"Da Sima, Your Majesty is invited."

On this day in late August, Xiao Shunzi's father-in-law came to Huo Quai's mansion and said that Liu Che was going to invite him into the palace today and had something to talk about.

Huo Quai, who was studying the strategy of the Second Battle of Mobei with Qian Mingguang, raised his head from the map and asked, "What is Your Majesty looking for me?" ”

Xiao Shunzi's father-in-law shook his head, "The slave doesn't know." ”

Huo Quzhi responded, "Okay, then I'll enter the palace now." ”

"No."

.......

In Weiyang Palace, Liu Che sat on the cushion behind his bookcase with a heavy face, today's bookcase was very clean, except for a roll of yellowed bamboo slips, there was nothing on it.

Since Xiao Shunzi's father-in-law left, Liu Che's eyes have never taken his eyes off the bamboo slips.

This bamboo slip appears on Liu Che's desk all the year round, no matter when, no matter where it is, it will always be quietly placed on Liu Che's desk, and every time Liu Che sees it, the corners of his mouth will subconsciously cross a smile.

This is a bamboo slip from seven years ago, and it is also a good news from seven years ago.

It is the source of the beginning of everything.

After staring at the bamboo slip for a long time, Liu Che came back to his senses, reached out and pressed his temple, and rubbed it gently.

Today....... Probably the last conversation.

"Although it's only the end of August, the weather in Chang'an is really not very good, alas, the northwest is like this, to be honest, if possible, I really want to go to Jingzhou to live for a while." Liu Che chatted softly.

But no one answered his words, and when he raised his head, Liu Che found that Xiao Shunzi's father-in-law was no longer there, and the other palace maids and eunuchs in the palace did not dare to talk at all.

With a wry smile, Liu Che patted his head helplessly, "What's the matter, I'm not old yet, my memory can't keep up, alas, it's okay, come on, it's a little too cold in this house, bring me a brazier." ”

"No."

Soon, two little eunuchs carried a brazier and placed it next to Liu Che's bookcase.

Sitting by the brazier and quietly roasting the fire for a while, Liu Che found that his somehow cold body was still the same cold, no matter how he roasted the fire, it was so cold, cold from the bone marrow.

Shaking his head, Liu Che sighed: "It seems that he is still a little old, forget it, go out and walk around, move your muscles and bones, and save a while in front of him to show an old and unbearable appearance and afraid of the cold." ”

"You don't have to follow me, I go out and walk around by myself." Looking at the palace maids and eunuchs beside him who wanted to accompany him, Liu Che asked them all to stay and not follow him.

He wanted to go out for a walk, he wanted to go out and see his palace, to see what his palace really looked like.

........

Although he has lived here for decades, although Liu Che remembers every brick and tile here clearly, somehow, standing in front of the majestic Weiyang Palace today, Liu Che suddenly felt that it had become strange and did not look like the Weiyang Palace in his memory.

Looking at the palace in front of him, Liu Che felt strange and felt a burst of coldness.

"Is this my Weiyang Palace? Is this where the emperor lived? Hehe, it used to look like it was good, but today...... I always feel like I don't like it, and I always feel like it's changed, ugly, and ...... It's dirty. ”

Speaking of this, Liu Che touched his chest with a smile, and said helplessly: "It's wrong, it's not actually this palace, it's my heart." ”

"People always become, and so do I, I become, I become, I get ugly, I get dirty."

Next, Liu Che stretched out his sleeve and patted the dust on the stone steps outside Weiyang Palace, and then sat on it.

Sitting on the stone steps outside Weiyang Palace, Liu Che silently looked at the palace in the distance, looked at Chang'an City in the distance, and listened to the noisy noise coming from Chang'an City.

This time, Liu Che sat for half an hour, and his majestic and resolute face looked a little more vicissitudes, and even his eyes were very ethereal.

No one knows what Liu Che is thinking now, only he knows, maybe ...... Maybe even he doesn't know what he's thinking, because there's so much to think about.

Looking at the palace, looking at the main hall, looking up at the geese flying in the sky, looking down at the ants climbing on the bluestone steps, after watching for a long time, Liu Che couldn't help but feel a little tired.

Okay, I've seen almost it, and I've finished reading everything I should see.

Just as he was about to return to the main hall and wait for Huo Qu's illness to arrive, Liu Che suddenly found out from the corner of his eyes that a soldier of the Yulin Army standing guard on the right was secretly looking at himself.

When he found himself looking at him, the childish Yulin Army soldier was so frightened that he quickly withdrew his gaze and stood up straight.

Liu Che looked interesting, stretched out his hand to greet him, and said, "Come here." ”

When the young general heard Liu Che calling himself, he was frightened into a cold sweat, swallowed his saliva, and came to Liu Che's eyes with a hard head, and bowed over, "See Your Majesty." ”

Liu Che smiled kindly, "Don't be so restrained, come, sit down, sit next to me, I want to talk to you." ”

The sudden surprise overwhelmed the young general, and soon, according to Liu Che's instructions, the young general obediently put down the halberd in his hand and sat beside Liu Che in a restrained manner.

Looking at his scared look, Liu Che smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, I don't mean anything else, I just want to talk to you, how old are you this year?" ”

The young general replied gently, "Back to Your Majesty, the youngest one is eighteen years old this year. ”

Liu Che sighed and asked with a smile, "Eighteen years old, hehe, yes, is my home in Chang'an?" ”

The young general nodded, "If you go back to Your Majesty, Xiao's home is in a village outside Chang'an." ”

"Well, it's good, are your parents still there? Are you married? Liu Che continued to ask.

The young general was a little shy and said: "My father and mother are still there, but the little one hasn't married yet, because the little one didn't have any ability before, and he will only bury his head in farming, so no one wants to marry the girl to me, but now it's different, they heard that the little one has joined the Yulin Army, and many people have come to my house to propose marriage." ”

Liu Che was relieved: "Yes, then you should have entered the Yulin Army directly from the border army, right?" ”

The young general nodded.

At this time, Liu Che's eyes laughed, "Tell me, have you ever fought?" ”

The young general's face suddenly turned red, and after being silent for a while, he shook his head, "I haven't fought, I've only seen it, because the small one has only been in the army for more than a year, if it weren't for luck, if it weren't for the luck of catching up with His Majesty to expand the Yulin Army, it would be impossible for the small one to enter the Yulin Army." ”

Liu Che smiled and asked, "Then why did you become a soldier?" ”

The young general suddenly raised his head, "The small one wants to get ahead, the small one wants to serve the country, and the small one wants to run away from the Huns like General Huo, but ...... The little one is not General Huo, not as powerful as him. The young general smiled innocently.

At this time, Liu Che's gaze suddenly deepened, he sat on the stone steps, looked at the imperial city in the distance, and said in a deep voice: "Then you joined the army because you were sick?" ”

The young general nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty, not only me, but many people in our village came to join the army because they heard about General Huo's heroic deeds, he is so powerful and so young, we all envy him very much." ”

Young? Hearing these two words, Liu Che couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, but soon, he let out a long sigh, "Yes, young, too young, I was only twenty-three years old, twenty-three-year-old Da Sima, twenty-three years old........ It's so young. ”

"Can I ask you a question? What kind of person do you think General Huo is? Liu Che stared into the eyes of the young general and asked.

The young general blurted out, "General Huo is a big hero." ”

"Then who do you think I and General Huo are more powerful than?"

The young general was stunned, who is more powerful, Your Majesty or General Huo....... This, how can I say this.

He didn't know how to answer Liu Che at all.

The person in front of him is the emperor, if he accidentally says the wrong thing, then ...... Wouldn't that be beheaded?

Seeing his embarrassed look, Liu Che smiled tolerantly, "Don't be afraid, I don't mind if you have anything to say, I want to hear your sincere words today." ”

The young general looked at the approachable emperor in front of him in fear, and after hesitating for a long time, he said, "Your Majesty is even more powerful." ”

"Hahaha." After listening, Liu Che raised his head and laughed, stretched out his hand to pat his shaking shoulder, "You lied, but it doesn't matter, I don't blame you, because I know what kind of status the disease has in the minds of you young people, to be honest, he is not only a hero in your heart, but also a big hero in my heart, I can tell you clearly, I admit that I am not as good as him, I am not as good as the disease." ”

"Your Majesty......" The young general looked at Liu Che blankly, not knowing what was wrong with him.

Laughing enough, talking enough, Liu Che asked his last question, "You said, if General Huo asked you to die one day, would you be willing?" ”

The young general thought about it, he was very simple, and he didn't understand what today's conversation was destined to be, he would only answer according to the answer in his mind.

"The little one is willing, if one day General Huo is willing to take the little one to the battlefield, of course the little one is willing to die for him."

Liu Che nodded with a wry smile, "Yes, this is your answer, he is going to be sick, he is Huo Quai," looking at the soldiers of the Yulin Army around him, Liu Che knew that their answer must be the same.

They will all be willing to die in order to get sick, just because he is Huo Quai.

Standing up, Liu Che patted his buttocks, looked at Chang'an City in the distance, and sighed, "He is a qualified general, but he is not a qualified courtier, he is too powerful, too powerful, I am afraid of you, I am afraid of you." ”

........

In Weiyang Palace, Liu Che was standing in the hall with his hands behind his back, and when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him, Liu Che knew that he was coming.

"Coming? Well, just sit down, there is nothing else to call you into the palace today, I just want to talk to you," Liu Che turned his head, looked at the tall young man in front of him, and smiled warmly: "Go to the sick, why don't you have a private chat for a long time, it just happens that there is nothing to do today, why don't you have a good chat, don't be restrained." ”

Huo Quzhi didn't realize anything was wrong at all, and he didn't notice the unnaturalness in Liu Che's smile, he smiled and clenched his fists, "The last general will obey the order." ”