it ran.
Seeing that the man and the dog were about to disappear around the corner, Mo Xi was angry and speechless. He shouted, "Come back here!"
He didn't listen.
Gu Mang ran even faster.
Mo Xi looked coldly at Li Wei, who was enjoying the show. He gritted his teeth and said, "… If I tell him to go east, he won't go west. If I tell him to stop, he won't walk?"
Li Wei said guiltily, "Hehe, that … Eh, after all, Gu Mang was a beast on the altar in the past. Even if his brain is damaged, he's still a little wild. But Master, you see, he's already very willing to talk to you, isn't he?"
Mo Xi's response to this was to say angrily, "Yes your head! Go back and tidy up my room! "
Li Wei hurriedly said, "Yes!" As he spoke, he went forward to pull the mattress that Gu Mang had hung on the stone of Lake Tai.
Mo Xi stopped him, "What are you doing?"
"I'm taking it to wash."
Mo Xi choked with anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "Do you think I'll still want the mattress that Gu Mang used to warm the curtains? Go to the storeroom and get a new one! "
Li Wei immediately responded and ran away.
Mo Xi stood where he was. He looked at Li Wei's back and then at the place where Gu Mang and the dog disappeared. Finally, he turned to stare at the "doghouse" left by Gu Mang. He raised his hand to rub the back of his neck that was throbbing with pain. He felt that all the anger he had accumulated in his life would disappear in these few days.
Damn it, he might as well go back to the border. If he continued to be annoyed like this, he would probably become a Buddha!
However, Xi and Jun Moshuai were probably still too young. He was a straightforward person who didn't like to be long-winded. His emotions were written all over his face. The court was different from the military. Here, iron blood and loyal hearts would disperse like the tide. What went against the current was scheming and scheming against each other. The "annoyance" after returning to the capital had only just begun.
Just a few days later, a new round of troublesome matters came.
Several old nobles who were usually as timid as mice thought that Lord Xi He was busy with official business and couldn't keep an eye on Gu Mang all day long. What if this bastard was used by people like Li Qingqian or had ulterior motives? It would be too dangerous. Therefore, those old nobles jointly wrote a petition to His Majesty, hoping that he would be locked up in the Yin Prison.
Mo Xi said coldly, "He's in the Yin Prison. Didn't Li Qingqian have a way to help him escape?"
"That's because the security wasn't tight enough. If we increase the security, we can definitely —"
"Definitely what?" His Majesty interrupted, "I've already agreed to Lord Xi He's request. If I were to break it so easily, what kind of person would I be?"
However, those old nobles were fuming with anger and didn't let it go. They cried and complained again. His Majesty was annoyed and said irritably, "Fine, fine, fine, you're so annoying! Then why don't we break it? Lord Xi He, take Gu Mang with you another day and put a slave imprint on him to prevent him from escaping. It's also to give them some relief. "
Hearing about the slave imprint, Mo Xi's heart skipped a beat. He looked up at the man on the throne.
His Majesty raised his eyebrows slightly, "What? Lord Xi He, do you have something to say? "
"… No."
Mo Xi answered in a low voice and closed his eyes.
The so-called slave imprint was to put a slave ring on him.
According to Chong Hua's rules, whether it was putting a ring on a slave or removing it, it had to be approved by his Majesty and operated by a weaponsmith. Therefore, when the Murong Lian put a ring on Gu Mang without permission, it was actually against the rules. Later, when Gu Mang made a great contribution, the Old Lord issued a decree to remove his slave imprint. Naturally, the slave ring on his neck was also removed. The Murong Lian was even scolded by the Old Lord because of this.
That day, it was Mo Xi who accompanied Gu Mang to the weaponsmith to remove the necklace from his neck.
He was sincerely happy for his Senior Martial Brother. He thought that his Senior Martial Brother was so good, he should be free for the rest of his life.
At that time, Mo Xi never thought that one day, as Gu Mang's new master, he would put the slave ring back on his Senior Martial Brother Gu's neck, which symbolized "humiliation" and "occupation".
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.
