My father sighed lightly and looked up at me, as if he had made some important decision, "Zhen'er, since you have gone to the secret room, you should know what will happen next!" ”

My father said this very calmly, as if he was talking about something insignificant, but I was terrified when I heard it, and I was afraid that what happened to Mrs. Wen was about to fall on us.

The father turned his eyes to his mother and said, "Madam, take out the Kongming box!" ”

My mother looked at me and my father blankly, nodded and walked to the inner room, my father looked at me and said, "Time is pressing, my father will tell you the important ones, and someone will tell you the rest in the future." From this moment on, you must firmly remember every word and word that your father says, because what your father says next is the beginning of the entire Ye family. ”

"Your grandfather was the ender secret guard by Emperor Lexu's side back then, and Emperor Lexu trusted him very much, so he handed over the entire secret guard to him to manage. When Emperor Lexu was critically ill, the vassal king took the opportunity to rebel, and it was the three princes of the first emperor who went to suppress the rebellion. Who knew that the three princes were ambushed at the Gorge Pass, and none of the 90,000 elite soldiers survived. ”

"The vassal king's soldiers are coming to the city, the general trend of Yasukuni has gone, the city gate has been broken, and the city has fallen. After entering the customs, the vassal king tore down the Yasukuni flag and set up the name of the country. Before his death, the first emperor instructed your grandfather to take the founding jade seal out of the palace, and your grandfather escaped with two young princes. After the vassal king entered the customs, he killed all the way to the palace city, the people in the palace panicked, fled in embarrassment, and the two princes lost their traces in the war. ”

"So, your grandfather took the founding jade seal to the people incognito, and privately searched for the prince of the former dynasty under the banner of a businessman. He was not the only secret guard who escaped from the palace back then, but since he left the palace, he has hidden his identity, and no one knows where. At present, there are only three people who know, Liu Sanye, who was a candy seller in the streets and alleys, Niu Bo, who drove a big car on the street, and Mrs. Wen. ”

Since my father said the first word, I have been like a paper kite with a broken thread, rising and falling helplessly in the air, if it weren't for the constant sound of running and shouting outside the door, I would have thought that I was in a dream at this moment.

The father sighed, "Liu Sanye and Mrs. Wen have suffered misfortune, and after leaving the house, the only person you can rely on is Uncle Niu, and the others must not be easily trusted." Emperor Lexu is an emperor who understands righteousness, even if the country is destroyed, he has never put forward half a sentence to restore the country, he only said that the virtuous are respected, and also told your grandfather, if the next emperor is a Ming monarch who can make the people live and work in peace and contentment, then the founding jade seal will be returned to the palace, so far as to be one of all living beings, forget the past identity. ”

"The current emperor is indeed a rare virtuous monarch, for his father wanted to take the opportunity to enter the palace to send the jade seal back to the palace quietly, who knew that the emperor was in poor health, and the emperor said that the emperor only had one or two years to live. Although there are many princes in the emperor today, there are only four who remain in Beijing, and he thinks about waiting for his father, and then invites the founding jade seal back to the palace after the new monarch takes the throne, who knows! ”

My father sighed and said to me, who was immersed in pretending to be an ostrich, "You don't need to blame yourself too much for this matter, if they don't have a long-term plan, it is impossible for them to sneak into the Ye Mansion so quietly, and it is impossible to steal the founding jade seal smoothly." ”

"Now that the emperor is critically ill, and there is no prince in the court, it is at a critical juncture, the jade seal has also been stolen, and the emperor's last wish cannot be completed. For his father, he guessed that the one who stole the jade seal must be a person in the palace. ”

"Originally, my father didn't plan to tell you these things, because for a woman, marrying a wishful husband and living a peaceful life is more important than anything else. Now these burdens have been given to you, and they have made it difficult for you. ”

My mother came out of the inner room and handed my father a golden box, and my father took out a palm-sized purse from the box and handed it to me.

"This is the seal letter of the head of the Ye Mansion, from now on you are the new head of the Ye Mansion, if you have any difficulties in the future, go to the Liuhua Inn, there will be someone to help you."

My father looked at me and asked, "Do you understand?" ”

"Ming......... ........"I just feel dizzy in my head, like seasickness, the world is spinning, and my head is too congested and a little swollen."

The father got up and walked to the window, and reached out to press down on a corner of the window's edge, while the sound of a "creaking" mechanism was heard in the inner room.

Outside the door gradually sounded a cry, the fire suddenly burst out, as if there was a sky-high posture, there was a sudden knock outside the door, only to hear someone outside the trembling voice shouting, "Master, madam, I don't know why a lot of officers and soldiers suddenly came outside the house, the guards can't stop it, they ..... They're coming this way, sir........."

The father and the mother looked at each other, the mother stood there with her stomach up, the flickering fire light reflected on her face, there was no trace of fear in her eyes, the mother stroked the high bulging belly, and smiled, "Give the child a name!" ”

I only heard my father say, "The man is Ye Fan, and the woman is Ye Yi." ”

My mother nodded, turned her eyes to me and said, "Zhen'er, kneel down and kowtow to your father, thank him for his kindness in raising and teaching, and that's it........ Don't ....... it," he turned around and went to the inner room, walking into the secret passage without looking back.

I saluted, and my father sighed, "Take care of your mother and brother, go quickly!" ”

I nodded and went into the dark passage to chase my mother, and there was a "creaking" sound of the door closing behind me, and the heart-rending cry gradually weakened, and finally I couldn't hear anything.

The dark passage is neither narrow nor wide, my mother and I walked one after the other, there is still some rich space around me, every five steps on the wall is inlaid with a pigeon's egg the size of the night pearl, the road under my feet is like sprinkled with moonlight, it is not difficult to walk.

The mother led the way in front, and the weak light pulled the shadow of the mother extraordinarily long, looking at the emaciated back of the mother, the heart that was originally flustered and overwhelmed miraculously stabilized a lot.

"Zhen'er, are you afraid?"

I was afraid that the words would come to my mouth and be swallowed alive, and I was about to say that I was not afraid, when I saw my mother stop there, and suddenly turned to look at me.

The surrounding night pearls are as bright as the soft moonlight, and my mother looked at me, and her eyes were gentle like water, "Zhen'er, don't be afraid, my mother is here!" ”

When I was five years old, I accidentally broke the Nine Dragon Cup that my father made for the emperor, at that time I was already sensible, I knew what the weight of my father's heart was and also knew the importance of the Nine Dragon Cup.

It was already the beginning of autumn, and when my mother found me, I was huddled in the cave and shivered.

When my mother looked at me, she also looked like this, and put her hand in front of me, and there was a small peach cake quietly in her hand, I hesitated for a while, and pinched the little peach cake and stuffed it in my mouth, chewed it twice, and swallowed it.

My mother's hand was still stretched out, and she said to me with a smile, "Zhen'er, don't be afraid, my mother is here!" ”

The shell that I had been strong for so long suddenly collapsed, and in a trance I went back to the time of the child, wanting to fall into the arms of my mother for protection, and tell my mother that I was afraid.

As soon as the footsteps stretched out, they stopped in place, and my mother's high bulging belly reminded me that I was no longer the five-year-old doll, and my mother needed me at this time.

I forcibly suppressed the uneasiness in my heart, pulled my mother's shirt and said solemnly, "Now I am the new head of the Ye family, the entire Ye family, I will cover it!" ”

The mother nodded, turned around and continued to lead the way, I don't know how long it took, the mother didn't know what she thought of and suddenly laughed, I asked the reason, only to hear the mother say, "For so many years, I only said that your father has been wronging you, and he is very strict with you, and if you make a mistake, you will kneel in the ancestral hall at every turn, please family law, and the maids around you will be counted on your head if they make mistakes." I have never given you a smiling face since I was a child, let alone pampered. Every time I see other people's children coquettish to their fathers, they have a small temper, and they are very envious in their hearts, how many times they dream back at midnight, and they dream that you and your father are sitting together talking and laughing, and our family is in harmony and enjoying the joy of family that we have never enjoyed. ”

A burst of sadness rose in my heart, it turned out that the saddest thing for so many years has not been me, but the mother who loves me and protects me.

I only heard my mother say again, "Now my mother finally understands, your father has always loved you, but no one has found out about the love in his heart." In the past two years, he has been urging his mother to find a wishful husband for you and marry you off. Wei Niang didn't understand it at the time, but now it's completely explained. If you find a family for you early, you will not be frightened and uneasy in this secret path. In addition, if he hadn't pressed you to leave the school, now you must be the palm of Yuxiu Pavilion, and you can enter the palace to perform when you become a palm treasure, once the east window incident in Ye Mansion happens, you have no way to retreat in the palace, and you will definitely die. ”

The mother sighed for a long time, with a hint of helplessness in her sigh, "Your father deprived you of his favor since childhood, in order to protect you." ”

"This piece of wood ........" my mother sighed helplessly, and said to me from the side, "Zhen'er, if you marry someone in the future, you have to see how to marry, a wood like your father will never be able to marry." He is a lifelong person, and even Weiniang has never really understood him. ”

I nodded as if I didn't understand, my mother had an unknown habit, and when she was so happy, she would say something against her will, and although she said so, she must have hoped that I would find a wooden lover who was as upright as my father.

My mother stopped talking and silently led the way ahead, I don't know how long it took for me to gradually feel a little strange, the road under my feet was a little wet, and there was a pool around this dark passage?

My mother's figure gradually swayed a little, and her breath gradually became unstable, so I stepped forward to support her and asked, "Mother, do you want to take a break?" ”

Under the faint light and shadow, the mother's face was very pale, and she shook her head with difficulty, and said weakly, "No.... No way..... Let's go....."

I put my mother's arm up, half back and half frame with her slowly, almost half of the way to Kyoto, I finally saw the bright moonlight in front of me, the secret passage at the exit became a little narrow, I half-supported and half-pushed my mother out first.

In the cold and bright moonlight, I saw that my hands were stained with blood, half of my clothes were blood-colored, and the magnolia flowers on the tips of my shoes were blooming blood-red and bewitching in the breezy night.

My mother was bleeding.

I looked back, and there were blood-colored footprints at the exit of the dark passage, which were particularly dazzling in the cold moonlight, and the dazzling blood stains spread from my mother's feet to the dark dark passage.

I knelt beside my mother, and stammered in a trembling voice, "Mother..... Mother, what's wrong with you..... Mother...."

My mother was lying on the grass weakly, trying to sit up with a strong breath, I stepped forward to help her, let her lean on herself, my mother pointed to the high bulging belly and said, "Child...... Want... Gave birth to ......"

I nodded hurriedly and said "It's okay!" It's okay! I'm going to find a midwife! I'm going to find ........... midwife."

Look around, the surrounding bushes are deep, the shadows of the trees are like a tide, and there are several folds continuously, this dark passage leads to the suburbs where it is, and there are no people everywhere you look, where to find the midwife!

My mother grabbed my hand and said weakly but firmly, "Zhen'er..... You're here to pick up ......."

"Mother...."

My mother looked at me, her eyes were full of determination, and she only listened to her say word by word, "Don't be afraid..... Here you come.... Hurts.. Crippled... He's dead...... Mother doesn't blame you............."

Under the moonlight, there was no blood on my mother's face, beads of sweat on my forehead were like rain, and I was very calm in a panic, as if I was out of my body, I watched myself take off my shirt and put it aside, and I watched myself roll up my long sleeves to deliver my mother.

A childish cry broke through the sky, and the sleeping sparrow on the branch spread its wings and rushed out of the nest.

I hugged the child who was shivering and covered in blood, and threw the plain hosta on the bun to the stone at my feet, and after a crisp "bang", the plain jade on the hairpin broke a corner, and I grinded the broken place twice in the crack of the stone. I floated in the air like an out-of-body soul, and watched very calmly as I cut the umbilical cord with the broken and somewhat sharp hosta.

"Mother, you see it's Ye Fan, Ye Fan."

The mother glanced at the child weakly and said with a smile, "He..... It's like you.... Zhen'er ..... You.... You want.... Take good care of him.... Mother......"

"Mother! Mother.........."

"Madame!"

There was a call behind me, I regarded it as a natural voice, and I hugged the newborn Ye Fan and cried to the visitor very aggrieved, "Erniang........"

Erniang walked out of the dark passage in three steps and two steps, followed by three or four black-clothed people, I saw that some people were very angry, but in a blink of an eye, Xu was the nursing home next to Erniang, there were a lot of people in the house, and I didn't know all of them.

The mother had fainted at this time, and the second mother reached out to probe under the mother's nose, and said with a long sigh of relief, "Fortunately, you are in time, you can take the lady away quickly." ”

A man in black stood up and hugged his mother back into the dark passage, Erniang stepped forward to take the child from my arms, lifted the wrapped gown to a corner, and in the cold moonlight, Erniang said, "Can the master give a name?" ”

"Ye Fan."

"Ye Fan........" Erniang reached out and wiped her bloodstained little face, and from time to time there was a light and bright whistle in her mouth, and Ye Fan was amused and giggled.

"Ma'am, it's time to go."

A man in black stepped forward and reached out to hold the child.

"I'll do it myself."

Erniang hugged Ye Fanwu and walked to the dark road: "Zhen'er, let's go!" It's over! ”

The man in black stood still until I got up and walked into the tunnel.

The gate of Yefu was blazing, and there were many people standing at the gate, and I saw many familiar faces in the firelight, father, picking green, picking sus, and the maid who washed and sprinkled, and the mother-in-law who cooked. My father stood in the midst of the crowd, with no fear on his face, and when he saw me, he aged a lot.

There were many expressionless guards standing beside them, and the guards were wearing lion helmet armor, I clearly remember that Yuxiu Pavilion had received an order from the imperial court, and it took a year to create the lion helmet armor of the three armies. The first time I saw the lion's head armor, I praised it for its cute appearance, but the next time I saw it, I was stunned, and I was so cold to see it.

I looked at the Yefu people in armor and locks, and then at the tall armored army, looked up and said to the man on the horse in the crowd, "Meng Le, what are you doing here?" ”