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A few days later, Shen Ruoyu made an appointment to go to the Wei Mansion to discuss the resumption of the war with Xu Huizu and Sheng Yong. General Pen, Qu, and Ge www.biquge.info planned to station troops on the Hutuo River this time and intercept the Yan army in the north of the Hutuo River. The location of the garrison is located in the Jiahe River between Cangzhou and Zhending. Xu Huizu joked that King Yan had been fooled once, and this time, Shen Ruoliao wanted to pretend to be stupid again, but it wouldn't work, and he had to think of another clever strategy. Shen Ruoyu said, in this way, things are simple, King Yan must be extremely cautious this time, and it is inevitable that he will be overly suspicious. Fiction is real, reality is virtual; Whether he believes it or not, as long as it's all in my hands, it's all right. In addition, it is to join forces with Zhending, and attack left and right. In the Battle of Dongchang, although the Dongchang Army, the Dezhou Army and the Zhending Army were besieged, there were front and rear in time; This time, they should strike at the same time. The three of them set a date of 10 February, that is, 15 days later, to leave Beijing and return to the front battlefield.

The time is fast approaching. Shen Ruoliao traveled between the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies, the Mansion of Wei and the Imperial Palace, and at the same time, he also secretly arranged the Qinhuai River wedding of Dou'er and Qiu An with Liufu.

The wedding date was set for the evening of February 9, the day before Shen Ruoliao left. The wedding dress was too late to make, Nangong Qiu wanted to give her original county lord's wedding dress to Dou'er, but Dou'er resolutely didn't want to, saying that since she wanted to hide people's eyes, she wouldn't wear a wedding dress. As long as the lord and the lady were present and witnessed them worshipping heaven and earth, she would be satisfied.

Luo Yang and Hong Jiang quickly became friendly. Both were born in Beiping, and they both lived in Shen Ruoxiao's house as friends, and when the two of them were bored, they always passed the time together.

February 9 came silently and quickly. In the morning, Shen Ruoxiao, Sheng Yong, and Xu Hui's ancestors came to the palace and bid farewell to the Son of Heaven and the ministers.

After the ministers dispersed, the Son of Heaven insisted that the three of them have lunch in the palace. Fang Xiaoru, Qi Tai, and Huang Zicheng were also accompanied on the side.

"The three Aiqing will return to the battlefield tomorrow, but they haven't seen the Condensing Divine Treasure yet. Thanks to this treasure, I can have a great victory in Dongchang. I offered this treasure in the Temple of Heaven and Earth, and after lunch, the three Aiqing went with me to pay respects. ”

Xu Huizu saw that Shen Ruoyu's face was different, and hurriedly reached out and secretly dragged him.

Fang Xiaoru said: "The imperial court has this great treasure, the new year and the new atmosphere, and the Dongchang victory is the beginning of the new year. The country can be stable. ”

Shen Ruoyu spent the whole lunch sullenly, not eating anything, but becoming more and more angry. The Son of Heaven and the three Wenchen are inseparable from the Divine Treasure of Condensation. He has been enduring since he returned to Beijing to resume his life; If it weren't for Wei Guogong's reminder in advance, and then repeated warnings, how could he endure it to this day. When he came back from the Dongchang battlefield this time, he was already depressed and depressed; If he leaves tomorrow, he knows the future better than others, but it can only make his heart more gloomy; The emperor and the ministers came to the end, and they had to ask him to open his mouth to praise the condensing treasure.

By the time lunch was over, he had reached his peak. Fang Xiaoru was on the rise, but he asked ignorantly:

"Ruoxiao, you are very silent today, why haven't you spoken? Since you came back this time, you have not expressed any opinion on the completion of the Divine Treasure of Destiny. Your Majesty and I would love to know what you think. ”

his opinion; Of course, the Son of Heaven and Mr. Fang wanted to hear him say that this thing was auspicious and heavenly, and blessed the army of our court to win a complete victory in Dongchang. What is this? When did the Mr. Fang in his mind become like this, he didn't do something practical, but he tossed what Jingtian system every day, the retro palace gate name, the retro official name, retro, retro - the treasure of condensing life? And then I want to hear his opinion again.

Shen Ruoyu raised his head, and when Xu Huizu saw that look, his heart suddenly sank, and his entire spine became stiff and cold.

He understands that everything is over; He couldn't stop him.

Shen Ruoyu opened his mouth and said softly: "Your Majesty, my lords, since the Divine Treasure of Condensation is so powerful, why not use it to withdraw from the army?" Take it and put it at the gate of Beiping City, and from then on it will not stop King Yan, once and for all, why bother to send hundreds of thousands of troops, raise the army, and work the people and lose money? ”

Sheng Yong was stunned, secretly screaming that the big thing was not good, and he was busy pinching Shen Ruoxiao hard. He didn't know that Xu Huizu had already pulled Shen Ruoyu before, and he couldn't stop it; What effect can he make with such a belated pinch.

Zhu Yunwen didn't know how to answer for a while. Fang Xiaoru frowned and said:

"If so, why do you say that? The imperial court retreats against the thieves, of course, it needs a real army of soldiers and horses. The function of the Divine Treasure of Condensation is to be blessed by God, and it can help our army to win. ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "What does Mr. Fang mean, if there is no Condensation Divine Treasure, it is impossible for my army to have a great victory in Dongchang?" ”

Huang Zicheng said: "It's hard to tell. ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "Dongchang has this victory, relying on the bloody battlefield of 200,000 troops, working together and fighting to the death, what does it have to do with a big stone?" Resourceful people, how many times has the Condensing Divine Treasure opened his mouth to offer me a word? ”

Fang Xiaoru frowned and said, "This is wrong. In ancient times, if you want to achieve great success, you must first cast an artifact. The completion of the artifact is blessed by God. The Divine Treasure of Condensation is also an artifact; Baocheng and trust in the gods, blessed by luck. There is a way to plan things in people, and things to achieve in heaven. Dongchang's great victory, some people are not fake, but in the end, it is the will of God that really succeeds. Just imagine, before our army sets out on the expedition, the Son of Heaven ascends the throne to perform sacrifices, coincides with droughts and floods, autumn harvests, and all kinds of major events, we must sacrifice to heaven and earth, and dedicate grains to the ancestral temple, in order to pray for God's blessing? ”

Qi Tai said: "General Zuo has made great contributions in this battle, but he should not be proud of his merits, and waste the gift of respecting heaven, and think that all the credit lies with himself." If you do, you will lose the faith of the gods! ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "I said earlier that Ruoliao has no merit in this battle, and it depends on the soldiers of the whole army. Now His Majesty ignores the soldiers in the rain of bullets and arrows, but regards everything as the will of heaven and takes it for granted, which is the real loss of the faith of the gods! ”

Zhu Yunwen was shocked: "If there are few, I am not like this." Of course, I know that the whole army has made great contributions, and I have been rewarded according to their merits, without bias. You know that. ”

"Your Majesty, what Ruo Xiao is referring to is not just a condensing divine treasure." Shen Ruoyu stood up, but Sheng Yong couldn't hold him. Xu Huizu knew that the catastrophe had been broken, but he didn't expect it to get bigger and bigger. He looked at Shen Ruoyu in shock, and began to think of a way out quickly.

Shen Ruoyu said: "What are hundreds of thousands of troops sacrificing their lives on the front line? For the sake of my Ming dynasty. In their minds, the Son of Heaven is holy and virtuous, benevolent and loving to the people, and it is worthy of their hard work. And what has His Majesty done since he ascended the throne? Changing the name of the official position, changing the name of the palace gate, should be retro, and the Jingtian system should be implemented - except for the new endowment of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, there is simply nothing that really has any practical significance. ”

Fang Xiaoru was surprised: "How can it be said that there is no practical significance? His Majesty reformed the official system and reformed redundant officials, abolished injustice, and changed the government from emphasizing military force over literature to emphasizing literature over military force, implementing civil governance, and treating people and ministers with courtesy. Your Majesty's leniency and benevolence have achieved remarkable results, how can it be said that it is meaningless? ”

Huang Zicheng said: "In addition to Your Majesty's change of official system, there is also leniency, how can General Zuo not notice?" ”

Shen Ruoliao said: "Lenient sentence? Jinyi Guard prison is abolished and reused, is it a lenient sentence? ”

Qi Tai was already angry: "General Zuo's intention, except for the new endowment of Jiangsu and Zhejiang proposed by General Zuo, there is nothing to be desired for the new policy of the imperial court?" ”

Shen Ruoyu had already realized that the situation was out of control. He was no longer able to speak freely in front of the Son of Heaven and Mr. Fang as before, but at this moment he couldn't control it. He said:

"What I mean is that when I turned my back on King Yan and returned to the court, I had higher expectations for the Son of Heaven and the court; So far today, I don't want to. As far as the frontline soldiers are concerned, I wonder if they are not disappointed. ”

Xu Huizu jumped up, bowed down and said, "Your Majesty forgives your sins; The minister knew that there were still major matters to deal with in the family of the Marquis of Dongchang, and the minister heard that since the Great War of Dongchang, the Marquis of Dongchang had been overworked for months, and he couldn't sleep at night, and everyone had to collapse. It's not surprising that his emotions are out of control at this moment. I also hope that Your Majesty will allow him to leave early, and the brigadier will send him home to rest. I have to get up early tomorrow morning and go on the road. ”

"This ......" Zhu Yunwen looked at Shen Ruoyu tremblingly, and then looked at Xu Huizu in surprise.

Sheng Yong also jumped up and persuaded: "Your Majesty, my lords, the Marquis of Dongchang is still young and vigorous, but his affection is deep, his loyalty can be learned, and his gaffes are understandable. - Ruo Xiao, you too, the Divine Treasure of Condensation is a rare treasure in ancient and modern times, what's so bad? ”

Shen Ruoyu lowered his head, took a deep breath, and spit out. He raised his head, looked at Zhu Yunwen quietly, and said:

"Your Majesty, no matter how good the Divine Treasure of Condensation is, it is comparable to the jade seal of the country?"

Zhu Yunwen looked at him in horror: "The jade seal of the country? ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "The jade seal of the country is only eight characters; His Majesty engraved sixteen characters on the Divine Treasure of Condensing Life, naturally asking for God's blessing, but it is too much. The pendulum will swing. ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "Ruo Xiao, the more you say this, the more you lose it." What are you thinking? Your departure from King Yan and submission to the court is the way of a righteous person, and it is a matter of course, not an option. Let you say as if the court owes you, and if you don't do what you want, you shouldn't be obedient? Now let's talk about the jade seal of the country. The jade seal of the country has long ceased to exist along with the Yuan Dynasty. What's the benefit of talking about it again? ”

Shen Ruoyu said coldly: "The jade seal of the country is in the hands of King Yan. ”

"What?" The whole seat was shocked, and the brushes were shocked.

Shen Ruoyu said: "The jade seal of the country is hidden in Yunnan, and now it is in the hands of King Yan. His Majesty has His Majesty's Divine Treasure of Condensation, and King Yan has the jade seal that has been handed down for 2,000 years. Your Majesty, Mr. Fang, the two adults, since they believe so much that the artifact is the destiny of heaven, now they might as well think about which one is more powerful when the Divine Treasure of Destiny and the Jade Seal of the Kingdom are competing for each other. Since leaving King Yan and serving His Majesty, he has devoted himself to the field, without the slightest complaint, and never believed that a piece of jade seal of the country can make King Yan seek the destiny of heaven. I only ask Your Majesty to relax my vigilance because of a piece of square jade, a victory, thinking that the world is worry-free. The Yan army is far from being wiped out, not to mention that our army only won one victory after three heavy defeats, so what luck can we talk about. If you don't go here, if you don't completely exterminate the Yan army, you vow not to come back alive to meet Your Majesty. Your Majesty take care; If you say goodbye. ”

Then he left his table and withdrew from the temple. Xu Huizu hurriedly said goodbye and chased out of the hall.

"Ruo Few! You ......" Wei Guogong was out of breath after him, and he was more panicked. "You, you, I tell you over and over again—alas. Are you looking for death? ”

Shen Ruoxiao's face turned pale and smiled weakly.

"Grandpa, I understand. I...... Beside oneself. I will bear all the consequences. You don't have to say any more. ”

"What do you bear? Do you know what the consequences are? Xu Huizu said, "Among those words you say, any one of them can make your head fall to the ground." What the hell is wrong with you? You really don't want to live anymore? ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "Grandpa, aren't you disappointed at all?" The enemy has not retreated, His Majesty and the ministers are so fluttering, and it is really a vain and meaningless move to condense the divine treasure, but it is used as the destiny of heaven. If this continues, even if we finally retire from King Yan, what practical things can this court do in the future? Under this kind of atmosphere, how can we be able to defeat King Yan? I know I shouldn't have said anything. But what I have just said is not half a lie. I, Shen Ruoxiao, also worked hard, but in the end, I still couldn't do the calmness and tolerance of my grandfather, as well as the self-preservation of my father. ”

Xu Huizu shook his head frequently and said: "I understand, I understand, I agree with everything you said." You criticize me for being wise and self-preservation, and I agree with it. Now that you have already said what you have said, no matter how much you think about it now, it is useless. What you need to think about now is how to make up for it, you have reached this point without concealing your mouth, in addition to committing crimes, there is also a suspicion of conspiracy, and the emperor may issue an edict at any time and dismiss you from your post and take you into custody. The 200,000 troops on the front line can't live without you at this moment. What should you do? ”

Shen Ruoyu sighed: "I'll go home first; There is something going on at home at night. Hurry up and finish your family affairs, if you can wait until tomorrow, you will leave tomorrow, it is naturally the best. If you can't wait, it's fate—I don't ask for artifacts. You can't hide from what you should dodge. Grandpa just go home and prepare, don't worry about me. ”

When Shen Ruoyu came home, Qiu'er and Dou'er were all ready, just waiting for him.

He changed his clothes, and the three of them rushed to the Qinhuai River together, and according to the prior agreement, they got on the waiting boat. Wan Hengxin and the eldest young master of Liufu, who had never heard of it, were already waiting in the cabin with Qiu An.

The ship silently shored off the shore and drifted down the river. Dou'er and Qiu An have worshiped heaven and earth, and their families have blessed them. Everything was primitive, rustic, and couldn't have been simpler. A couple of newlyweds were satisfied, grateful and tearful.

Shen Ruoyu told Dou'er and Qiu An, said goodbye to Wan Hengxin and the eldest young master of the Liu family, went ashore with Qiu'er, and watched the boat slowly sail towards the dock of Confucius Temple. Nangong Qiu said goodbye to Dou'er, very sad. Shen Ruoliao's heart was uneasy, but at the moment he was more glad, glad that in this way, at least Dou'er would be out of his vine from now on and would not be implicated by him again.

On his vines, only Qiu'er is left.

Silent Night; It's so quiet that it's panicking. Shen Ruoyu said goodbye to Luo Yang, and spoke very late. Back in the room, Qiu'er was still waiting for the lamp.

"Why aren't you sleeping yet? It's so late. ”

"I won't sleep tonight, I'll watch over you." Qiu'er said sadly, "Save tomorrow morning, if you don't wake me up, you will run away secretly, and I won't be able to send you." ”

At this moment, Shen Ruoliao was already heartbroken. He looked at Nangong Qiu and couldn't make up his mind for a long time.

"What's wrong with you?" Nangong Qiu noticed his abnormality. "When you come back from the palace, something is wrong. What happened? ”

Shen Ruoyu gritted his teeth. He had no choice.

He took out a wooden box from his bosom and handed it to Qiu'er.

"This is for you. Don't open it yet. ”

Qiu'er took the box. "What is this?"

Shen Ruoyu said: "The things inside are for you, but it's not time yet." Qiu'er, there is something I have to tell you. ”

Nangong Qiu put down the wooden box and looked at him blankly, an ominous premonition enveloped his body.

"Qiu'er, I'm going to go this time, I'm afraid...... Will never come back. ”

Nangong Qiu stretched out his hand and pressed his lips and blamed: "How can you say this, how unlucky." ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "I'm not cranky; I am...... Know ...... so."

“…… You know so? You...... What do you mean? ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "If you go, King Yan will win sooner or later, and the Yan army will enter Yingtian sooner or later and subvert the imperial court." Qiu'er, I betrayed King Yan from the beginning, and I actually never betrayed King Yan. My heart is always on the side of King Yan. It's just that the court doesn't know, and neither does King Yan. So this time, I'm going to die. ”

Nangong Qiu looked at him in shock, his face pale: "I...... I don't understand...... What are you talking about......"

Shen Ruoyu said sadly: "From the beginning, everything has been doomed, and the ending must be like this." You don't understand, you don't need to understand, there's no point in understanding that. It's the ending that counts. When the news arrives home from the front, and you know that I will never return, open this wooden box, and it contains everything you need at that time; I've got it all ready for you. You take good care of it, and when the time comes, I can open it and look at it with confidence. ”

Nangong Qiu said: "You are sick, you must be sick." You're so tired that you're sick with exhaustion. ”

Shen Ruoyu shook his head: "I'm not sick; I've been working hard for so long, and not a word is a lie. ”

Nangong Qiu shook his head persistently and said, "Ruoxiao, don't be so depressed. I trust in your abilities, and you will surely come back safe and sound. I'll wait for you to come back, no matter how long it takes. ”

Shen Ruoyu took her into his arms and kissed her forehead gently. He felt that he had exhausted all his strength, and could only press against her cheek, and said weakly:

"Keep this wooden box; Once you open it, you never have to wait for me again. ”

Nangong Qiu shuddered.

"You...... Are you really so sure I'm going to open the box? ”

Shen Ruoyu smiled faintly. "Qiu'er, how can I not know what I planned?"

He was right; Nangong Qiu finally opened the wooden box. However, he was also wrong, and he still had something he didn't know after all.