After a long period of nervousness and fatigue, I slept until noon the next day. By the time I got up, Wu Feng had already been invited to the Prince's Mansion.

Today is another cloudy day, the sky is grayish-yellow, dull and dark. The northwest wind carried the yellow sand blowing from Rongdi and began to wreak havoc in the Qin capital again. The sky was filled with gloomy dark clouds, torn into flocculent stripes by the wind. The trees of the General's Mansion had lost their leaves, leaving only bare brown branches, standing straight in the wind. On the branches, a few small yellow-brown sparrows curled up into a few small dots, timidly next to each other to keep warm. No matter how much I hate the winter in this Qin land, it still comes.

On the school yard in the backyard, Yu Yu was leading a group of soldiers to do daily drills, and his innocent and handsome appearance and curly hair made him stand out in the queue.

When he saw me, he immediately threw down the halberd in his hand and waved at me with a leap of time. I smiled back and beckoned the servant who was leading the team out.

"Lady, why are you here? Didn't the general tell you to have a good rest today? ”

"I don't have anything to do, I just want to come and see Wuxian and Yu Di, how do the two of them get along well with the soldiers?"

"Yu Di's archery skills are superb, and the boys in the house pester him every day to learn archery. Innocent is a little disobedient to discipline, but his body and strength are above us, and he will become a great weapon in time. This time, the two of them went to the prince's mansion to steal the sword and made a great contribution, and the general's rewards have been issued. ”

"That's fine, then Gong Shi Xike is back?"

"I came back a few days ago, but five of my brothers who pretended to be assassins in Jingyang died, and now Gong Shixi is settling their families."

"You need to be cautious in this matter, don't let the people in the prince's mansion see the clues."

"Don't worry, the head of the family has already confessed."

"You, thanks to you this time, Ah Shi is grateful!" I thanked me, and the servant hurriedly helped me up: "I just did everything according to the arrangement of the noble lady, how can I have any credit?" ”

"One wrong step, all the games are lost. You should be the first to take credit for your actions. I raised my hand and saluted.

The servant no longer shirked, and returned a salute in a dignified manner.

"It's coming to the end of the year soon, and although the housekeeper is not there, the sacrifices in the house must not be delayed. I'm going to the West Market tomorrow to buy some necessary things, so let Innocent come to see me in the morning!" ”

"No!"

After explaining it to Youyu, I walked aimlessly in the house, turned a few corners, and unconsciously walked in front of the Yao girl's residence.

The few maidservants who used to live with her have now moved out, and the small house has been turned upside down by the prince's people. Torn bedding was thrown on the floor, several wooden boxes were smashed and piled up by the door, and the room, which had been neat a few days ago, was now a mess.

I reached out and picked up the desk that had fallen to the ground, picked up the quilt and wanted to put it back on the bed, only took two steps, and accidentally kicked something with my left foot, and when I bent down, I saw that the dresser of the Yao girl was lying at my feet. The fine powder applied to the face, the lip grease applied to the lips, the stone dai that painted the eyebrows, and the white, red, and green ones were sprinkled on the ground.

On the same day, after I opened the Yao Nu, I put the secret letter of the Jin Kingdom prepared in advance here.

I stood there with my broken quilt in my arms, my eyes staring at the black and red makeup, and my mind went blank and I couldn't think of anything. Later, I only felt a little cold on my body, as if something was gradually leaving me.

When Wu Feng opened the door and found me, the sun had already sunk outside.

He looked at me in a daze, didn't say anything, just took my hand and took me out of the Yao girl's room.

The north wind of the winter night roared in my ears like a beast, and the murderous cold seemed to freeze everything. I leaned against Wu Feng and walked all the way, and from time to time I heard the sound of tree branches being broken by the strong wind. Before the stumps could fall to the ground, they were swept by the wind and swirled and fluttered in the gray-black sky.

I shrank beside Wu Feng and asked in a voice that only I could hear, "I'm not close to Yao Nu, why are I so uncomfortable now?" ”

Wu Feng stopped, looked at me and said, "You take death too seriously...... Once you're used to it, you'll be fine. ”

Will it be good if you get used to it? I was silent.

After Wu Feng sent me back to the room, he asked the big head master to send me some food. I wasn't really in the mood, so I just pulled a few mouthfuls and went to bed.

"I've only been out for a few months, and I didn't expect such a big thing to happen in the house. Fortunately, you are as careful as a hair, whether it is the arrangement of Yao Nu or the assassination in Jingyang City, it is well arranged. It's just that I came back too late and let you be wronged in the Prince's Mansion. "Wu Feng sat down on the side of my bed, his face haggard and unusually emaciated.

"I'm fine, I just regret a little that I didn't stop Yao Nu that day." I pinched the corners of the quilt and muttered.

"This time, if we can kill the prince with the help of the Jin people, it will be extremely beneficial to us. If it fails, you can also borrow the prince's hand to get rid of the Yao girl. She is a meticulous work arranged by the Jin people, and staying in the mansion is a scourge after all. If you stop her that day, maybe the Jin people will send someone else to do the same thing. When the time comes, we will not be even more dangerous. It's just that I didn't expect that Gongzi would actually rescue the prince. Wu Feng suddenly paused when he said this, and turned his head to look at me fixedly, "Xiao'er, why didn't you tell Gongzi about this that day?" If you had counseled with him, it would have been done seamlessly. ”

"I ...... In addition to doubting the Jin people, I actually suspected the son. I'm afraid that once the crown prince dies, he will put all the blame on you for the sake of the throne. ”

Wu Feng sighed lightly and touched my hair: "Idiot, within ten years, even if Gongzili sits on the throne of the monarch, he will not dare to easily cut off my arm." However, this time it's really hard for you. In the midst of many obstacles, he even arranged such a way for me to retreat. You don't have to think about it anymore. I told you earlier that you should never be soft on your enemies, or you will only harm yourself. It was indeed a pity that Yao Nu failed to kill the crown prince, but the assassination in Jingyang City also made General Qi feel cold to the prince. In other days, if the son really wants to replace him. I'm afraid General Qi won't be as vigorously opposed as he was back then. You've done a great job. Go to bed early tonight, and after a few days of leisure, we will go to Weishui to dig ice and fish again, just like last year, okay? ”

"Hmm." I nodded and obediently closed my eyes. Wu Feng pulled the quilt for me, got up and blew out the candle on the table, closed the door and left.

The night breeze whined in through the crack in the door, and to my ears it sounded more like a woman's sobbing cry. I couldn't sleep after tossing and turning, so I just sat up with the quilt in my hands, staring at the dark, empty room with wide eyes. Such cold and darkness inevitably reminded me of the dark and terrible dungeon of the Prince's Mansion and the unknown life and death of the Yao girl in the dungeon.

"Ah Shi, what are you sad about? You can see now that you're not a good person at all. If you think too much and calculate too much, your heart is already dirty and you can't go back. Don't pretend that you still hurt, don't pretend that you still care, when more people die in the future, you will get used to it. ”

"Do what you have to do, protect the people you should protect, only the strong can survive......"

……

In the darkness, I repeated these words to myself over and over again, until my tongue was dry and I fell asleep from exhaustion.