Bai Ling walked slowly inside, the injuries on her thighs and knees were crusting, and she couldn't take too many steps yet.

However, the threshold of the celebrant was much higher than that of the ward in the West Firewood Room, and Bai Ling leaned against the wall on the side, but failed to cross it several times.

So Yuan Zhen took her armpit and moved Bai Ling directly into the courtyard.

Using the same method, Bai Ling entered several doors in the two small courtyards, and finally stepped into the inner room where Huang Chongde was.

She smelled a faint stench—the old man's characteristic soap smell, with a subtle rancid stench.

Yuan Zhen didn't follow, just stood outside the door and gently brought the door up.

On the bed, Huang Chongde had already woken up, and he beckoned to Bai Ling with a slight smile - his five fingers were wrapped in white gauze, like five white cotton columns.

Upon approaching, Bai Ling saw that some of the gauze had been soaked with yellowish tissue fluid.

These long-lasting wounds are probably the source of the rancid smell in this room.

Bai Ling looked away, she saw an empty chair next to the bed, so Bai Ling touched its armrest and sat down slowly.

"Why do you look like an old man?" Huang Chongde, who was lying on the couch, smiled, "Is the injury better?" ”

Bai Ling nodded.

She silently rolled up her sleeves, the whip marks that had fallen on her arms already forming dark brown scabs.

- After all, Bai Ling's body has recovered from the torture of that night in prison.

Even though she now looks weak and emaciated, it is obviously only a matter of time before she recovers.

It may not take a month for this exuberant vitality to take her to an outlet.

"Okay." Huang Chongde said softly.

Bai Ling looked into the old man's eyes.

Carefully calculated, the photos of her and this Huang Gonggong in the palace can probably be counted on two hands.

Among them, she had to ask Huang's father-in-law to do something, and the old man took the initiative to come over and mention something.

For Bai Ling, Wong Chongde is also a kind elder.

He has an unrivaled insight into the joys, sorrows, and sorrows of Emperor Jianxi, so he can always participate in the mediation of various affairs on many occasions and in ways that outsiders cannot imagine.

Now this old man, who has always been calm, has also collapsed on the sickbed, and may be extinguished at any time.

Bai Ling waited quietly for Huang Chongde to speak—she vaguely felt that what she was going to say today was probably extraordinary.

"Actually, I took you to Chengqian Palace that day, and it was the third time in these years that we had met." Huang Chongde looked at the girl in front of him with some pity.

"Second time......" Bai Ling blinked, "was it the time when I met the Queen Mother at the west gate?" ”

Huang Chongde nodded.

Bai Ling understood a little, and she said in a low voice, "On the night I was brought into the palace because of the Queen Mother, you kept asking me behind the paper window...... Is it your father-in-law? ”

"yes." Huang Chongde said in a low voice, "This world is so small, I never dreamed that we would see each other again." ”

Bai Ling frowned a little puzzledly.

"Before that, my father-in-law had seen me?"

"I've seen it." Huang Chongde whispered, "I also hugged you...... At the time when you are not yet full moon. ”

Bai Ling's breath suddenly froze, and she looked at the old man on the bed with a bit of incredulity, "What? ”

"Behind your back...... There is a long, long scar, from the left shoulder...... Straight down to the waist on the right," Huang Chongde looked at Bai Ling, "Do you know how it hurt?" ”

Bai Ling was stunned.

Regarding the scar on the back, Bai Ling asked Bai Shijun many times when he was a child, and Bai Shijun only said that he had carried it when he was born, probably a magical birthmark that had grown into a scar-shaped birthmark.

Bai Ling has always been unbelieving, but after a long time, he has not been able to ask why, and this matter has been left behind.

Huang Chongde smiled, "Do you know your birthday?" ”

“…… October 12 of the 34th year of Jianxi? Bai Ling replied,

Huang Chongde shook his head, "No, October 12 is the day when Bai Shijun takes you home." Your actual birthday is a few days earlier than that......

"It should have been, the tenth day of October of that year...... Because when you were born, everyone said it was a good time, ten ten beautiful. ”

"...... everybody?"

"Your father, mother, the mother who delivered the baby, and me." Huang Chongde looked at Bai Ling, "You don't look much like your mother, but you ...... with your great-grandmother It's really a mold printed. No wonder when the Queen Mother saw you, she frantically called you Ah Ling......"

Huang Chongde frowned, he felt a little dry and itchy in his throat, and then coughed irrepressibly.

The violent cough tugged at the wound on his body, and the pain made him tighten his eyebrows.

Bai Ling was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

Huang Chongde's words completely woke her up from a certain numbness before, she looked left and right, and saw a teapot and water cup at the head of the bed, so she stood up with difficulty and went to pour water for Huang Chongde.

Huang Chongde took out a hand from the quilt and pressed it on the back of Bai Ling's hand.

He shook his head, motioning for Bai Ling not to pour him water.

If you drink too much water, you will inevitably get out of bed and defecate – it's so torturous to get out of bed, especially if you have to squat...... It hurts so much that it hurts heartbreakingly.

Bai Ling sat down in the chair again, and she listened to Huang Chongde cough one after another with worry, as if she was going to cough out his lung tubes.

After a long while, Huang Chongde's breathing calmed down again.

Only then did he withdraw his hand and look over to Bai Ling.

"You asked me why I always have to help you......" Huang Chongde laughed, his voice a little hoarse after this violent cough, "because we are old people." ”

"I don't understand ......"

"If you don't understand, just listen slowly, I'll speak slowly." He whispered, "Okay?" ”

“…… Good. ”

"In the autumn of the thirty-fourth year of Jianxi, the emperor toured north and went to Zhuozhou...... I didn't come back until the spring of the following year, you know that? ”

Bai Ling shook his head.

Huang Chongde continued, "I also went with him that year, but I died for life. ”

"Did my father-in-law encounter Jin Bing?"

"Yes," Huang Chongde nodded, "In that year, in addition to the Arslan tribe in the east, there were also two tribes on the west side that also invaded and burned us...... Two cities.

"At that time, I went to a county north of Zhuozhou for the emperor to deliver an edict, and that place was ...... At the junction with Yanzhou, several beautiful city defense battles were fought one after another. I and a few hand-picked ministers are going to reward the soldiers there. The result is unfortunate...... That county happened to be one of the two cities that were later breached.

"It's called ...... What's coming. He reminisced with some difficulty for a while, and finally his brow relaxed slightly, "Ah...... Look at both ends. ”

"Look at the ...... at both ends," Bai Ling smacked at the strange name.

"Well," Huang Chongde nodded, "I remember this name very clearly, because when the weather is good, standing on the highest mountains at both ends, you can see the wolf smoke of the beacon towers of Zhuozhou Mansion and Yanzhou Mansion at the same time." ”

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