Opening words:
"Ask the world, what is love? It makes people live and die for it."
— Yuan Haowen's "Fishing, Yanqiu Ci"
They seemed to be in a hurry. They were colleagues of Dalang. Was it related to Dalang?
Gatekeeper Zhang bowed and nodded, "Please follow me."
Nangong Qianrou got up and went through the front hall to the backyard under the guidance of Gatekeeper Zhang. From a distance, he saw a child wearing a small cloth bag. He looked cute and was led out by a beautiful girl in a long dress.
The child pursed his lips and followed reluctantly.
When they met, the girl stopped and looked at the three night watchmen in astonishment.
"The three lords have something to discuss with Master." The gatekeeper, Old Zhang, explained.
Xu Lingyue nodded reservedly, looked away, and pulled the little boy to the side.
Xu Lingyin's hand was held by her sister. She raised the other hand and pointed at Nangong Qianrou with her short and thick finger.
"What a beautiful sister, as beautiful as mother."
Beautiful sister?! The expressionless Nangong Qianrou almost broke down. He turned his head in disbelief and stared at Xu Lingyin. The corner of his eyes kept twitching.
Was this child stupid? Were his eyes just for decoration?
He raised his head slightly and let the child see his Adam's apple. But the stupid child didn't understand him at all. She kept shouting.
"Sister, you are as beautiful as mother."
She seemed to think that being as beautiful as her mother was a high praise.
Nangong Qianrou left in a huff. If it was someone else who dared to call him a woman, they would lose a layer of skin even if they didn't die. But he, the great Jinluo, didn't want to argue with a child.
Xu Lingyue watched the backs of Nangong Qianrou and the other two go into the hall.
"Sister, why are you not leaving?" Xu Lingyin raised her palm-sized face.
"He is my brother's colleague. Let's go to the private hall later." Xu Lingyue said softly and took her sister back.
In the back hall, Xu Pingzhi, who had just finished his meal, hurriedly stood up and greeted him. He was a little puzzled and a little frightened. He cupped his fists and greeted, "Lord Jinluo."
Xu Pingzhi did not expect that Jinluo would actually pay a visit to the Xu Manor.
With Jinluo's noble status, even if Xu Qi 'an was like a fish in water in the yamen, it was impossible for him to lower himself to live in the home of a copper gong.
Unless it was something important.
"This Jinluo is quite pretty. From afar, I would think he's a woman. He's not any worse than Erlang, who looks like a girl …" Xu Pingzhi thought to himself.
"Pretty sister."
Little Bean Sprout followed Xu Lingyue back. He stood at the doorstep and called out as if he was trying to please her.
"This kid is so annoying. You'll be crying later …" Nangong Qianrou frowned. He thought of Xu Qi 'an's death and his heart sank.
His gaze swept past Xu Pingzhi and looked at the beautiful woman at the dining table. The child was right. She was indeed a beautiful woman.
"Lord Jinluo has come to my humble abode. What can I do for you?" Xu Pingzhi asked.
Nangong Qianrou withdrew his gaze and was silent for a moment. He said in a low voice, "Copper gong Xu Qi 'an died in Yunzhou. I'm here to deliver the silver."
As he said this, he opened his palm. The copper gong behind him handed over the silver with a calm expression.
Nangong Qianrou then handed over 300 taels of silver to Xu Pingzhi. Xu Pingzhi did not accept it. He was stunned like a stone statue, not moving an inch.
Even his eyes were frozen.
Xu Qi 'an died in the line of duty … Nangong Qianrou's words were like thunder exploding in Xu Pingzhi's ears. He was scared out of his wits.
For a moment, he felt that the whole world had lost its color. His mind was filled with grievous news and all his hopes turned to dust.
Xu Qi 'an was his nephew, the orphan of his elder brother. He had raised him for 20 years. How was he different from his own son? No, he loved him even more than his own son.
The second uncle Xu had always felt a strong sense of responsibility towards Xu Qi 'an because he was the orphan of his elder brother's bloodline. He was the only one who survived.
Raising him, watching him marry a wife and have children was Xu Pingzhi's greatest wish in this life.
Now, this nephew was gone. Was he gone just like that?
In a daze, Xu Pingzhi suddenly heard the sound of someone falling. He looked back and saw that his wife had fainted.
"Sister, what does it mean to die in the line of duty?"
Xu Lingyin didn't understand. She raised her head and looked at Xu Lingyue.
Xu Lingyue didn't answer. She stood there like a lifeless paper flower. She was beautiful but pale.
The gatekeeper, Old Zhang, cried, "Dying in the line of duty means dying."
Nangong Qianrou sighed in his heart. He put the silver on the table and said, "In another three to five days, the corpse will be sent back to the capital. You guys should prepare for the funeral in advance."
Naturally, the urgent document arrived in the capital before the corpse.
After saying that, Nangong Qianrou turned around and was about to leave.
"You liar!"
Xu Lingyin roared like a little lion. She stood in front of the three night watchmen and glared at Nangong Qianrou.
A six-year-old child already knew what death was.
Nangong Qianrou didn't pay attention to her. He walked around Xu Lingyin and continued to walk out. But Xu Lingyin wouldn't let him go. She chased after him and beat him, shouting, "You liar, you liar …"
A child's thinking was very simple. As long as he beat the liar and made him take back his words, his big brother would come back. As long as he beat the liar, his big brother would come back …
Nangong Qianrou had to speed up his pace and left the Xu Mansion with the two gongs. After walking for a long distance, he turned back.
The child persistently chased after him. She stood alone at the door, crying and trembling.
It was like an abandoned little beast.
Nangong Qianrou suddenly regretted it. He should've waited a little longer. He should've waited for the child to go to school before telling the news of Xu Qi 'an's death.
"Bring her back and let her family take good care of her." Nangong Qianrou turned his head and ordered the gongs on the left.
"Yes."
Xu Mansion. After carrying his fainted wife back to the room, Xu Pingzhi went to the front hall to look for his daughter. He planned to say a few words of comfort, but Xu Lingyue sat silently at the table. Her eyes were empty and she didn't move at all.
The second uncle Xu slowly exhaled and called the gatekeeper, Lao Zhang. He said in a low voice, "Send someone to the academy and tell the news to Erlang. Tell him to come back as soon as possible."
Lao Zhang wiped his tears and nodded. He left.
In fact, not many servants in the mansion knew how to ride a horse. Whether it was the importance of the matter or the time, Xu Pingzhi should go to Yunlu Academy himself.
The gatekeeper, Lao Zhang, knew that the master couldn't ride a horse now.
…
It took four hours to go from Jing City to Qingyun Mountain and back. If one's horsemanship wasn't good enough, it would take even longer.
Xu Xinnian returned to the mansion at noon. He came back alone, leaving the servant who was supposed to deliver the message behind him.
Riding the horse to the gate, Xu Xinnian pulled on the reins. The horse suddenly stopped and raised its front hooves high.
Before the horse's front hooves landed, Xu Xinnian had already flipped off the horse. He rushed into the house with a pale face. When he crossed the threshold, he tripped and fell hard on the ground, breaking his forehead.
He didn't feel anything and staggered into the mansion. In the back hall, he saw his family. He saw his mother in tears and his sister with empty eyes.
Of course, there was also Xu Lingyin sitting alone on the steps outside the front hall. She was scribbling on the ground with a dead branch.
When the bad news came, the adults were immersed in grief and ignored the children's feelings. Xu Lingyin didn't dare to ask or speak. He could only sit alone on the steps and say nothing.
Xu Pingzhi's eyes were red. He looked at him and said in a low voice, "Erlang, your big brother … is gone."
Xu Xinnian's body swayed and everything in front of him went black.
…
When noon came, the sky darkened and the cold wind raged. Then, it started snowing heavily.
This was the first snowfall after the Spring Sacrifice, and it was fluttering down. Soon, the snow covered the roofs, the treetops, and the paths. The whole world was covered with a thin layer of silver.
The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Garden.
The Crown Prince invited the Second Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Sixth Prince, and the three princesses to enjoy the snow at the Pavilion of Purity.
The charcoal fire was burning, and the table was filled with wine and food. The Crown Prince took a sip of wine and smiled.
"It snowed last year. I thought I would see it again at the end of the year. I didn't expect it to snow again after the Spring Sacrifice. "
The Third Princess smiled and said, "I heard from the Celestial Commissioner, the warlock who made the calendar, that the heavier the snow before the beginning of spring, the better the harvest after autumn. I don't know if it's true or not. Although it snowed after the Spring Sacrifice, it's still before the beginning of spring. "
The Crown Prince smiled and nodded. He then looked at the Fourth Prince and asked, "What happened to Huaiqing recently? She stayed in her bedroom all day. I sent someone to invite her out for a drink. She said she was not feeling well. "
The Fourth Prince shook his head in a muffled voice. "I don't know."
Huaiqing hadn't appeared for a while. She used to occasionally get together with her brothers and sisters. But some time ago, she directly closed the door and refused to meet any guests.
Although the Fourth Prince and Huaiqing were born of the same mother, Huaiqing's character was not close to her biological brother and sister.
"Hmph, she must be too ashamed to see people because of my light …" Lin An took a sip of wine and thought proudly.
With the widespread spread of Gomoku, her name in Lin 'an also shook the capital city. Let me ask, under the princess's dazzling light, the humble Huai Qing naturally could only shrink at home and not dare to go out.
Thinking of this, Lin An was happy again. She drank a few mouthfuls, and the red glow quietly climbed up her round face. Her charming and affectionate peach blossom eyes were slightly blurred.
The princes couldn't help but look at her a few more times. It was a very pleasing thing to have a talented and beautiful sister.
Well, the word "talented" was still up for debate, but the word "beautiful" was well-deserved.
In Xu Qi 'an's heart, apart from fitting the image of the little queen of the night club, she was also the kind of girl who was especially beautiful but had bad grades in his class when he was young.
The kind of girl who would frown and scratch her head when doing math questions.
But because she was too beautiful, she was pursued by boys. She would make other girls in the class hate her and secretly curse her as a coquettish bitch.
And Huaiqing was a cold female scholar. But because she was too arrogant, she would not be liked by girls and secretly envy her. Humph, what's so great about her.
The only difference between a cold female scholar and a coquettish female scholar was that a female scholar could play with other girls in the class to death. And a female scholar could only pout her mouth angrily.
"This snow is an auspicious sign. Do you know yesterday's urgent letter of 800 miles?" The Crown Prince changed the topic.
"Zhang Xingying put down the rebellion in Yunzhou?" The Fourth Prince said.
The Crown Prince nodded. "The Minister of the Ministry of Works of the Qi Party colluded with the Witchcraft Cult to cultivate forces in Yunzhou. Fortunately, Inspector Zhang was outstanding. He saw through the conspiracy and wiped out the rebels. "
After a pause, the Crown Prince looked at his sister, Lin An. "Xu Qi 'an took great credit in this case. He was given the title of the County Magistrate of Changle."
"Of course, Xu Qi 'an is my …"
Lin An was happy to hear the Crown Prince praise Xu Qi 'an. She instinctively wanted to show off. But when she heard the second half of the sentence, she suddenly froze.
"Brother Crown Prince … What, what did you say?"
The sweet smile on that charming and affectionate face froze little by little. Her peach blossom eyes slightly widened, but they were empty. She stared at the Crown Prince blankly.
"Oh, you still don't know?" The Fourth Prince sighed.
"That gong Xu Qi 'an died in the line of duty. What a pity, what a pity."
Bang … The wine glass broke on the ground.
Everyone looked at Lin An.
Lin An was completely unaware of her gaffe. Her delicate white hand tightly grabbed the Crown Prince's sleeve. With a trembling cry, she said, "Brother Crown Prince, don't joke with me …"
There was a sparkling light in her eyes, as well as a pitiful plea.
The Crown Prince was stunned for a moment. His face suddenly became gloomy. He brushed away Lin An's hand and said in a deep voice, "It's true. Father has already drafted an edict. When the gong's bones are transported back to the capital, he will issue an edict to confer posthumous titles.
"Lin An, pay attention to your identity."
The dignified Princess of Daibun lost her composure because of the death of a subordinate. The Crown Prince thought that Lin An was sentimental. He didn't want to speculate further.
Lin An silently withdrew her hand. Without a word, she got up and walked into the vast snow.
"Lin An, Lin An …" The Crown Prince chased her to the pavilion and shouted at her back.
The red dress silently moved forward. Snowflakes fluttered and fell on her hair.
The Crown Prince turned his head and roared at Lin An's personal palace maid, "Go and hold an umbrella for the Princess."
The palace maid happened to pick up the umbrella and was ready to catch up. Hearing this, she stopped. Crown Prince Chao bowed, opened the oil-paper umbrella, and hurried to catch up.
In the pavilion, the Princes and Princesses had not recovered their senses and were in a daze.
On the other side, the palace maid whose buttocks were patted by Xu Qi 'an, held the umbrella and carefully looked at Lin An's side profile, not daring to speak.
What a pity, that gong died in the line of duty … The palace maid sighed in her heart.
Suddenly, she heard a soft choking sound and turned her head in surprise. She saw that Princess Lin An's face was covered in tears.
"Princess?!"
The palace maid trembled and called out. She looked around in a panic. Fortunately, there was no one around due to the heavy snow. She lowered her voice, "Why are you crying? Is, is it because of him?"
"Bengong, Bengong do not know …"
Tears fell drop by drop. Lin An raised her hand and pressed on her chest.
This place was empty.
…
"It's snowing. I like snowy days. When the snow stops, I can have a snowball fight with the Senior Brothers. I can also make a snowman or a snow horse."
In Princess Huaiqing's residence, in the warm tea room, Chu Caiwei was holding a cup of tea and eating pastries as she looked at the heavy snow outside the window.
Her dimples were shallow as she enjoyed the pleasant afternoon. There was hot tea, delicious pastries and she could also watch the snow.
Princess Huaiqing was wearing a white palace dress. She, who was not affected by the cold and heat, was wearing a summer dress that accentuated her figure.
She did not pay attention to her close friend's chatter. She held a scroll in her hand but her eyes were staring at the heavy snow in a daze.
"Princess Huaiqing, what is the matter with you? Why are you so distracted these days?" Chu Caiwei felt that she was being ignored and her heart was very angry.
The bright black eyes reflected the pieces of white snowflakes. Huaiqing faintly said, "Caiwei, I am afraid that the letter that Bengong wrote on your behalf cannot be delivered to your hands."
Chu Caiwei ate the pastries without a care in the world and asked, "Why?"
"He died in the line of duty."
Chu Caiwei's hand shook and the pastries fell to the ground.
…
Stargazing Tower, Eight Trigrams Stage.
Chu Caiwei walked up the stairs dejectedly and arrived at the top floor of the Stargazing Tower.
The heavy snow was fluttering and a thin layer of snow had accumulated on the Eight Trigrams Stage. The Supervisor sat cross-legged in front of the table. Within a radius of three feet, not a single snowflake fell.
Chu Caiwei stopped behind the Supervisor and choked with grievance, "Teacher …"
"Ever since you were young, every time a senior brother bullied you, you would come crying to me and complain." The Supervisor did not turn around and smiled as he drank a cup of wine.
"No senior brother bullied me." Chu Caiwei pouted and cried out, "Xu Qi'an is dead. Xu Qi'an is dead. I am so sad …"
The Supervisor was silent for a moment and turned his head to look towards the south as if he was looking at something attentively. Suddenly, he chuckled, "It is a good thing."
Chu Caiwei cried even harder and stomped her feet. She cried and scolded, "Rotten old man, stinky old man. My friend is dead and you are saying it is a good thing. Why don't you go and die?"
"What did you say to Teacher? Teacher has lived for five hundred years and hasn't lived enough. He wants to borrow another five hundred years from Heaven, "the Supervisor said angrily.
"Then, is what you said a good thing a teacher should say?" Chu Caiwei cried.
"If Teacher says it is a good thing, it is naturally a good thing," the Supervisor said, "The year before last, I gave you the Reborn Pill. Did you eat it?"
"What Reborn Pill?" Chu Caiwei wiped her tears.
"The Reborn Pill. I only made three Reborn Pills in sixty years. Yuanjing Emperor begged me but I refused to give him the Reborn Pill. "The Supervisor became even angrier.
"Oh, it's in my bag," Chu Caiwei said while sobbing, "If you didn't mention it, I would have forgotten about it. I don't need it anyway."
The Supervisor nodded and said with a smile, "Remember, you gave the Reborn Pill to Xu Qi'an."
"I didn't."
"You did."
"I didn't. It's in my bag."
"Shut up. You did. If someone asks you in the future, just say so. "
"Oh." Chu Caiwei cried again, "Teacher, Xu Qi'an is dead."
She had a habit. Whenever she encountered something sad, she would come to the supervisor's place and cry. Just like a child who was wronged, she would go to her parents and complain.
"You have just entered Stage Six. Don't go out these days."
After Chu Caiwei left, the Supervisor opened his palm. An orange-yellow pill lay quietly in his palm.
Then, the Supervisor plucked a strand of his white beard and gently exhaled.
The strand of beard fluttered in the wind. Suddenly, it swelled and turned into a big white bird.
The big bird let out a desolate cry. It hovered in the air for a moment and swooped down, taking the Reborn Pill from the Supervisor's hand.
Chu Caiwei returned to her room and looked down at the deerskin bag on her waist.
"Teacher, why did you suddenly mention the Reborn Pill to me? You even said that you gave it to Xu Qi'an …" She sobbed while looking for the Reborn Pill, but she couldn't find it.
…
"Do you trust Wei Yuan that much? Are you willing to tell him all your secrets? "
In the dark cabin, Yang Qianhuan sat cross-legged with his back facing the coffin.
He knew that the fact that Xu Qi'an was Wei Yuan's illegitimate son was unbelievable. Xu Qi'an was 20 years old, while Wei Yuan had been a eunuch in the palace for more than 20 years.
"I was just joking. Don't you understand?" Xu Qi'an lay in the coffin and sighed.
"Of course I trust him. Duke Wei is good to me and is willing to cultivate me. It's not an exaggeration to say that I owe him a great debt of gratitude. But in fact, I'm a little reluctant to tell him the secret. "
"Why?"
"How should I put it? Duke Wei's mind is too deep. It's hard to see through him. You never know what he's thinking. You don't know how he'll react after I tell him the secret. "
"That's true. Wei Yuan and my teacher are the same. They're both people with a deep mind. Even a man like me, who holds the moon and plucks the stars, can't see through them. "Yang Qianhuan was puzzled.
"Then why are you willing to talk to me about the secret?"
Xu Qi'an smiled. "Because Senior Brother Yang is a man with a pure heart."
He didn't care about anything other than his hobby of showing off.
Yang Qianhuan nodded. He felt that these words were strange. "I don't think it's a good thing … Have you ever thought of leaving the capital? You're dead anyway. The world is big. You can go anywhere. "
"But my family is in the capital. If I can go back, I'll go back." Xu Qi'an sighed.
"I've longed for the days when I roamed the pugilistic world with a sword. But no matter where you go, you won't panic as long as there's a home you can return to. Once I leave the capital, I might not be able to go back for the rest of my life. "
After spending some time together, perhaps it was too boring, the two of them started to talk casually. Gradually, they started to talk about their true feelings.
"That's true. When I'm away from home, as long as I think of my senior and junior brothers as Celestial Commissioner, as well as my teacher, I feel at ease. I'm not really homeless. I'm just traveling. "Yang Qianhuan nodded.
Xu Qi'an said that he would go back to ask for Wei Yuan's opinion. But in fact, it was just a perfunctory answer to Yang Qianhuan. He was weighing the pros and cons of telling the truth.
He knew that Wei Yuan was good to him. But if he told the truth, would Wei Yuan choose to seal Shen Shu again? Or would he choose to turn a blind eye? Without a reference, Xu Qi'an didn't dare to take the risk.
After all, he wasn't Wei Yuan's biological son.
But he didn't want to leave the capital. He was in a dilemma.
Besides, Monk Shen Shu had asked him to keep the secret and not reveal his existence. Xu Qi'an didn't know how Monk Shen Shu would react if he told Wei Yuan the secret.
You couldn't really believe that a demon-like expert was a compassionate Bodhisattva just because he was always amiable.
"Sigh … Senior Brother Yang, are you married?" Xu Qi'an asked.
"No." Yang Qianhuan shook his head. "Women are burdens. I don't need them."
Oh, I was thinking that when you and your wife were having intercourse, did you also forbid her to look at your face? If that's the case, then you only have two paths to take. One, be like the secondary saint of Yunlu Academy and become a man who always stands behind his wife. Two, be a warm-hearted man.
As he thought about it, Xu Qi'an couldn't help but laugh out loud.
At this moment, the cry of an unknown bird came from outside the ship. It was desolate and lonely, like the mournful cry of an owl.
Yang Qianhuan was stunned at first, then shocked. He blurted out, "It's Teacher's aura."
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