Inside the Imperial City of Luoyang.

In the nine-fold deep palace.

All the decadence and sin are silently hidden by the water pavilion in the palace, these dead things can't even play the role of whitewashing the peace, and the one who really realizes this dangerous situation is not Emperor Yang of Sui who is a dog and horse all day long, but a concubine who has long been forgotten in the deep palace, every day when the sun sets, she will lean against the door wall, quietly wait and watch, watch the whole process of such a Sui empire from the inside to rot.

This Concubine Chen was not abandoned because of twilight, but there were too many beautiful women in this deep palace, so many that Emperor Yang couldn't see or love them, so this woman who was only twenty years old and in the prime of her youth had to spend her time in hopeless waiting every day - waiting for Emperor Yang's occasional favor. In fact, Emperor Yang has not set foot in her Yuhua Palace for two years, she still remembers that when she first entered the palace, she lived in the Taiye Palace, Emperor Yang said that the palace does not avoid the sun, it will burn her white and tender skin like clotted fat, so he ordered someone to build this Yuhua Palace for her within half a year, he also quoted the words of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and said to her, "If you have Gillian, I should hide it in the golden house, I have a beauty like you, and what do you do with the three thousand in the harem." "What a glorious woman she was then! But now...... A sad tear slipped across the woman's flat cheeks, there was not a single flaw and a wrinkle in sight, but the second half of her life was destined to be spent in this ruthless deep palace: beautiful appearance, no one pity, let the years wear away, urge people to grow old, a lifetime, no one to help the elderly, only one single was wrapped, and it ended his life, how sad.

"Mother, come in! It's windy outside. The maidservant Xiaohuan gently put on a cloak for Concubine Chen behind her. This maid is the only maid in this huge Yuhua Palace, and the others have defected to the popular master as early as two years ago. Tending to be inflammatory, with red and white, this is the traditional rule of survival in this palace, no matter how arrogant she is Concubine Chen, she can't fight against the law, and now even the lowest-ranking little eunuch in this palace looks down on her, pretending to call her a good lady, how about it? can only endure this bad breath, blame yourself for being too obsessed with glory and wealth, too competitive, and the final result of fighting is to lose your whole life.

Yuwen Tuo's approaching footsteps broke the deathly silence in the palace, Concubine Chen's expression changed, and when she looked up, she saw Yuwen Tuo's god-like handsome face and rare gentle smile, and instructed Xiaohuan: "Prepare wine and food quickly!" ”

Although the vegetation in the garden has long been cluttered due to no one pruning, and the ground is full of broken flowers and debris, and the eyes are full of decadence and depression, Yuwen Tuo's arrival has undoubtedly injected a trace of vitality into this lifeless place, and Concubine Chen is naturally overjoyed by his arrival. In fact, there is no ambiguous relationship between these two people, there is a kind of sympathy between them because of the same loneliness, although their sad things are far different, but the feeling of loneliness is the same.

The two of them sat opposite each other with their glasses, the wine and food were very light, and the chef in the imperial dining room would not have bothered to bother with the banquet of an outdated concubine. Yuwen Tuo couldn't help frowning slightly when he looked at the wine and food on the table, of course, he frowned not because he thought the wine and food were light, but because he sighed that the world was hot and cold, and people's hearts were not ancient.

Concubine Chen persuaded with relief: "It's normal for people to be red and white, so why should the national teacher sigh for it?" ”

Yuwen Tuo shook his head helplessly and said, "I just didn't expect that people's hearts would be so indifferent." Originally, I was very determined to save this world, but now, my faith began to waver again, and I even wondered what was the point of saving such a world. ”

Concubine Chen smiled lightly: "Don't be disappointed, in my opinion, this is just a world of human feelings in the palace." Outside, beyond the red wall, there may be another world, maybe everyone still loves each other, no matter your status, no matter whether you are rich or poor......" Before she finished speaking, her expression had dimmed, "It's a pity...... I never had a chance to go out again. ”

Yuwen Tuo looked at the person in front of him so sadly, but he didn't know what to say, although he was good at rhetoric, he wouldn't comfort people, all he could do was put his hand on this weak woman's thin shoulder to give her courage. She wasn't the one he loved, so he couldn't give her his arms.

Concubine Chen said: "In the past three years, I have gotten rid of the struggle for fame and fortune in the harem, and I have lived a quiet life, and the past when I was young has involuntarily echoed in my mind, becoming clearer and clearer. She raised her resentful tarnished eyes and looked out of the window, as if she was recalling the past, and seemed to want to see through the high red wall and see the outside world, "Especially in the past few months, I have always thought that if I hadn't been so insistent on entering the palace, maybe I would still be that happy carefree little girl now, every day I help my mother grind tofu, I can take the cow to the river to drink water, and by the way, wait for my Aligo at the bottom of the mountain, and then we go to the forest to pick a lot of wild flowers,...... It was an ordinary and comfortable life,...... But at that time, what evil did I fall for and insist on participating in the selection of concubines? Can you be happy if you are poor? …… Why? Why should I choose a concubine? Concubine Chen regretted tears all over the table, her palms kept slapping on the table, and she completely lost the etiquette and demeanor of the concubine. But if she still has to save face in front of Yuwen Tuo, she will be too hypocritical.

Yuwen Tuo could only pat her on the shoulder and said: "It's a pity that there is no regret medicine in the world, even if you choose the wrong path, you still have to go on the wrong way." He turned to think of his situation, and suddenly couldn't help but feel: "You're okay, at least you've been happy, at least you know why you like and why you worry." And in the nearly thirty years now, I have never lived for myself, as if I was born with an irresistible mission, and there is a force in the dark that guides me to accomplish something, I really want to be completely unable to integrate into this world......" Then, he glanced at Concubine Chen and continued: "You may not be able to understand my feelings at all, but I can deeply understand your feelings......

Concubine Chen smiled sadly: "It's always good for someone to understand. ”

Yuwen Tuo sadly drank a glass of sake and said, "Sometimes I really want to stop and sleep for a long time, or love someone seriously. ”

Concubine Chen's eyes became even more sad: "After you fall in love with someone, you won't come to Yuhua Palace again?" ”

Yuwen Tuo said: "As long as you are in the palace, I will still come anyway." ”

"Oh, what a touching confession!" Dugu Ningke didn't know when he appeared outside the door, Xiaohuan hurriedly ran up and knelt down and said, "The slave should die!" It's the princess who doesn't let the little retribution, so ......"

Concubine Chen naturally didn't care about scolding, and hurriedly got up and kowtowed to Ning Ke to say goodbye, but Yuwen Tuo just turned his body and didn't make much movement.

Ning Ke glanced at Concubine Chen kneeling on the ground with contempt and hatred, and picked her up with a smile on her face and said, "Concubine Chen, please get up, according to seniority, you are still my aunt, how can you bow down to me, a junior." She seemed to be angry and said to Yuwen Tuo: "It's that Yuwen Guoshi is too rude, although you are in a high position, but this palace is the princess of the Great Sui Kingdom after all, even if you don't want to make a big salute, there should always be a bending down action!" ”

Yuwen Tuo reluctantly stood up and bowed to Ning Ke, turned around and was about to leave, Ning Ke stopped him sharply: "This palace may not allow you to go." Then she raised her eyebrows, and the evil smile piled up again: "What? This palace has broken your good deeds, and I hate it very much, right? ”

Concubine Chen's face turned pale with fright, and she hurriedly explained: "The concubine and the national teacher are just friends, and we are innocent. Princess, you can't make such a joke! ”

Ning Ke said provocatively to Yuwen Tuo: "Yuwen Guoshi, of course you don't want this palace to tell your uncle about your conversation just now!" Of course, you don't have to be afraid of him, but Concubine Chen is ......."

Yuwen Tuo finally spoke: "Don't make trouble. ”

Ning Ke said in a loud voice: "In this case, you will be more polite to me in the future." ”

Yuwen Tuo thought about it, but still said "yes"

Ning Ke became very happy, every time she succeeded in making Yuwen Tuo compromise with her, she was very happy, as if she was the only one in this world who could make this unfathomable and unruly man obedient. And Yuwen Tuo didn't understand what kind of feelings he had for Ning Ke, he only knew that he wanted to put them on an equal footing, he liked the Dugu boy who pestered him to mix in the rivers and lakes, and hated this commanding and invincible Princess Ning Ke. is the same person, why is the difference between inside and outside the palace walls so big? Why is it that sometimes their hearts can be so close and sometimes so far away? Is she too fickle, or is he unable to romance after all?

Ning Ke no longer paid attention to Yuwen Tuo, and then said to Concubine Chen: "Niangniang, this palace came to take you to the Mianxin Palace to accompany you on the imperial order of your uncle. ”

When Concubine Chen heard this, she was overjoyed, and she was so excited that she couldn't finish her words: "Princess, does the princess mean that the emperor finally remembers me and wants me to go to the driver?" ”

Ning Ke also nodded: "Yes, yes." ”

Concubine Chen hurriedly instructed Xiaohuan: "Quickly, quickly, find out for me the set of hibiscus ramp thorn gowns and golden crowns of incense beads given by the Holy Emperor." He said to Ning Ke again: "Princess, please wait a moment, Concubine Rong has a little grooming, so as not to collide with Long Yan." ”

Ning Ke also smiled: "Hurry up, the Holy Lord misses you very much!" She was smiling, but her eyes were sparkling.

Yuwen Tuo saw the ecstatic Concubine Chen, and he didn't know whether to be happy or worried about her, but the faint gentleman still remembered her, which is always a good thing, I hope this time can last longer. With such thoughts, Yuwen Tuo secretly left Yuhua Palace.

Along the way, Yuwen Tuo was thinking about Dugu Ningke's indescribable eyes, and it wasn't until he walked to the Imperial Garden that he suddenly stopped: "No, there is murder in her eyes." He patted himself on the forehead and suddenly realized, "Why am I confused?" If the emperor really wants Concubine Chen to serve, why should he send Ning Ke and just call a little eunuch to announce it. It's not good, Concubine Chen is dangerous. ”

Yuwen Tuo did not hesitate to rush back to Yuhua Palace with a shapeshift, but unfortunately it was too late, as soon as he opened the door of Zhu Qi, Concubine Chen in gorgeous clothes hung in front of her, a white silk was tied around her neck, she was hung in the air like this, her thin body was like a paper cut, still floating in the air.

Human life is so fragile! A living beauty, just now was still talking to him about wine, or laughing or crying, but it was still in less than a stick of incense and died, her life has just begun, although she is in the deep palace, but there are still countless possibilities waiting for her to reverie and create, but now she doesn't even have the opportunity to imagine. Although Yuwen Tuo has killed countless people, he is a person who can really perceive life and cherish life, and his eyes can't help but turn red when he sees this scene.

The murderer Dugu Ningke, who was still sitting on the side, saw Yuwen Tuo's red eyes, and couldn't help but be furious: "You dare to say that you are innocent, I see that you have already secretly promised each other." ”

Yuwen Tuo glared at Dugu Ning Ke coldly and said: "I just said that you are a willful, arrogant, pampered and arrogant princess, I didn't expect you to be so ruthless and poisonous as a snake and scorpion." If you don't sympathize with a poor woman in the deep palace who has no quarrel with the world, you just have to fall into the well, and secretly Chen Cang, is your heart really made of meat? ”

Ning Ke blurted out without thinking: "Who let her seduce you shamelessly, this is the end she deserves......" She suddenly realized that she was speechless, and hurriedly changed her words: "She is my uncle's woman, but she is ambiguously mixed with the national teacher, what will this look like if it is spread?" It was for the sake of the national system of the Great Sui that I had to make this decision. ”

Yuwen Tuo smiled sarcastically: "It's really a good reason to kill!" He no longer looked at Ning Ke's face, but just took Concubine Chen's corpse directly, feeling sad that even the only person who could speak disappeared from this world.

Ning Ke shouted: "Why do you dare to hold her? ”

Yuwen Tuo said: "Why don't you dare? I would like to ask the princess, how dare you kill the concubine appointed by the Holy One at will? ”

Ning Ke crossed his hands and said disdainfully: "I don't know how many outdated concubines **, I Dugu Ning Ke kills ten a day, and my uncle may not know!" Besides, every year the palace has to choose a concubine, and those new tender colors have long dazzled him and overwhelmed, how can he think of these outdated concubines? ”

Yuwen Tuo couldn't say anything more, because Ning Ke's words were impeccable, that is, now that he was holding Concubine Chen's body to see Emperor Yang, he would at most only announce that Concubine Chen had died of illness, and add a title after her death, where would Ning Ke be held accountable for her crimes, and maybe he would thank her for helping him save an expense.

"You said you liked hibiscus flowers the most, and I buried you in the hibiscus bush." Yuwen Tuo said affectionately to the dead Concubine Chen, which made Ning Ke very uneasy, looking at Yuwen Tuo's sad appearance, she couldn't help but ask herself: Could it be that he really fell in love with her? The thought of this made her heart ache to death, but on the surface she still had to pretend to be arrogant. It is impossible for her to truly express herself and Yuwen Tuo, so this is painful.

Yuwen Tuo held Concubine Chen's body and walked steadily towards the door, Ning Ke finally couldn't help but ask: "I will go to the Turkic country in a few days, will you still escort me then?" ”

Yuwen Tuo didn't stop, but seeing him nod his head heavily, Ning Ke was overjoyed, and asked further: "Then why don't you go to Tianshan Mountain to get that Tongtian Treasure Mirror?" ”

Yuwen Tuo said indifferently: "Aren't there ten thousand generals going to them?" ”

"It can be seen that he still cares about me." Ning Ke smiled happily and became sad again, since everyone cares about each other, why is there always a stalemate? Since he was reluctant to marry the Turkic king, why didn't he tell the real reason in his heart? From this, I couldn't help but think of Concubine Chen's ridicule of herself before she died: "Ning Ke, I really pity you!" "Pity what, pity her for her peerless glory status and national beauty, but she doesn't dare to face her feelings. Don't dare? Or can't?

Yuwen Tuo didn't dare, she couldn't.

Why should she be burdened with such a heavy mission? How good it would be if she was an ordinary peasant girl, just like Concubine Chen did before she entered the palace, she would drink water every day and meet her lover brother for a while, and I don't know how happy and sweet it was to wait at that time.

Ning Ke suddenly found that he not only wanted to kill Concubine Chen because of Yuwen Tuo, but also because he was jealous that she had the happiness that she could not get in her life.

At the same time, inside the main hall of Chiba Mausoleum.

Chu Xingyun was reporting to the old man on the situation of the campaign in the southwest.

"This battle was particularly smooth, it only took three months to subdue many small factions in the southwest region, although Luo Shen Palace still has a lot of prestige there with the help of the power of destroying the Tang Sect, but it has finally reached the strength to compete with it in the southwest, which is also due to the wise leadership of the old man." Chu Xingyun reported the results of the battle while not forgetting to pat the old man's ass.

"Okay, okay." The old man was extremely kind today, and he didn't look at him with sharp eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate anyone's heart, but this made Chu Xingyun feel even more uneasy. The more the old man wanted to see through him, he could boldly look at him, and once the old man's eyes became wandering, he didn't know what the old man was going to do next.

"Since you can easily lay down half of the country for me in the southwest, then I can rest assured that I will hand over the important tasks of this trip to Tianshan Hashku to you-Ren Nan and Yu Xiu are at your disposal, I hope you can live up to my trust." The old man said very plainly, and he couldn't hear what evil intentions were hidden in the bread, as if everything was for the good of the other party.

Of course, Chu Xingyun also knew about the major events of the Hashku patriarch using the Tongtian Treasure Mirror as a dowry to recruit a virtuous son-in-law, but he couldn't figure out what kind of medicine the old man was selling in his gourd. It stands to reason that although he killed Zishuang with his own hands to prove his obedience, the old man would never trust him so quickly, he thought that even if he was lucky enough to go to this operation, he would only play the role of an entourage, but he didn't expect ....... Is he really not wary of himself at all? Didn't he see what his only daughter meant for him? If he went this time, if he really became a colt, wouldn't it make Zhao Xihua very sad, wouldn't he think about his daughter's happiness at all? Yes, he is a careerist at all, what is the happiness of his daughter to him, where is it more important than obtaining the power of the Tongtian Treasure Mirror and the number one clan of the Lianhe Tianshan Mountains? And what he needs is not his own people, but his own ability, the ability to help him win the world. For the sake of his ambitions, he can take advantage of anyone, or he can not care about anyone.

Chu Xingyun couldn't help but sneer in his heart: "It seems that the two of us should be a father and son!" "Nebula, what are you thinking, so engrossed?" The old man interrupted.

"I'm making up my mind." Chu Xingyun's eyes regained vigilance.

"Oh? What determination? The old man asked.

"You have to succeed right away." Chu Xingyun smiled ugly.

"That's fine." The old man laughed along, but as if he was making some sounds to indicate that he was happy, the muscles of his face did not cooperate at all.

Chu Xingyun finally walked out of the house, and Zhao Xihua was waiting for him outside.

"How? Daddy must be happy to hear about your achievements! The more he likes you, the more our ...... The more hopeful things will be. Zhao Xihua happily leaned her head on Chu Xingyun's shoulder and said.

A look of disgust and contempt slipped through Chu Xingyun's eyes, but he didn't pull out his arm, but just said in his heart: "How can there be such a simple and almost idiot woman? ”

Zhao Xihua said: "You should stay longer when you come back this time!" ”

Chu Xingyun pursed his lips and said, "I'm going to leave the day after tomorrow." ”

Zhao Xihua was stunned and said, "Where are you going again?" ”

Chu Xingyun said: "Southern Tianshan." ”

Zhao Xihua said: "Tianshan is far away! ”

Chu Xingyun said: "Yes! It's so far away that I probably won't even be able to come back. ”

Zhao Xihua's tears flowed: "Don't say you won't come back, if you don't come back, I'll be waiting for you...... I don't want to see you again......"

Chu Xingyun couldn't help but stepped forward to gently wipe away tears for Zhao Xihua, he was originally a hard-hearted man, naturally he would never do things like comforting women, but Zhao Xihua was the only woman who could make his hard heart feel all kinds of stinging, he could even feel that every tear she shed for him was poured on his heart, and he could also feel that the tears contained deep feelings, which made him can't help but hug her cowardly delicate body even when he was still cursing her stupidity in his heart.

"I will always wait for you, I will always wait for you,......" Zhao Xihua kept repeating this sentence. A weak female stream in the deep boudoir, but she has a dedication and determination to love that is incomparable to the heroines of the rivers and lakes, but her way is only to wait, God only gave her the courage to pursue love, but did not give her the ability to pursue love, so she can only wait, then doomed to the tragedy of her fate.

At the same time, Lu Qingyu, the lord of Luoshen Palace, was also ready to go, but this time he decided to go to Tianshan Mountain alone, but the cunning and unparalleled beautiful woman insisted on following her without saying anything.

Once again, the torrent of fate pushes people to a meeting point......