By the time I got home, it was already dark.

After Rue Xiang left, I didn't leave, but turned around and walked back, walking back and forth along the river, walking slowly, several times because of carelessness and stepping into the water again, until finally the corners of my skirt were so wet that I couldn't wring them out, my shoes and socks were also wet, dragging my ankles a little cold, I pushed the door and went home.

The manpower in the yard seems to have increased a lot, and even the manpower of the surrounding family guarding my home has obviously doubled.

I knew what it meant, of course, but I just smiled faintly.

As soon as I pushed the door, I saw a lone lamp like a bean on the table in the center of the room.

The candle flame swayed with the wind pouring in from the sudden opening of the door, and the candle flame that was clearly extinguished reflected the handsome face, and even the expression on that face seemed a little obscure, making it impossible to see his joy and anger.

I stood at the door, stunned for a moment, and then said softly, "You haven't slept yet?" ”

Pei Yuanxiu held on to the table, as if he wanted to stand up, but as soon as I saw his struggling appearance, I immediately went over and grabbed his arm: "Don't stand up, be careful of the wound." ”

He smiled, sat back down, looked at me, and said, "I'm waiting for you to come back." ”

"You should have rested early."

I said this, but I didn't help him back to bed, and Pei Yuanxiu didn't seem to want to go to sleep and rest, but sat back. I also sat across the table and poured myself a cup of tea, and the warm tea I drank also warmed up my body, which had been cold.

When he looked up, he was looking at me.

"Where have you been?"

"Went for a walk by the river."

"Walked for so long?"

"Just go for a walk."

"Just take a walk? I was just afraid that you would go, so I went to Yangzhou. He smiled as he spoke, and a smile line at the corner of his mouth made his faint smile more unspoken.

Looking at his smile like this, I thought about it for a moment and opened my mouth.

"I have something to tell you."

"I have something to tell you."

The two of them spoke at the same time, I was stunned for a moment, and I also saw his gaze, but before I could react, I had already heard him say, "You speak first." ”

At this time, I was a little hesitant.

I opened my mouth at the same time as him, but I didn't know what he was going to say, and I even wondered if I should let him say it first.

At this moment, the two of them were so close, obviously it was just an ordinary conversation, but it suddenly seemed to have become a gambling game, gambling on the happiness of a lifetime, gambling on this great river and mountain.

I was in a trance for a while, and the candle flame in front of me seemed to sway with my uncertainty, as if the little light in the river I saw today also reminded me that I had been going back and forth by the river, as if there was no end to wandering, before I finally made the decision.

No matter what his decision is, what I want to do is not change for others.

Thinking of this, I took a deep breath and said solemnly: "Can you give up Yangzhou?" ”

His gaze flickered with the candlelight.

He didn't seem to react, or maybe he didn't think about what to say, but at this moment of silence, I spoke again, word by word: "Then, I'll cross the river with you." ”

“……！”

His eyes widened suddenly.

I looked at the astonishment in his eyes through the flickering candle flame, as calm as ever: "Okay? ”

……

This time, there was silence for a long time.

I couldn't hear his breathing, I couldn't hear his heartbeat, only the sound of the wind blowing in my ears, and after a while, I realized in a trance that it wasn't the sound of the wind, but the sound of my own blood rushing.

It turned out that my heartbeat was so violent that it seemed to burst out of my heart.

The pain and depression made me a little uncomfortable, but no matter how uncomfortable it was, my face didn't change, and I didn't even have the slightest disturbance in breathing, I just looked at him like this.

I've already made this bet!

I don't know how long it took, but I finally saw him trembling his pale lips slightly, and he spoke, but there was no sound for a long time, until he coughed lightly, and found that his throat was a little broken.

"You say, would you-"

“……”

"You're not—the after—?"

I smiled faintly: "Didn't the medicine elder sue you, I regret it?" ”

He was speechless for a moment, just looking at me, but his eyes were full of caution, as if he was worried that his eyes would crush this moment if they were heavier.

"I do regret it, but regret doesn't mean I will break my promise." I looked at him and said seriously: "Even if I am a woman, I understand the truth that people cannot stand without faith." I will not take it back lightly. ”

He seemed to be a little unable to believe his ears, looked at me at a loss, and then looked at his hands, and after a while, he raised his head, looked at me expectantly, and said softly: "You, are you really willing to go with me?" ”

"Hmm."

When I heard this word, I could clearly see that those eyes were full of joy.

For a while, it was as if the winter night had turned into a spring flower.

Seeing him like this, I also smiled, but in my smile, there was a trace of sourness for some reason, I don't know if it was for myself or for him.

After laughing, I said softly: "Yuan Xiu, you sue me, if I really regret it, what will you do?" ”

“……”

"Will you make me regret it?"

“……”

He looked at me calmly for a long time, his eyes gentle, but he didn't say a word.

Under the gaze of his gentle gaze, I also had a faint clarity in my heart.

Actually, even if I didn't ask, I understood that as he had told me before, as long as I said "no", he would not do anything to me, but that night, he never asked me to say the word "no".

And now, even if I really regret it, he won't let my path change in any way.

Because for me, he never intended to turn back.

Thinking of this, a little desolation swelled up in my heart, I smiled faintly, and he smiled.

Then I said, "Still, I have something I want to discuss with you." ”

"You say."

"I hope you can give up Yangzhou."

“…… Is this a condition? ”

"No, it's hope."

The corners of his eyes still had an unfading joy, but his expression became clear and solemn, pondered for a while, and said softly: "Why? ”

I said: "Actually, what I hope more is that you can give up Jiangnan, give up those swordsmen, give up those powers, give up - you used to be a member of the crown prince. ”

“……”

I saw that his eyes were cold, and I smiled bitterly in my heart, and said again: "But I know it's impossible. I have always seen the relationship between you and the emperor very clearly, and letting you give up Jiangnan is tantamount to asking the emperor to take your life. ”

Speaking of this, I smiled faintly: "Since I can't regret it, then of course I don't want to be a widow." ”

His eyes flickered, as if he wanted to laugh, but he didn't dare to act rashly, and just looked at me.

"But—" I looked into his smiling eyes and said seriously, "If you have Yangzhou in hand, you are destined to have a battle with the emperor." ”

More likely, more than one battle.

When we first heard that the six provinces in the south of the Yangtze River were in rebellion, and the attitude of Yangzhou was ambiguous, we had already seen through this layout, and the reason why he did not let Yangzhou openly break away from the rule of the imperial court was to let Yangzhou be like a nail into the body of the Celestial Empire.

Yangzhou is for the sake of attacking.

Listening to my words, he was silent, and only then did he raise his head to look at me, his eyes burning: "Qingying, who is this hope of yours for?" ”

For whom?

Seeing the uneasy light in his eyes, I immediately understood.

Although he has always been so light-hearted, how can people's hearts really be so light-hearted, how can they really not care about anything. Even if he is like him, there will be worries and uneasiness, not to mention that today, when I got the news of Yangzhou, I suddenly offered to cross the river with him, how could he have no ideas?

I smiled and said, "Are you worried that my hope is for someone?" ”

“……”

"Because he has arrived in Yangzhou, I want you to give up Yangzhou; Because he's coming, I'm going to cross the river with you. ”

"......" He looked at me in silence, and after a while, he said slowly, "Qingying, I know I shouldn't ask, because—your heart is not on me yet." But, because of that, I can't help but care. ”

There's no way not to care.

Hearing these words, it was obviously just a very light tone, but it made me tremble inexplicably.

In a trance, I remembered what Nangong Lizhu once said, she said that she had always felt that Pei Yuanxiu was an emotionless person, and his joys, sorrows and sorrows were always like being separated by a veil in front of him, and she could never see what he was thinking in his heart, but when they were on their wedding night, when she heard the drunk Pei Yuanxiu shouting my name and saying that she wanted to give me happiness, she suddenly felt that this person was so real.

At that moment, her feelings, it seems that I can also empathize at this time.

He said he couldn't help but care.

Even if he can calmly say that I don't love him, even if he can still calmly hope that I will give him a chance to let that seed have a chance to grow, but in fact, he is not as indifferent as he seems to be. He will also have urgent expectations, he will also have worries, and there will be things that he can't let go.

He can't help but care who I hope for him now.

I laughed instead.

Looking at my faint smile, he was a little stunned, as if at a loss, I looked into his eyes and said seriously: "Do you remember what I told you when I left Jiangnan?" ”

“…… If you are the only one within ten steps, do you want me to take another ten steps? ”

I shook my head slightly.

"With the war, the people are displaced, the corpses are everywhere, and the people are so innocent."

“……”

"I'm not asking you for anyone."

“……”

"I beg you for all who may be devastated by war."

“……”

"Yuan Xiu, exempting a war is equivalent to saving thousands of people from fire and water, and it is a greater merit than you building hundreds of millions of floating slaughters."

He was silent and did not speak, and from his dark eyes, I could not see what he was thinking, so I could only say to him in a softer voice: "You said that I hope I can raise your seed, but I don't know if and how this seed can grow." But I think that if you can cultivate these merits, God will not fail you, and maybe this seed will grow up and stay with you for a longer time. ”

He was silent for a long time, and then repeated: "Do you want me to give up Yangzhou and return to Jiangnan?" ”

"Yes."

I nodded, and looked at him a little eagerly: "You have occupied the Yangtze River moat, and the emperor didn't dare to touch you casually before, it is precisely because of this best natural barrier, and your water military camp, the imperial court has always avoided three points." You retreat to Jiangnan, he is not easy to fight, and he does not dare to fight lightly; You don't want to go north again, okay? ”

From ancient times to the present, there are many examples, across the river, there are two completely independent regimes, although in this way, there may be a suspicion of splitting the Celestial Empire, but compared to war, compared to their brothers cannibalism, than tens of millions of people fell into the flames of war, I still prefer to preserve the peace in front of me.

If in the future, there can be a more moderate way to unify the north and the south and create the prosperous era that Pei Yuanhao and Pei Yuanfeng expect, it will naturally be the icing on the cake, but for now, I just hope that it will not make matters worse.

Pei Yuanxiu fell silent.

He had been silent just now, listening to me, and now he was silent, he was thinking.

I could even see the fierce clint in his eyes through the flickering candle flame.

The two of them were facing each other like this, I don't know how long it took, the night was dark, the cold was blowing, the tips of my fingers were already cold, and I subconsciously raised it and put on the candle flame, and when I felt a little warmth, Pei Yuanxiu raised his head and looked at me.

"Young Baby."

“……！” I looked at him nervously.

"I promise to return to Jinling."

"Really?!" I was overjoyed and subconsciously grabbed his sleeve: "You really promised me?!" ”

"Hmm." He nodded, compared to my ecstasy, although he smiled, he still had a calmness: "However, if he goes south, what will he do in Yangzhou, who can guarantee?" ”

“……”

I was stunned, and the hand that grabbed his sleeve loosened.

yes, who knows, what he's going to do next?

Killed all the people in Pei Yuanxiu in Yangzhou Mansion, issued a new ordinance, this is his beginning, what will he do next?

Wen Fengxi also followed south, is it just to open the city gate for a military general's southward journey?

Just as the uneasiness surging in my heart became more and more serious, Pei Yuan cultivated: "Actually, you also want to see him, don't you?" ”

I subconsciously nodded, and suddenly felt that this sentence was wrong, and looked at him in amazement: "What? ”

"I just said that I have something to tell you."

“…… What is it? ”

"Just today, I've sent someone to post him."

“……”

"Three days later, Wangjiang Pavilion."

“……”

"I'm going to meet him."