It's always easier to tell a lie than to tell the truth. When the truth is laid out in front of you, any rhetoric seems superfluous.

Meng Xilan took the initiative to hold Chu Jingchuan's hand, and her fingertips were cold. His palms were rough and his fingers were as hard as stone.

As a harem concubine, such a move is tantamount to asking for a dead end. But so what? The people around her don't talk too much, and they don't dare to talk too much!

She just wanted to comfort her brother Shizukawa.

She held his hand and trembled uncontrollably, and the tears that had been suppressed could no longer be held back, and flowed wantonly.

They looked at each other and fell silent. Chu Jingchuan looked at her quietly and suddenly smiled.

"Don't cry, Lan'er, don't cry......"

He was no longer the cold look, his eyebrows were stretched, his heart was soft, and his eyes were full of affection

She was crying for him, and she would cry for him. Since he was a child, he couldn't win against her, and as long as she cried, he couldn't help but be soft and sad.

Meng Xilan heard him call her name, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, but the tears flowed even more fiercely.

"Lan'er, I'll go, for you and for myself......"

Meng Xilan grabbed his hand and slowly knelt down. The moment her knees hit the ground heavily, she heard the sound of her heart breaking, scattered and shattered to the ground.

Meng Xilan pressed her cheek against the back of his hand, rubbed it gently, and after some depression in her heart, she could only slowly spit out three words: "I'm sorry." ”

She was really sorry for him, both then and now.

Chu Jingchuan bent down, stretched out his long arms, and hugged Meng Xilan's trembling shoulders. "If I had known this, I would have done my best to defend you."

Zhou Youchen's dedication and love for her are obvious to everyone.

He also thought that Zhou Youchen loved her more than he loved the country, and he loved her more than everything in this world, however, he still used her, and she was willing to be used by him.

Meng Xilan stretched out her hands a little stiffly and hugged his body back.

After many years of hugging, there are no surging heart ups and downs, they are like relatives, not lovers.

Chu Jingchuan was silent for a moment before he said, "Lan'er, I also hugged you like this when you were a child." At that moment, you and Jingwen were playing in the courtyard. You accidentally fell and broke your knee. It hurts a lot, but you don't cry, you endure it first. Wait until I go over to comfort you before you shed tears. ”

Meng Xilan smiled lightly when she heard this, she leaned on Chu Jingchuan's shoulder, and said softly: "Talk to me, tell me how you have been doing all these years?" ”

They hadn't seen each other for too long, and they had so much to say.

Chu Jingchuan was quiet for a moment before saying: "I'm actually doing well, my wife is a very reasonable person." My son and daughter are also very obedient, and I occasionally eat with them, only occasionally...... Over the years, I have neglected them because of the old things I have in my heart. I am not a good husband and not a good father. When he said this, his tone was full of helplessness and guilt.

Meng Xilan stroked his back and said, "Think about it carefully, we are all fools. A leaf is blind, but there is no Mount Tai. There are so many good things in the world, but let's pick the worst things to remember. ”

Chu Jingchuan nodded: "Indeed, we are all stupid people, stupid people." ”

Meng Xilan pondered for a while, and then said: "Brother Jingchuan, if I really married you back then, we will also have all kinds of troubles today, and we will quarrel and awkward about all kinds of things. ”

"Brother Jingchuan, let's forget about it, forget about those injuries and pains, and only remember those good memories, okay?"

Chu Jingchuan closed his eyes: "Okay." ”

In the dead of night, she would also think of him, to be precise, he used to be.

A young man, Tsing Yi holds a sword, his eyes are clear, and his eyebrows and eyes are gentle.

Chu Jingchuan lowered his head, picked up her face, and looked at it carefully.

"Lan'er, you know what? After all these years, your appearance hasn't changed at all. ”

If she changes, maybe his heart will change with her.

Meng Xilan shook her head and chuckled when she heard this: "I'm already old." ”

She said that "old" is not just the age of age, but the heart of the old.

Chu Jingchuan's eyes were burning; "You're not old, you're still the same as before."

Meng Xilan held his hand back and secretly exerted force: "Go back and spend more time with your family...... Spend more time with your children. ”

She couldn't think of anything else to tell him.

Chu Jingchuan nodded heavily, silently withdrew his arm, and patted her shoulder: "Got it." ”

Meng Xilan raised her eyes to look at him again, her eyes moist.

"Brother Shizukawa, don't blame me, don't hate me."

Chu Jingchuan smiled on her lips when she heard this, and her fingers gently stroked the broken hair on her sideburns. "Lan'er, I will always feel sorry for you."

Without the youthful liking and stubborn entanglement, he was only full of distress for her.

Meng Xilan smiled tearfully: "Me too...... No matter where you are, whether we see you or not, I have you in my heart. ”

As a human being in two lives, he has always been the deepest bond in her heart.

Whether emotionally or in conscience, she owes him.

"Brother Shizukawa, if there is an afterlife, if there is...... In the next life, I will definitely hold hands with you. ”

Chu Jingchuan listened to her words, his eyes sank, and he smiled meaningfully.

In the next life, maybe......

…

When I returned to the palace, it was already dark.

In Cining Palace, the lights are bright, just because Zhou Youchen is waiting inside.

Meng Xilan's eyes were slightly red and swollen, and she looked like she had cried. She knew that Zhou Youchen was coming, and she was not afraid of being seen by him.

The night breeze was cool, and when the door of the temple was opened, the lights in the temple were blown and beat uneasily, and several candles were blown out in the flickering light.

"The emperor is here......" Meng Xilan's voice was a little dull, with a little tiredness.

Zhou Youchen followed the prestige and saw her face.

She cried...... Zhou Youchen unconsciously tightened his eyebrows, looked at her and said, "You come here." ”

Meng Xilan walked slowly in front of her, lowered her eyes slightly, and didn't look at him.

He tapped his fingers on her chin and lifted her head slightly.

He looked deeply into her eyes, gently brushed away the bangs on her forehead, and asked in a deep voice, "Why are you crying?" ”

Meng Xilan met his gaze and said with a faint gaze: "Because Chu Jingchuan agreed." ”

Her understatement sounded like a thousand pounds in Zhou Youchen's ears.

This matter was expected by him, as long as Meng Xilan came forward, Chu Jingchuan would not be able to refuse. That's what she has the ability to, that's why she's so important......

Meng Xilan saw the emotions hidden in his eyes, it was not happiness, but entanglement.

She smiled lightly, then turned around and said, "What? The concubine succeeded in convincing the general, why was the emperor unhappy? ”

Zhou Youchen stood behind her, his palm lightly rested on her slender shoulder, and he used force: "Lan'er, thank you, thank you for sharing your worries about me." ”

Meng Xilan only felt a little pain in her shoulder, she looked back and smiled: "It is the duty of concubines to share worries for the emperor. ”

She knew very well in her heart that Zhou Youchen had taken advantage of her. But she didn't mind, she was willing.

"Your Majesty, the concubine is a little tired and wants to rest......"

She has done everything that needs to be done. Tonight, she really didn't want to deal with him.

Zhou Youchen was also interested, he got up and left: "You have a good rest." ”

Meng Xilan had no intention of sleeping, just lying on the couch sideways, accompanied by a candlelight, quietly in a daze.

Early the next morning, Chu Jingchuan appeared in the court in military uniform, and took the initiative to ask the emperor to go to the northwest to guard the four border cities.

This is a chore, and others have repeatedly excused themselves, but he has taken the initiative to ask for it, and there must be a lot of articles in it.

Zhou Youchen was above the court, gave Chu Jingchuan the title of General Zhenxi, and personally awarded him the handsome seal.

Chu Jingchuan's official residence is the second grade, and the scenery is unlimited.

After the dispersal of the dynasty, the civil and military ministers stepped forward to congratulate him and congratulate him on his promotion, but behind this scenery, there is a huge danger.

Meng Xizhao walked behind Chu Jingchuan, and only when he was about to leave the palace did he call him: "General Chu." ”

They used to be best friends, but over the years they have drifted apart.

Meng Xizhao frowned at him, as if he had a thousand words to say, but in the end, there was only one sentence: "Jingchuan, you have to be careful." ”

Chu Jingchuan smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry." ”

At this time, his sentence "rest assured" is the least reassuring.

After the next dynasty, Zhou Youchen came to Cining Palace again.

Meng Xilan was already refreshed and energetic, as if nothing had happened last night, nothing had happened.

Zhou Youchen came to sit down in front of her and said, "I have already named Chu Jingchuan as the general of Zhenxi. ”

Meng Xilan didn't say anything when she heard this, only nodded.

"Ten days later, he will leave Beijing." Zhou Youchen saw that she still didn't react, so he added: "Before he leaves, if you still want to see him, I won't care." ”

In fact, what he meant by this was that he acquiesced to the fact that they could continue to see each other.

Meng Xilan's face changed slightly, and an inexplicable irritability surged in her heart. But she didn't interrupt him, just waited for him to finish before saying, "Your Majesty, the concubine no longer has the face to face General Chu." ”

If he really understood her, he wouldn't have said such cruel words.

Zhou Youchen raised his eyebrows slightly: "Of course you have the face to face him." You haven't done anything wrong......"

When he spoke, he was inexplicably a little weak.

Meng Xilan curled the corners of her mouth with a smile: "The concubine already owes the Chu family too much." ”

"If you owe the Chu family, I will compensate for you."

Meng Xilan smiled again, her smile was a little helpless and a little desolate. "How does the emperor want to compensate? The concubine almost ruined Chu Jingchuan's life, and now the concubine wants to use his life as a stepping stone for herself...... How can this be returned? ”

The expression on her face was sad and helpless, which made Zhou Youchen feel guilty.

"I have no intention of embarrassing you......"

Before he finished his words, she raised her hand to stop: "The emperor is just a last resort." What about concubines...... Since we all have to be bad guys, why bother to find a reason to pretend to be "good guys"! If the concubine owes the Chu family, the concubine will compensate for the worry-free body. As for Chu Jingchuan, no matter whether he wins or loses, he is a big hero of the Northern Yan Kingdom. The concubine didn't ask for anything else, just that the emperor could remember his merits. If he is really gone, please give him the glory he deserves to his descendants, and do not chill the hearts of those who are in pain. ”

She doesn't like to say or listen to those unrealistic empty words.

"For a worry-free marriage, the concubines should think about it carefully, and one person should be in charge, and please ask the emperor to agree."

Zhou Youchen's dark brown eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded heavily: "I promise you, I promise you whatever you say." ”