"Ah Yue...... Ah Yue"

In the darkness, someone stroked his forehead with the palm of his hand.

He suddenly felt his body light, as if floating in mid-air, and when he looked down, he saw a pair of slender and white arms around his waist at some point.

Warm and firm, wrapped around these arms, it seems to be tightly tugging at the grass and trees on the shore in the turbulence.

"Ah Yue, look at me." A gentle murmur rang in his ears.

Inexplicably familiar. He looked up and saw a face pressed against him, soft eyebrows blooming like flowers, and light red lips moving slightly.

He looked at the face, and suddenly tears flowed down his face.

Obviously there was no sadness, but he just couldn't stop crying, as if he should do it now, someone had written a script for them, and they were meticulously performing.

The lips were like blades of grass carrying dew in the morning, gently opening and closing, and a melodious song rang out.

It wasn't loud, it wasn't a palace music in the temple, the woman hummed, with a smile on her face, and held Yingyue high and hugged it tightly.

She was wearing a plain long dress, only a few orchids were embroidered on the hem of her skirt, and as soon as she moved, it was like a gust of wind blowing, and the orchids swayed and opened day and night.

Ying Yue stared blankly, the sharp pain pierced into his mind like a sharp wedge, and he suddenly didn't understand why the tears were falling.

It's not that it's not sad, but sadness is hidden in the deepest part of the heart like a little beast, it's cunning and cruel, you think it's safe around you, it suddenly comes out and uses all your strength to bite out a gap in your heart, and the world outside your heart is so much dust and thorns, and your brain is pouring in.

"Mom...... Mom. He muttered, holding out his hand to the woman.

Yes, that's what it feels like, this is the woman who hugged him when he was a child, she likes to wear a plain robe, her face is soft, like a leaf falling in the wind, she likes to sing songs that only the two of them know, where there is her, there is a home, that place where people change charcoal day and night, the house is as warm as heaven, there is a small wooden bow hanging on the wall, there is a woman...... Comb his hair, change his clothes, hold him...... Hold him tightly, as if afraid of losing.

"Finally...... Ah Yue remembered me. The woman laughed, "Mommy is very happy...... Really happy. ”

She let go of the hand holding Yingyue, leaned over and kissed him lightly on the forehead.

Cold lips, resolute kisses.

It is a bouquet of withered roses that stings the soft places of the heart.

The familiar smell is gone...... Ying Yue watched the woman float away from him, he saw that he was in a room, and the next moment countless bright swords stabbed out from the door and window, sawdust splashed everywhere, someone seemed to light a fire outside, and the heat wave rushed in all of a sudden.

He watched as the woman's flying white garment was caught in flames, and a blazing flame burst out, and the woman was like a struggling butterfly in the flames.

She finally stretched out her hand to Yingyue, and small flames danced around it.

"No...... No, don't leave......" Ying Yue cried, he desperately crawled forward, trying to remove all the swords and flames that stood in his way, he just wanted to take the woman's hand, pull her out, hold her tightly, and ...... tightly Never Lose Again, Never Lose Again! No one or anything can separate us, and I will kill whoever tries to snatch you!

The firelight illuminated his arm, the arm stretched straight, thin and white, without a little strength, unable to lift a knife, unable to cut a man's throat, he suddenly realized one thing in horror, whether it was then or now, he had not changed, he was still a cowardly, fragile, timid and helpless man, he was insulted and could only do vicious curses with resentful eyes, and when he was beaten, he could only curl up and hide in the corner, staring at each other with eyes like wild dogs.

The woman smiled poignantly, her tongue of fire rolled, and her figure disappeared.

Suddenly, the world swirled, Yingyue's consciousness rose into the sky, he leaned over to look at the things on the ground, a wooden house swept by flames, a thin three or four-year-old boy stood in a daze, his face was covered with dry tears.

In the distance, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard. A group of knights galloped in.

Is that...... Father. Ying Yue saw his slightly younger face and saw the sadness on his face.

The father looked down at Yingyue, with disgust, pity, and fear in his eyes.

He turned his horse's head, and with a loud shout, the horseman under his crotch stood up, and then sprang out like an arrow, and his dark black mane rolled on the prairie like a dark cloud on the horizon.

Someone stretched out his hand to Yingyue on the ground, and a man wearing a literati crown leaned down and smiled warmly.

The flame was extinguished.

Ying Yue turned her head, and the wooden house turned to ashes.

The woman disappeared....... Not even a shadow was left.

He held his head, fell to his knees and began to cry.

Qingji Palace, the court meeting is underway.

The hall is full of court officials with Eguan Bo, and the emperor sits at the top.

Ying Yue and Xiong Lan stood in the corner of the main hall, dressed in a dress embroidered with dragons and phoenixes, standing dumbfounded like two small puppets.

"Ah Yue, look," Xiong Lan tugged at Yingyue's sleeve and motioned for him to look to the front right, while trying to hold back a smile, but still with a gloating tone, "Wang Mian is ruthless enough." ”

In front of them on the right a tall and thin boy's body trembled slightly, and a hideous whip mark on his side face was clearly visible, he looked back at Yingyue and Xiong Lan from time to time, just to meet Yingyue's inquiring eyes, he was stunned, his eyes suddenly flashed fiercely, and he moved his lips silently at Yingyue.

Ying Yue looked away, he could see clearly what the boy was talking about, he was scolding the "barbarian" viciously.

He clenched his fists.

"Xuan, the envoys of the Northern Wilderness are here!" Gonggong Dou next to the throne shouted clearly.

The melodious voice spread outward from the hall, and the small yellow door at the door waved the dust after hearing it, "Xuan, the envoys of the Northern Wilderness are here!" ”

Each small yellow door on the long staircase emitted a clear exhalation in order, and the sound spread like a tide to the other side of the distant world with one wave after another. At the bottom of the long staircase, the topless warriors of the brass trombone in their hands sounded a desolate and tragic movement at the moment when the cry was about to end, and they stomped hard on the ground, and danced wild steps to the sides.

Someone climbed the stairs, the pace slow and heavy.

It wasn't until they got closer that the temple saw the appearance of the comer.

They were dressed in a wide robe with a collar, and wore a feathered hat on their heads, and the man at the head was wrapped in a leopard's skin with a leopard's skin wrapped around his robe, and a mink tail hanging from his hat, and his appearance was mostly high-nosed and deep-eyed, and his face was rough and handsome. They walked outside the door and were stopped by the little yellow door, a few guards pressed the swords on their waists to search their bodies, and nodded at the little yellow door after making sure that it was correct, and the clear voice immediately sounded, "The envoy of the Northern Wilderness, the Red Deed Iron Visit!" ”

The envoys bowed to the little yellow door, and the little yellow door hurriedly returned the salute and stretched out his hand to signal them to enter.

As soon as the envoys stepped into the Golden Palace, the ministers involuntarily covered their mouths and noses, the people of the Yan Dynasty thought that they were a great country of etiquette, and regarded the Northern Wilderness as a barbaric place, and it was rumored in the world that the Northern Wilderness ate cattle and sheep, and slept in the same cave with pigs and dogs, and the body was full of peculiar smells, and the fishy smell could be spread for ten miles.

An envoy sneered, and said in Yanjing dialect, which was not fluent: "It is rumored that the Yan Dynasty has always valued etiquette, and I saw it today, but that's it." ”

"You dare! Out of this wild talk! A young general stood up and shouted angrily.

"We came here with great sincerity this time, and deliberately bathed in incense, but your country still thinks that my great wilderness has become a foreign land, and even hides his face and refuses to show it," the envoy snorted coldly, "What is this not rude?" ”

"Is this the sincerity of your country?"

An old minister with a white beard paced out with a smile on his face, blocked the military general behind him, and made a gesture at the envoy of the Northern Wilderness, "Is your clan leader in good health?" ”

The envoy headed by the envoy saw that the old man came out to ask questions, suddenly put away his previous arrogance, bowed down and said: "My Majesty also instructed me before he came, say hello to the old general, Your Majesty He is in good health, he can ride a horse for thousands of miles a day, and he must eat a tender sheep for a meal, and he specially asked me to say that with the general, there are many concubines sleeping in his tent!" ”

After finishing speaking, the two laughed in unison, until Father-in-law Dou coughed softly, "General Ding Rongyi, this is your old acquaintance?" ”

Without waiting for Ding Rongyi to answer, the envoy preemptively said: "Thirty years ago, when General Ding led the troops, I was just a small pawn next to His Majesty of my family. ”

He apologized to the previous generals, and then put his right hand on the heart of his left chest, bowed to the emperor on the throne, and several deputy envoys behind him did the same.

"Why don't you kneel?" The Emperor did not answer their courtesies, but asked aloud.

"The Great Wilderness is different from the Great Yan etiquette, and the people in my department only kneel to their parents and patriarchs," the envoy replied with his head down, "and I ask Your Majesty Yan Guo to forgive me." ”

"I don't investigate the truth or falsehood, you people from the Northern Wilderness have always spoken directly, so it's better for me to save those red tape," the emperor waved his hand to show that he didn't care, "What is the purpose of this move in the Northern Wilderness?" ”

"It is clearly written in the letter from our country, our department admires the importance of etiquette and the richness of life in the Yan Dynasty, and I hereby ask to return to Shun," the envoy said to the Manchu Dynasty civil and military, "You may not have been to the Great Wilderness, or you may have led the troops to the Great Wilderness. ”

The emperor glanced at Dingrongyi, and saw the old general standing calmly with his beard stroked, so he nodded to the ministers of the court: "Since the envoys of the Northern Wilderness have asked so, the Aiqing may as well say what they feel in their hearts." ”

Ding Rongyi took the lead in the ranks, wiped his beard and said with a smile: "The old minister said it first because of his age, don't blame your colleagues." ”

"The first time the old man went to the Northern Wilderness, it was fifty years ago, the old man was the captain of the first emperor's personal guard, and the Northern Wilderness at that time was not as prosperous as it is now, right?" He asked Chi Qitie for the last sentence, but he continued without waiting for an answer, "Before I went, I thought that the Northern Wilderness would be as desolate as its name, so the moment the horse's hooves stepped on the Northern Wilderness, I noticed the difference. The grass of the northern wilderness is fat and fresh, and there will be a stream of grass spurt out when the horse's hooves step on it, and the herds of cattle and sheep are like clouds, and the rabbits are drilling around in the grass, and the ground is full of galloping yellow sheep in the autumn season, and the marmots hide by the cave and watch the movement of the eagles and falcons in the sky. ”

"If there is no one, the Northern Wilderness is indeed a fairyland outside the world." Ding Rongyi sighed, "But...... Behind the grassland, there is a desert, a desert with no people. ”

"Fifty years ago, it was already like that." "You don't know, it's worse now. ”

His tone became heavy, and his eyebrows lowered, "It's been fifty years, and the grassland is no longer like the grassland." Wolves are around at night, and what used to be an overwhelming yellow sheep is now an overwhelming locust, and rabbits and marmots have bitten the ground to the ground. The shepherds could no longer live, and in the winter the cattle and sheep could not eat grass, and I would cry when I heard the wailing all day and all night. ”

"I wonder who else has been to the Great Wilderness? Ladies and gentlemen, what else do you want to say? "Red Deeds Railway.

A thin figure came out of the ranks, looking at the size of a child, he said in a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, the old general led the troops to the famine fifty years ago, and everything he saw and heard was a general's strategy, so it is better to listen to the ordinary Northern Wilderness, maybe it is a little different." ”

"Oh? Is it the son of Zhu Fang, Marquis of Gouwu? The emperor saw that the children under the gorgeous clothes below had a familiar face, and asked.

"Your Majesty still remembers my father?" The boy was overjoyed and knelt on the ground and asked.

"I haven't forgotten." The emperor replied nonchalantly, "Your fiefdom is in Wuyue, thousands of miles away from the Northern Wilderness, what can you say?" ”

The child lay on the ground, looked sideways at the crowd, and his eyes flashed with viciousness, "Naturally, the minister has not been there, but among the princes, there is one person who has been, not only has been there, but also has a lot to do with the Northern Wilderness." ”

"Who is it?" The emperor came interested.

"Major General Yunhuang--- Yingyue!" The boy couldn't suppress the excitement in his voice, and he turned his head and viciously locked on to the slightly slender figure in the crowd with his peripheral vision.

Today I will take revenge with a whip!

Ying Yue didn't hear everyone's conversation, he began to wander when Ding Rongyi described his views on the grassland, as if the green all over the mountains and fields was coming to him again, the breeze was blowing on the grassland, and the figures of cattle and sheep loomed under the cover of the grass, and suddenly it was dark, and a string of fires was dazzling, flying fiercely like a dragon and approaching, it was a group of knights, they were wearing leather armor, the sides were dotted with beast fur, and the steel knives in their hands were as cold as fangs.

"Ah Yue...... Ah Yue" The woman's urgent call rang in her ears, it was...... Mother?

Yes, that's Mother!

Yingyue screamed like crazy, and in response to him was a thunderous hoof and a rough shout, no more that soft voice, no more embrace, no decisive kiss, two lines of bloody tears from the corners of the eyes of the woman in the dream.

Intense pain swept through his mind. Someone pushed him.

"Ah Yue...... Your Majesty called you. Xiong Lan whispered in his ear.

Ying Yue looked up at a loss, and the emperor cast his gaze from the throne with interest, and in front of him knelt a thin boy with a fresh scar on his face and a smug and hateful look in his eyes.

"Yingyue ......" The emperor read Yingyue's name softly, as if playing with these two words, "Zhu Xiaozi is asking you, what do you think of the Northern Wilderness?" ”

"Out of the ranks, Major General." Dou Zuo urged softly on the side, "Your Majesty is asking!" ”

The eyes of the Manchu Dynasty civil and military seemed to be nailed to this child, and even the eyes of the envoys of the Northern Wilderness became interested.

Facing the top group of people in the world, against their mountain-like momentum, Yingyue took a difficult step, at a loss, Xiong Lan hid in the crowd and kicked him at the crook of his leg, Yingyue fell to the ground with a "plop", his knee collided with the glazed floor tiles, and the pain made him sober up like a pinprick.

"Little boy doesn't need to panic, just say it." The envoy smiled as softly as he could.

"The young general may not have seen such a formation, Yunhuang is remote after all, and it is understandable." Gou Wu Hou Shizi defended Yingyue on his lips, but his eyes were full of provocation.

That kind of look was like a flame falling into Yingyue's dry eyes, instantly igniting all his memories of Yunhuang, the woman in his dream...... Rising from the flames, she opened her fiery arms at him.

"I don't like the Northern Wilderness." Ying Yue said suddenly, his body was still trembling slightly, he couldn't tell if it was because of fear or anger, "Our family has been fighting with the Northern Wilderness, and many people have died. ”

"How can there be a man who fights without dying? The warriors of the Great Wilderness are never afraid of sacrifice. The envoy smiled reluctantly.

"Dayan's men are not afraid of death." Gou Wu Hou Shizi lay on the ground and interjected.

"Then what if it's your grandfather, your grandmother, your mother, if all the people who love you are hacked to death with knives, you know all this is happening, but you can't do anything about it!"

"I'm sorry......" The envoy didn't know what to say, the child in front of him had red eyes, but he desperately tried to keep the tears from falling, "We...... It's all about living. ”

"So kill the one you love, and save the one you love? Do you think this is justice? Do you think this is a decision forced to survive? My father told me that although there are large areas of desert in the Northern Wilderness that cannot live people, there are also large areas of grassland where cattle and sheep can be grazing. Why let someone else die? ”

"For the sake of ...... Better to live. The envoy looked at the boy who was trembling with excitement, and he was also slightly excited, "When you live all your life in dry, water, and food, with cattle and sheep all day long, you won't think too much, but if you experience it for a day...... Even if one day is more beautiful, you are no longer willing to huddle in such a dark and remote corner all your life, why do we go south, because of robbery...... Snatching can make people get something for nothing, no longer have to be busy with the fertility of cattle and sheep, and no longer have to run horses around the mountains...... You know, you know! ”

"Red deeds! You're out of shape! Ding Rongyi shouted violently, interrupting Chi Qitie's words, and the envoy of the Northern Wilderness wiped his face, "Little general...... Forgive us. ”

"Actually...... The grassland of the Northern Wilderness is extremely beautiful...... but Ying Yue seemed to fall into a fantasy and did not hear his words, "Standing in the attic in the spring, I saw the wild wolf toe flowers blooming all over the mountains, and I could be covered with grass seeds when I went down to roll, and the whole person was soft and cotton after coming back, and in the summer I rode a pony to watch the shepherd boy herd the sheep, thousands of sheep may be the dowry of a herdsman girl, in autumn the grass and trees are withered and yellow, the marmot comes out of the hole, and the cool breeze at night is like a knife, and the nest is next to the charcoal basin of the wooden house and cover a blanket, and the warm will fall asleep." ......”

The emperor called him several times, but no one answered. Xiong Lan immediately stepped out of the ranks, grabbed the sleeve of Yingyue's robe, and dragged him into the crowd.

The emperor raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

"Although the little general is young, he is also a man of temperament, and if I am lucky enough to meet on the grassland in the future, I will definitely entertain him." The envoy laughed, and his expression became solemn, "In addition to being attached, my ministry also has something to report to His Majesty Yan Guo. ”

"Oh?" The emperor glanced at Ding Rongyi imperceptibly, and nodded at the eyes of the old ministers, and the two monarchs and ministers were blessed to their hearts.

"About two years ago, someone approached my Majesty, they claimed to have a weapon in their hands, and my Majesty asked them their names, but they said that they were people with no roots and no roots, and they only had one name———" Chi Qitie's tone was heavy, he glanced around, and everyone had different expressions, "Yingqi. ”

There seemed to be some magic power in these two words, Ding Rongyi gasped, and hurriedly asked, "Did the Emperor of the Northern Wilderness say anything?" ”

"Glowing and guarding." Chiqi Tie is authentic word by word.

"Glowing...... Guarding the Heart...... It's been fifty years...... They're back. Ding Rongyi's whole person suddenly collapsed, his figure is still upright, but it reveals a kind of decadence and fear, the last moment he was still an old age can still go to the court to wear a peerless veteran of battle armor, at this moment he suddenly lost his sword and unloaded his armor, even his eyes became ordinary, all the years gave him the edge seemed to be suddenly snatched, he only had more than 90 years of vicissitudes and gradually lost his vitality of the body.

"Old general...... The old general" accompanied the generals hurriedly hugged the old man, they are all young generals, about forty to fifty years old, most of them are behind the generals, although they have been on the battlefield, they are only to deal with the troubled people and bandits, the great war fifty years ago has always been just a familiar word in the mouth of the storyteller in the streets and alleys.

"Your Majesty, it's going to change......" he said with wide, cloudy eyes.

"Ding Rongyi, don't think that relying on His Majesty's grace and elder, you can say such bastard words, what do you mean, this is to cut off your head!" Dou Zuo jumped to his feet and shouted.

"Dou Zuo, shut up for me!" When the emperor heard Ding Rongyi's words, his body was crooked and kicked on Dou Zuo's body, and he hurriedly asked, "General, please speak, speak quickly." ”

"Fifty years ago...... We call them ...... 'ochres'. ”