As if in a dream, he turned his head and saw a familiar figure.
Under the moonlight, under the paulownia flowers of the Feiyao Pavilion. The figure was quietly looking at him.
That person was not Gu Mang — naturally, it was not Gu Mang. Mo Xi, who came back to his senses, almost sneered in his heart. What was he thinking?
The person who spoke was a man with gentle features. He was sitting in a wooden wheelchair, wearing a plain winter coat. His crippled legs were covered with a thin lotus-colored blanket.
Mo Xi was slightly surprised. "Elder Qing Xu?"
Elder Qing Xu, Jiang Yexue. He was Yue Chenqing's elder brother.
He was different from the carefree, silly boy Yue Chenqing. Jiang Yexue's life was very poor. His mother passed away early. Later, because he insisted on marrying the daughter of a guilty official, he was expelled from the Yue family.
At that time, he and the girl did not have much money, so their marriage was very simple. Due to the pressure of the Yue family, only a few people insisted on going — among them were Mo Xi and Gu Mang.
Mo Xi gave them a small courtyard. Gu Mang looked at the deed and was dumbfounded. Then he said to Jiang Yexue, "Brother, I'm very poor. I can't afford this." Everyone laughed. Gu Mang puffed up his cheeks and played the song "A Male Phoenix Courting a Female Phoenix" for them.
However, good times did not last long. Jiang Yexue and his wife joined the army together. The war was merciless. First, his wife was taken away, and then his legs were taken away.
Mo Xi did not know how this man survived. Fortunately, Jiang Yexue was soft on the outside but tough on the inside. In the end, he pulled himself together and got the position of an elder in the Cultivation School to teach the way of refining weapons. But this move actually angered his biological father, the Yue Juntian, who was the number one blacksmith in Chong Hua, and ordered the Cultivation Academy to strip Jiang Yexue of his teaching position —
"This unfilial son who was expelled from the Yue Clan doesn't even follow our surname anymore. How could he still have the face to rely on the Yue Clan's ability to make a living?"
The Palace Master could not win against the Yue Juntian, so he could only tactfully reject Jiang Yexue.
When Mo Xi saw this, he decided to give him a position in the Military Council. Unexpectedly, before he could even open his mouth, the next day, the Cultivation Academy's Palace Master actually begged Jiang Yexue to bring him back. This time, no matter how much the Yue Clan complained, it was useless. The Palace Master only said that he was "instructed by an old friend".
As for who that old friend was, it was still a mystery in Chong Hua.
Jiang Yexue knew that he and the Yue Clan hated each other. In the past, this kind of banquet would never happen. That was why Mo Xi was so surprised to see him.
"Why are you here?"
"I …" Jiang Yexue said, "I'm here to see Chenqing."
"…"
When Jiang Yexue left, Yue Chenqing was still young. He did not remember many things clearly, but as his older brother, he could not let go of his younger brother.
Although Yue Chenqing did not acknowledge him, he did not make things difficult for him like the other Yue Clan members.
"I also wanted to see you." Jiang Yexue paused, then smiled, "I couldn't see you anywhere. I thought that it might be because it was too noisy inside and you couldn't stand it, so I came to see you. Sure enough, I guessed right. You really were here to enjoy the wind. "
"If you wanted to see me, you could have just sent a message. Why did you come here personally? You can't catch a cold with the wound on your leg. I'll take you back. "
"It's fine. It hasn't hurt for a long time." Jiang Yexue said, "I came here to thank you. Chenqing is still young. Thank you for taking care of him for the past two years. "
Mo Xi was silent for a while, then said, "Your younger brother is still young. It's not a bad thing to be a little playful. Besides, he has improved a lot in the past two years. "
Jiang Yexue smiled gently, "Is that so? He didn't give you any trouble? "
"… Just a little. He helped me a lot."
Jiang Yexue sighed and nodded, "Okay, that's good."
After a moment of silence, the wind blew the tassels of the Flying Jade Pavilion.
Jiang Yexue suddenly said, "Lord Xi He, you've been away for a long time. I'm sure you don't know much about the things that have happened in the Imperial Capital."
He had always been intelligent, perceptive, and considerate.
"It's too noisy inside the pavilion. I don't want to go back for a while. If Lord Xi He has anything you want to know, just ask me. "
"… There's nothing in particular I want to know." Mo Xi turned to look at the moon and the stars in the sky. "I don't have any relatives in the city."
Jiang Yexue knew he was an awkward person. He looked at him and nodded calmly.
After a while, Mo Xi coughed softly and asked, "How have you been all these years?"
Jiang Yexue smiled, "Pretty good."
"What about Junshang?"
"Everything is going well for him."
"Princess Meng Ze?"
"Wan 'an."
Mo Xi, "… That's good."
Jiang Yexue's eyes flashed. "Is there anything else you want to know?"
"No."
After a while, Mo Xi drank the last bit of wine in his cup. He looked at the bright night sky and couldn't help but ask.
"What about Gu Mang? … How is he? "
Jiang Yexue looked at him as if he was sighing. "Ah, you beat around the bush and finally brought him up." He said, "Of course he's not doing well."
"…" Mo Xi was silent for a while, then nodded slightly. His throat was dry. "I think so too."
"If you're willing, you should go and see him. He's been living in that place for so long. He … has changed a lot."
Mo Xi was stunned. He didn't know how to react. He frowned and asked, "Where?"
Jiang Yexue didn't expect him to react like this. He widened his eyes and was also stunned. "You don't know?"
"What do I know?"
Jiang Yexue, "…"
Neither of them said anything else. Suddenly, there was a burst of laughter in the hall. Drunken men and women were projected between the windowsills.
Mo Xi suddenly reacted. His eyes widened. "He couldn't have been sent to …"
"… He's been in Luo Mei Garden for two years …" Jiang Yexue didn't expect that Yue Chenqing hadn't revealed such an important matter. In the end, he was the one who told Mo Xi. He couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Mo Xi's face instantly turned green.
Luo Mei Garden …
What kind of place was that? It was a brothel!
In a short time, they could empty the stomachs of all the people who were sold there. A person with a mild temperament would be changed beyond recognition, while a person with a strong temperament would be destroyed indiscriminately.
They actually sent him to that place?
They actually … they actually …
Mo Xi's Adam's apple bobbed. For the first time, he didn't say anything. For the second time, he said with difficulty, "… Arranged by the Lord Wangshu?"
Jiang Yexue paused. He sighed and nodded. "You know that the Lord Wangshu hates him."
Mo Xi fell silent. He suddenly turned his head and looked at the boundless night sky. He didn't say anything else.
— —
Ever since Gu Mang was sent back to Chong Hua two years ago, he had imagined many possible outcomes for Gu Mang.
At that time, he didn't know what punishment Gu Mang would receive. He thought that if Gu Mang was locked up in the Heavenly Prison, he might go and take a look. Then he would say a few mocking words. If Gu Mang became a cripple, he wouldn't sympathize with him. He might even make things difficult for him.
Even if there was something soft between them, after so many years, the hatred between them was too deep. There was no way to reconcile.
The only time Mo Que had ever imagined that he would be able to drink a pot of wine with Gu Mang peacefully was in the graveyard. Gu Mang was lying inside, and he was standing outside. Perhaps Gu Mang would talk to him like before, and place a red peony flower made of spiritual energy in front of the stone tombstone.
That would at least be a parting that didn't quarrel with each other.
But since a long time ago, Gu Mang was good at bringing all kinds of accidents to Mo Xi. Mo Xi didn't think that it would be the same this time. — —
Fallen Plum Garden.
Mo Xi's heart was tormented by these words. He thought about these words over and over again, trying to get a little bit of joy from them.
But in the end, he found that his efforts were in vain. He didn't get any joy from them. On the contrary, he felt disgusted and angry.
He didn't know where this disgust and anger came from. Evil people will get their just desserts. Shouldn't this be a great thing?
"…" Mo Xi put his elbows on the railing. He wanted to bend his fingers, but they were numb. He turned to look at Jiang Yexue's face, but he felt that it was indescribably blurry.
He felt dizzy and his stomach spasmed.
Gu Mang was sent to Fallen Plum Garden.
It had been two years.
Mo Xi felt that he should laugh recklessly at this moment. This was the right thing to do. It was the only way to match the deep hatred between them. So he twisted his lips and teeth, trying to get a little bit of joy.
But in the end, there was only a cold sneer, falling from her teeth.
That handsome face under the sun flashed in front of his eyes. She smiled at him with her black eyes. "Hello, Junior Brother Mo."
It was as if Gu Mang's brilliant appearance after joining the army flashed across her mind. She was in the midst of a lively group of friends. She turned around and winked at Mo Xie. The ends of her eyes were very long and slightly tilted upwards. Then, a gentle smile spread across her face as she smiled sincerely.
He also remembered the words Gu Mang said after he became the commander.
There was someone who smiled and said, "Come on, join the army today and become a bastard. Next year, you will be promoted and rich."
There was someone who shouted angrily in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. "Come on, let's go. Those who are not completely dead better get up! I'll take you home! "
There was someone who knelt in front of the throne room and begged the Emperor not to bury his soldiers. "I want to ask the pharmacists to identify the corpses … I beg you, this is not a useless effort. Every soldier's tombstone should have a name. Emperor, I don't want any of my brothers to not be able to return home."
"They recognized me as the commander. Whether they are human or ghost, I will bring them back. I promised. "
"They don't want glory. They just want a name that they should have."
There was someone who couldn't bear it anymore and burst into tears in front of the throne room.
"Do slaves deserve to die? Do slaves not deserve to be buried?! "
"They also bled and lost their lives! They don't have parents, and in the end, they don't even have a name. Why are the Yue, Mo, and Murong families heroes when they die, but my brothers are just a hole to be buried when they die?! Why!! "
That was the first time Gu Mang cried in front of the throne room.
He didn't cry while kneeling. He curled up, bent over, and cried while squatting.
He had just finished a battle. The blood on his body hadn't been washed off. His face was full of smoke and fire marks. His tears left mottled traces.
This God of War, who always represented hope on the battlefield, was beaten back to his original lowly self in the throne room. He was like a nameless corpse.
All the civil and military officials in the throne room were dressed formally. Many people looked at this poor general with disdain. His clothes were shabby and dirty.
He choked and whimpered like a beast on the verge of death.
"I said I would bring them back …"
"Do a good deed and let me keep my promise …"
But he probably knew that it was useless.
In the end, he didn't beg or cry anymore.
He just repeated, his gaze almost unfocused, as if he was murmuring to a wandering soul, "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I don't deserve to be your general."
"I'm just a slave …"
When these sentences fell into his memory bit by bit, Mo Xi only felt a splitting headache. He couldn't help but put his hand on his forehead, covering his face under the shadow of his hand. It was cold.
His heart was cold.
Jiang Yexue said, "Lord Xi He … are you okay?"
No one answered. After a long time, an emotionless voice drifted out from the shadow, "I'm okay. How is it not okay? "
Jiang Yexue looked at him and sighed, "You and I have known each other for so many years. Why do you have to pretend in front of me?"
Mo Xi: "…"
The copper bells on the eaves tinkled, and the slender bright yellow tassels danced in the wind.
"You and Gu Mang's names have always been mentioned together in the past. You practiced magic together in the Cultivation School, went to the battlefield together, and were later conferred titles together." Jiang Yexue said, "Now, you're still high and mighty, but he's already in the dust. For so many years, you were on the same level as him. Now, you're the only one left. I don't think you're happy."
He paused and turned to look at Mo Xi.
"Besides, he used to be your closest friend."
Mo Xi lowered his thick and long eyelashes. After a moment, he answered, "… I was blind when I was young."
"But after he betrayed the country, you still believed that he had his reasons. You believed for a long time."
"I was more blind than you." Mo Xi said. He looked at the cup in his hand, where there was still a trace of wine left, glowing with a rosy glow. He didn't want to continue this conversation.
"The wind is blowing. Elder Qing Xu, let's go back to the main hall. "
A few days after he found out about Gu Mang's whereabouts, Mo Xi had been very irritated.
He had originally wanted to control this emotion that he shouldn't have, but as time passed, his irritation only increased.
Mo Xi knew that he was suffering from a mental illness.
Only Luomei Villa had that medicine.
Finally, on a certain night, in the depths of the twilight, a carriage with heavy veils draped over it slowly drove towards the northern part of the capital.
Mo Xi sat in the carriage with his eyes closed. Even though there were curtains around him and he was the only one inside, his back was still very straight. His extravagantly handsome face was expressionless, so cold that it was frightening.
"My lord, we've arrived."
Mo Xi didn't directly get off the carriage. Instead, he lifted the curtains and glanced out from the shadows.
It was the busiest time of the night market. Two rows of extremely exaggerated plum lanterns were lit by spiritual power outside the courtyard across the street, reflecting the scarlet horizontal board hanging high above —
Luomei Villa.
"The frost in the morning breeze is clearer than the snow. Scattered in the dust and mud."
It was different from an ordinary cosmetics market. Most of the people inside were prisoners of war from Chong Hua. Their spiritual cores had been destroyed, and they had been prisoners ever since.
"My lord, do you want to go in?"
Mo Xi glanced around and saw a few familiar faces. They were the kind of hedonistic young masters that he usually disliked, so he frowned and said, "Go in through the back door."
The carriage stopped at the back door of Luomei Villa.
"Go back. You don't have to stand guard here."
After giving orders to the carriage driver, he stood in place and looked at the terrain several times. Then, with a tap of his foot, he leaped onto the eaves and quietly slipped into the night.
Before he came, he had seen the blueprint of Luomei Villa, so it wasn't difficult to find the residence of the young ladies. Soon, he arrived at the flower pavilion in the side courtyard. He put on a cloak and entered through the main entrance like an ordinary guest. He walked past the rows of rooms with vermillion painted doors.
"Thousand Withers Fire Saintess Sha Xuerou."
"Thousand Withers Fire Saintess Qin Feng."
"Liao Country Left Army Deputy General Tang Zhen."
"Blood Rain Left Army Female Official Lin Hua Rong."
There was a small wooden plaque hanging by each door. On it was written in detail which country these people were from, their official positions, and their names. Everything was written clearly. It was convenient for guests who had grievances with enemy countries to find the most suitable target to vent their anger.
If there were guests seeking pleasure inside, the name on the plaque would be red. If there were no guests inside, the words on the plaque would be black.
In Luomei Villa, the nobles were the gods. As long as they were happy, they could do anything.
The smiles, flattery, and bodies of the men and women. It was to the extent that their lives were at the mercy of the monarch.
Mo Xi glanced around, his clothes flying. He walked past rows of cloisters. The sound insulation here wasn't good, so the sounds of men and women making love were very clear. His brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and his heart beat faster and faster. Where was Gu Mang? After walking past dozens of rooms, he still didn't see the plaque.
He went up to the second floor and looked for it again.
Finally, Mo Xi stopped at a secluded corner.
The dark wooden plaque had thin handwriting.
"Chong Hua Traitor Gu Mang."
In the entire villa, it was the only plaque with the words "Chong Hua."
Mo Xi's gaze seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. It fell heavily on the plaque. At that moment, something seemed to have been ignited in his black eyes, and it burned darkly. But that light was extinguished very quickly.
He raised his hand, but when his knuckles were an inch away from the door, he stopped.
He suddenly realized that the words on Gu Mang's plaque were red.
There's a guest.
Author Has Something to Say: Vast Tomorrow Online Bird ~ ~ ~
Mo Xi: It's better not to see him in a place like this.
Vast Expanse: Shut up!!! I want to appear!!! I want!!! Appear!!! I want —!
Mo Xi: … Fine, I'll give you whatever you want. Stop fooling around.
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