The sandalwood rolled slowly, not stained by half of the wind and rain outside the window, and the fog was thick and thick, curling and swaying from a bird-shaped incense burner like a ball of freshly made yarn, slowly moving out of the copper-colored bird's tongue, and finally, it dissolved into the room little by little, until it was invisible.

"Squeak Squeak......"

At this time, there were a few scattered chirps outside the window, which sounded quite delightful.

It's just that the atmosphere in the room across the window is far more dreary than outside.

The inner hall is not large, but there is no one less who should arrive, and they all knelt on the ground respectfully. Densely packed, the black pressure was pressed, the hands and feet of the ministers in front and behind were close to each other, and the heavy official uniforms on their bodies were also tightly pressed on their backs. Even if it was so uncomfortable, the ministers still didn't dare to act rashly, and they all remained there like clay statues.

"Ahem...... Whew...... cough, ......cough, Then, from the hand of a small eunuch on the side, he received a freshly brewed tea. It's just that he just held this tea in his hand and rubbed it back and forth with his fingertips covered with a thin layer of calluses, but he didn't see him take a sip for a long time.

A few fingers wandered back and forth over the pattern of the teacup containing the still hot tea, and even though the emperor was now with his eyes closed, he knew every trace of the pattern on the teacup. This was his habit, both during court deliberations and during foreign debates.

"Ahem...... "No disease**, cleared his throat, the emperor opened his eyes, and the tea cup in his hand was put aside by him. Not angry but mighty, the Son of Heaven, the emperor glanced at the ministers who were still kneeling well in front of him, and his brows furrowed. "As I said before, the mastermind of the Jinhe incident has been caught now?"

If you don't ask, it's enough, but if you ask, it makes the ministers tremble. Although the assassination of Jinhe came and went in a hurry, and there was no conclusive evidence, all the ministers were also vaguely aware that the mastermind behind the scenes was far away and close at hand.

"Your Majesty, when the ministers were inspecting the northern suburbs this morning, they found a charred ruin, very hidden, and there were some remnants of bones and weapons under the collapsed masonry, and the weapons found were the same as those used by the Jinhe assassins, all of which were fire crossbows. The bones were examined by a man in the prime of life, a woman and several teenagers. ”

No one stepped forward, no one responded, so General Xu, who came to report on his work today, took the lead, saluted respectfully, and told everything he saw in the northern suburbs today, without reservation or concealment. As a military general, General Xu's voice was much louder than that of ordinary civilian officials, so his appearance was enough for everyone present to hear it clearly, even Mrs. Xie who was kneeling far away in the last corner.

It's just that what General Xu didn't know was that when Taifu Xie heard him reply truthfully, his hands, which could usually slip when he grabbed a scroll, were fiercely clenched by him. If it weren't for the fact that he was just a literati and had no power to tie the chicken, the wat board in his hand would have to be folded in his hand at this moment.

Here, after listening to General Xu's reply, the initiator did not respond directly, nodded and muttered for a long time. The inner sanctum, once again, was silent.

It's like the calm before a rainstorm. The tranquility before the arrival of the thunder is often more terrible than the real calamity, which confuses the eyes of people with the illusion of a temporary moment of stability, and makes people indulge for a while, and when the catastrophe comes, there is no retreat, there is no escape. The sages said: "Born in sorrow, die in peace." It is not without a little reason.

"Smack!" With a crisp sound, the tea cup that had just been placed on the desk had already flown out and landed next to General Xu, who was kneeling on the ground, and fell to pieces. The broken porcelain that burst out was not tight, and it didn't hurt him at all, but the tea was almost spilled on his head, and the wet hair and crown belt went around his neck for more than half a circle before it "ticked" down, but fortunately, the tea was already cold.

"The assassin entered the city and neglected to overlook, for one sin! Jinhe's assassination of Chi Yuan is for the second crime!! The crown prince Kang was not well protected by the enemy, which was a crime of three !! It's been three months since the first evil escaped, and I really don't know what the use of asking you and your camp is?!! ”

Long Yan was furious, and the ministers were terrified.

Among the ministers, except for General Xu, who was still lying there without moving, all of them were like the jade rabbit pounding medicine pestle in his hand, again and again, one after another, each of them lost their usual official authority, just knocked their heads to the ground desperately, more devout than going to the temple to burn incense and worship the Buddha.

"Minister...... Know your mistakes. Please also ask the emperor to surrender. ”

Mount Tai collapsed in front and the color remained unchanged, the elk was on the left and the eyes were not instantaneous, and General Xu was not moved by the wind and rain.

A moment later, the ministers rushed out, and they all let out a long breath, as if they were a repeat offender who had just been pardoned.

General Xu was the last to come out, and today is the last day he will stay in Yecheng. After today, he will take the soldiers of the entire battalion to garrison the northern border as before. It's just that, unlike before, this time, Xu He wants to stay in Yecheng.

Not as a major general, but as a prince's companion.

I don't know what he was thinking, General Xu was stunned, and even Mrs. Xie, who was waiting by the palace gate early and preparing to leave the palace together, didn't notice it. It wasn't until someone was so angry that he blew his beard and stared, and knocked the wat board in his hand directly on his head, that he woke up like a dream and returned to his soul.

lowered his head slightly, and the wide robe with big sleeves in his official uniform in front of him, revealing a pair of arms like firewood sticks, and holding a wat board in his hand and not reluctantly reluctant, who else was like a little old man, who else could there be besides Mrs. Xie, who was a brother and brother to him?

"Lao Xu!! Don't you think you're still long-lived! Everyone doesn't speak, you just want to stand up yourself, do you think you are still the god of war of the Xuanguo back then?! It's okay now, the emperor Lao'er has demoted you to the side, and his son has also been detained, tsk, I said what is good about you! You, you...... Ahem......"

Mrs. Xie counted all the way, the more he spoke, the louder he became, and the beard that hung down to his chest couldn't stop shaking with his impassionedness, and General Xu, who was obviously more than a head taller than him on the side, didn't say a word, just took a small step, and walked slowly with Mrs. Xie. At this moment, the two of them are like a teacher and a naughty boy who is waiting for his husband to play the handboard.

"Let's go, I'll let the rabbit cub book the banquet at home early this morning, I know that you will definitely come over today, I don't care today, you have to accompany me for a few drinks!"

Mrs. Xie was still rambling, as if he was going to finish what he was going to say in his next life, and General Xu beside him was still silent, as if Mrs. Xie was not only talking about himself, but also finished saying what he wanted to say.

"Ahta...... In addition to learning from me the ability to march and fight, the appearance and temperament are all with his mother. Haha, back then, I couldn't control his mother, but I didn't expect that this stinky boy had grown older in the past few years, and I couldn't control him anymore. He has now become the prince's companion, and I am not in Yecheng, so I have to entrust him to you, friend......"

With a long sigh, General Xu and Mrs. Xie had already arrived in front of the prepared carriage, and Mrs. Xie was pushed into the carriage by General Xu first, but he himself did not move.

"It's easy to say, you see that Ah Jin, this stinky boy, is not always naughty and mischievous, when he comes home, he still doesn't obediently listen to him Lao Tzu and me, hey, I say, come up, Lao Xu, Lao Xu?! Lao Xu !! ”

Just as Mrs. Xie was riding in his mouth, he leaned down and wanted to pull General Xu into the carriage, but the next moment, General Xu broke away from his hand, pushed the carriage hard, hit the wall of the carriage, and his head was dizzy. When the Lingtai was clear again, General Xu had already ridden a fast horse that he had ridden when he came in the early morning, and after a few whips, the person had shrunk into a black spot the size of a sesame seed in Taifu Xie's eyes.

"Lao Xu, you are so good that you can see your son before leaving...... Alas...... Let's go back......" Unable to stop it, Mrs. Xie waved his hand, and had to ask the coachman to send him home by himself quickly.

The next day, before dawn, someone in the northern suburbs of the battalion had already sent another group of men and horses to replace General Xu and others.

The grain and grass were all ordered, the armaments were finished, and even three or four times had been ordered, but General Xu was reluctant to move until Gonggong Dan, who came to proclaim the decree and supervise, impatiently paced back and forth in front of General Xu, and said the hour over and over again in his awkward shrill voice. Helpless, General Xu had no choice but to walk out of the camp, his right hand touched the patterns on the gate and the marks of the knife and gun, his steps were like being filled with lead, but he couldn't move.

He still wants to see someone again, but that person, who was angry yesterday, I'm afraid he won't come.

If you don't come, it's better not to come, lest the suspicious people in the Yecheng Palace think more. I insisted on leaving yesterday, and I refused to even drink a glass of farewell wine from my old friend, isn't it just for their safety?

"The flag is raised, the battle is brilliant, and the soldiers are majestic in all directions.

The sand is boundless, the buildings are loud, and the soldiers are all in the town.

There is no way to forgive, there is no return, and the spirit is in Kyushu Township. ”

The sound spread for dozens of miles, and General Xu and other soldiers had already walked far away from the battalion, but the sound of them shouting trumpets could be faintly heard. And on the highest mountain in this northern outskirts, although their figures have shrunk to the size of an ant colony, the young man who was watching them leave here still silently recited the trumpet over and over again, not wanting to miss a glance.

The wind on the hill was strong, and it blew the inches of his hair that he had painstakingly combed apart. The wisps are bent and lingering, but they are like the weeping willows in February, and every inch of every trace carries a son's concern for his father.

"Daddy, you must come back alive......"