When the brocade book in the clouds was sent to Luoyang, Sima Xian was going out to collect medicine for his father, who was suffering from cough.

Sima Fang's cough was not serious, but it always flare-up when the wind was deep and heavy. In the past, the family also prepared a lot of medicinal materials, but almost all of them were collected by Sima Lang, who was proficient in medical science, and then boiled medicinal soup for his father by the domestic servants. Now that he is an official in the court, his affairs have been busier than before, and Sima Xian took the initiative to take over the burden of collecting medicine.

It was still morning when she went out. Before leaving, Sima Lang helped her carry the only bamboo basket in the family behind her. It was a medicine basket that he had made with his own hands to measure his physique, and he carried it behind him when he went into the mountains to collect medicine—but it was a little too large for a woman. He looked at the bamboo basket that was one end higher than Sima Xian in embarrassment, and asked her to go early and return early.

Sima Xian nodded indifferently, and put the bow and arrow that he hadn't used for a long time into it. Sima Lang knew that she probably wouldn't be able to return early if she went early this time.

Sima Lang sat in the room and approved the official documents for a whole day. It was almost dusk, and he didn't wait for Sima Xian, who was collecting medicine and returning home, but waited for a messenger who came from Jiangdong and waded through mountains and rivers.

"What does the eldest brother think of Zhou Yu?" Sima Yi pinched the wedding note in one hand and asked casually. He seemed to be leaning lazily against the door, but the banter between his eyebrows and eyes was dewy, adding a bit of ghostly charm to his oblique eyes.

"Young and promising, high and elegant, and must do what he says. He has a deep affection for your sister, and he is one of the best gentlemen in a million. Sima Lang replied seriously, but his eyes never took off the invitation card that was smeared with cascading brilliance by the sunset.

"And this wedding note—"

As soon as he was halfway through his words, Sima Lang's originally gentle and clear gaze instantly became sharp. The clear pool of water slammed into the stone, shattering into a cold sword shadow, slashing towards Sima Yi's pupils like lightning. He closed his mouth in amusement and lowered his eyes obediently like a rabbit.

"What to say and what not to say, I have taught you these things a long time ago."

Zhong Da lost his words. It's just that the eldest brother thinks that this thing should not be ...... or not"

Should it be handed over to Sima Xian?

Sima Lang pondered for a moment, as if he was also thinking about Sima Yi's unspoken question. If he didn't marry her, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu's marriage with Er Qiao would soon spread loudly, and the news would spread far and wide, and it would be useless to hide it at the moment. But if you really give her this wedding card, I am afraid that she will be sad and depressed for a long time.

Just as the two brothers were silently thinking for a moment, Sima Xian came back unfortunately.

"Zhongda, come out and decoct the medicine!"

She abruptly pushed open the door of the study, and the wood suddenly made a clang, startling both Sima Lang and Sima Yi, and they all raised their eyes to look at her. This young lady, who is loved by her father and brother and is rich in her family, is in her twenties at the moment. She was supposed to be a glamorous and dignified elegant young woman, rocking a swing to teach her children to read. But now he looked like an uneducated teenager, dressed in a simple costume sewn from coarse linen, his face was stained with solidified mud, and even the ponytail that was casually tied behind his head was a little messy. Sima Xian's basket was filled with enough herbs to fry for several months, and she held a bow and arrow in one hand and two hunted hares in the other, just looking at Sima Yi, who was hurriedly hiding the wedding invitation behind her.

"I came back late today, and I hunted a hare to make up for my father. You go and fry the medicine, and then ask the kitchen to make two rabbit meats. ”

"It's okay to decoction, but why me?" Sima Yi quietly stepped back with his hands behind his back, wanting to secretly transfer the wedding invitation to Sima Lang behind him.

But the corner of the red note that was happy to show behind the young man still did not escape the eye of the falcon that was perfect in archery.

Sima Xian put down the bow and arrow and the rabbit casually. As if he had a premonition, he frowned and quickly stepped forward.

"Chief, eldest sister......"

Sima Yi froze in place, only to feel that the aura of the orchid around him was suddenly vertical and horizontal, as if there was a cold knife wind whistling by, and a fine cold sweat could not help but grow on his back. In the next second, the hands behind his back suddenly emptied, and the wedding note was already in Sima Xian's hands.

He turned to the side with a slight stiffness, and caught a glimpse of the eldest brother behind him holding his forehead with his eyes closed.

Sima Xian's fingers rubbed lightly on the gold-sprinkled red paper. She didn't open it immediately, but glanced at her younger brother without any reproach, and then shook the wedding card in her hand at Sima Lang: "Big brother, do you want to hide it from me with Zhongda?" ”

"Xian'er, I'm just ......" Sima Lang was about to explain, but saw her open the invitation neatly and read the text on it as if no one was around.

In this brief gap in the floating light, the air seemed to freeze like ice, and even the warm breath was held at the tip of the nose.

Sima Lang imagined a lot of reactions she might have. Xu is silent, Xu is tears. Although she was ready for her sweetheart to marry someone else one day, she probably never thought that she would be invited to this wedding.

He looked at the expression on Sima Xian's face with some nervousness. The lifting and overturning of her gaze as she reviewed the text, and the rise and fall of her lips as she read softly, made Sima Lang feel cramped. I was afraid that the moment she closed the wedding note, she frowned and pursed her lips and shed tears.

However, what neither of them expected was that a smile appeared on Sima Xian's face.

"It's clearly Bo Fu's handwriting." As she spoke, there was a hint of playful joy in the corners of her eyes.

"You mean, this invitation was written by Sun Ce in Zhou Yu's tone?" Sima Lang was a little surprised, "Why did he ...... this?"

Halfway through his words, he suddenly realized. Sun Ce wanted to use this wedding letter to break Sima Xian's thoughts, making her think that Zhou Lang no longer cared about the past, so as to sever the relationship between the two. Sima Lang frowned slightly, this kind of means was too disdainful for the world-famous rebellious general. Even if he didn't want the two to have any more contacts, he wouldn't imitate Zhou Yu's tone to write the wedding post.

Sima Xian was still smiling, she understood why Sun Ce was like this. The memory of being a guest at Qiao Rui's house has not faded to a blur, and the fame of Jiangdong Er Qiao can be heard even from far away in Luoyang.

"Eldest sister, are you going to go to this wedding banquet?" Sima Yi pondered for a long time, but still asked.

"As far as Bofu is concerned, it doesn't matter if I go to this wedding banquet or not, he just wants me to see this wedding letter." Sima Xian lowered his eyes, and the thick eyelashes deliberately extinguished the glimmer in his eyes.

"But as far as I'm concerned, I still want to see Zhou Lang again."

It was a happy day, but Zhou Yu was not happy.

is not only a concubine, but also in troubled times, the marriage with Er Qiao should not be too public. All the ceremonies were simple, Zhou Yu wore a brocade robe and a red robe, standing beside Sun Ce, who was overjoyed, quietly waiting for the sedan chair loaded with the bride, like a colorful cloud fairy magpie coming in the wind.

He was like a flame. He snatched away all the winds that came and went, and burned the hearts and eyes of passers-by with his color. At this moment, Zhou Yu was standing in the middle of the crowd in a red wedding dress, with a long body, but between his eyebrows was as cold as frost, more like a lonely red lotus blooming in the starry night.

The woman who was about to enter the house, Zhou Yu had only seen it twice.

For the first time, Qiao Wan was only in her early tens, and she glanced at him from a distance in the backyard of Qiao's house, still innocent as a child.

The second time was when the city of Anhui was breached. Qiao Wan stood gracefully behind the aging Qiao Rui, with her hands on her waist in a regular manner. She was too shy to look up at him, just like when Qiao Ying first saw Sun Ce, the etiquette was full of girlish promotion and pity.

Qiao Wan really admired Zhou Yu. Since ancient times, beauties love heroes, not to mention that this hero tends to be perfect.

But what Zhou Yu thought about was that he was afraid that he would have to live up to this girl for the rest of his life.

He looked at the approaching sedan chair and remembered the carriage with its tassels. The crisp sound of the rings colliding with low sobs left him before the rolling car.

Zhou Yu stretched out his hand and held the bride who got off the sedan chair. Her hands are delicate and delicate, soft as boneless, and they are the only gentleness of Miss Boudoir. But he suddenly remembered the other pair of hands he had once held, and a thin callus had accumulated on his fingertips because of years of holding the bow and arrows. The owner of the hands had stroked his cheeks and laughed that his fingers were like jagged rocks. He took the ten fingers, which were rough but still slender, and gently placed a kiss on the fingertips, saying that the mountain stone was nothing but a good jade that had never been carved.

Naturally, concubines are not allowed to worship in the church. Only the banquet was set up, and the bridegroom went to pay homage to each other.

Sun Ce dragged Zhou Yu and thanked the banquet table by table. Everyone could see that Zhou Lang was absent-minded at the moment, but Sun Ce was happily joking like no one.

He said that Zhou Yu was too happy to take Namei as a concubine, and he had not rested well in the past few days.

Such a half-joked and half-concealed lie, even Sun Ce himself didn't believe it. The guests had no choice but to joke, just to give Sun Lang this face. Zhou Yu responded a little tiredly, and the smile between his eyebrows was cold and cold. Sun Ce quietly poked him with his elbow, filled the empty wine glass for Zhou Yu, and pulled him to turn around and go to the next table.

It's still a polite opening. Sun Ce said words of gratitude while routinely brushing his gaze over everyone. Just as everything was going well, his smile suddenly stopped with his gaze.

Not sluggishness, nor hesitation.

It was a tremor that hit his heart like thunder, and his heart stopped beating at that moment.

Sun Ce stiffened his neck, turned his eyes and peeked at Zhou Yu with his spare eyes, but saw that his always wandering gaze was fixed there at the moment, and he was as shocked as himself.

They all thought that the wedding letter sent to Luoyang was probably burned, or that she would not come at all.

I never thought that she would come, and she would come brightly. Even if you just dress in a low-key teal and sit in the middle of the guests, that dignified but playful smile has the power to eat souls.

The words of the previous guest were only halfway through the words before they choked in their throats, and the rest of the guests at the same table were surprised and couldn't help but turn their heads and ears. Sima Xian, who lived in the middle, neither opened his mouth to say hello nor urge, but only sat there with his head held high and watched Zhou Yu smile, his expression was completely elegant and dignified.

The pearl on the top of his head is shining brightly, and his temperament is solemn and graceful, like his wife.

She didn't squint, she didn't cast a half-trickling glance at Sun Ce on the side, she only stared at Zhou Yu with a smile.

The upturned lips were dyed with a rich vermilion, and the smile that was beautiful was anything but kindness. The clothes and jewelry can not hide the wildness between the eyebrows, and under the docile and elegant skin is the soul of the lone wolf. Zhou Yu saw her youth in her eyes, she was so affectionate and high-spirited. But her eyelashes twitched, and the little boy turned into a groom in a wedding dress. is still full of excitement, but only that face is distorted and blurred, no longer returning to the past.

He was in a trance for a moment, and the glass fell to the ground.

The sound of the fall attracted many eyes. Sima Xian lowered his head, and his ghostly eyes finally broke away from Zhou Yu's face. She finally spoke, her voice calmer and more somber than before, but her tone was almost mocking, as if a needle was hidden in the cotton, piercing him all over:

"Why are you so alarmed when you see me? The great joy that I have worked so hard to get can't be so Meng Lang. Brother, brother. ”

Sun Ce forced his composure, leaned over to pick up the wine glass for Zhou Yu, and apologized to the four relatives and friends, only saying that this was a little junior sister who had not been seen for many years. When I reunite after a long absence, I am inevitably a little excited. He also warmly invited Sima Xian to get up from his seat and catch up with the two of them alone.

Sima Xian snorted lightly and walked out of the table without being humble or arrogant. Following into the corner where no one was around, she turned her eyes to Zhou Yu at this moment. Shicai's flesh-like eyes seemed to have never appeared in his eyes, and his eyes were full of tenderness and affection that had been absent for a long time.

"It's great that Gongjin is not harmed." The tearful smile on her face that had been on her face all those years ago was a heartfelt joy to see him again.

She fully understood him, and she never felt that Zhou Yu should give up marrying a wife and taking a concubine for herself. He is a Confucian general that Jiangdong is proud of, and he should not be confined to the private relationship between men and women. All the ridicule and persecution of Shicai are just hoping to stop Youyou's mouth, so that those who knew before will think that they are gracious and wrong.

This hard work can only be borne by Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu felt sad. Not for anything else, but for the reunion after a long absence in such a situation.

He used to think that at his wedding, the object of his son's hand should be her. But now she is dressed in a red robe, and her whole body is covered with Ruili and joy, but she is wearing a cold cyan, like a wisp of fleeting smoke, which can never melt into his life.

Sun Ce was a little worried that Zhou Yu would regret his marriage immediately after seeing Sima Xian with his own eyes. If she hadn't left that year, the other person standing beside Zhou Yu in red at the wedding banquet should have been Sima Xian. And Zhou Yu always hopes that she will be able to return to her side one day.

"Senior sister, I didn't expect you to really come, I was really scared to death just now, I thought you were angry......"

Sun Ce pretended to joke lightly, with a slightly embarrassing smile on his face, but in the next second, he received a solid slap.

The moment the five fingers landed on his face, the pain was accompanied by burning shame. Like a fire, it burned his entire face from his neck upwards. Sima Xian glared at him fiercely, his eyes under the rage were like a fierce beast biting its prey, and his fingers clenched into a solid fist were still trembling.

She was genuinely angry. It was not that Qi Sun Ce imitated Zhou Yu's tone to write her that invitation, nor was it that Qi Sun Ce forced Zhou Yu to take a concubine for his own selfishness.

is angry that he is still pretending to be stupid at this juncture, but he is not honest enough as a friend for many years.

Sun Ce bit his lip tightly. He knew that he didn't have the face to meet Sima Xian, but he had been deceiving himself, thinking that she was always good-natured and able to forgive everything, but he never reflected on whether he could really afford her forgiveness for what he had done. Sima Xian in his memory was always too soft-hearted to others and too cruel to himself, so much so that Sun Ce forgot that she was just a little woman and should not be deliberately hurt like that.

Zhou Yu sighed and patted him on the shoulder.

As if he wanted to tell Sun Ce that things had come to this point, forget it.

"Bo Fu, your account with me has been settled, and Gong Jin has forgiven you." Sima Xian turned his back, and his cyan back was reflected in the sparse shadow of the bamboo leaves, becoming more and more lonely and thin.

"It's just that you make me feel strange, and you are no longer the senior brother of the past."

Is it? That's true. Sun Ce curled the corners of his mouth self-deprecatingly. A sore ache hit him, and his throat ached.

Over the years, Sun Ce has won many people and killed many people. He fought on the battlefield, and his armor was soaked in the blood of countless people, and finally in exchange for the foundation and military power of the entire Jiangdong, he did what his father did not do.

It's just that you can't slash your friends no matter what.

“…… I'm sorry. ”

Three words floated weakly from his throat, and his voice was as low as a mosquito. It seemed that he continued to stay here, and he hurried away.

Heaven and earth are silent.

Zhou Yu and Sima Xian finally stood together again. In that secluded bamboo shadow, the sound of the lively wedding banquet in the distance had nothing to do with them.

Bleakness and melancholy are the words that belong to them at this moment.