"In the middle of the night, what's the fuss?" Chu Mingyan was wearing a crane feather coat, which made him more and more pale, almost melting into a ball of edelweiss with the plain white crane feathers, "The imperial envoy is still living at home, you are crying and making trouble, saying that our Chu family is ......"

said that our Chu family has grievances.

But in all fairness, doesn't he Chu Mingyan have a little resentment in his heart? The younger brothers and sisters he raised single-handedly had to be sent to the tiger wolf's den by hand. He has lived enough, but his sister can't even cry happily.

Chu Mingyan couldn't continue, so he had to change the topic, glanced at the crimson in the corner of his sister's eyes and asked, "What are you crying about?" I'm crying red in my eyes, if your second brother knew about it, he would have made fun of you. ”

Chu Zhixia is the youngest of the three siblings, and he usually raises them with thousands of pets, and if he wants stars, he also orders someone to set up a ladder and pretend to pick them up.

Her face was not as round and cute as the other girls, her jaw was pointed, her eyes were overly bright, and she looked too shrewd. Guo Hui is easy to die, Chu Mingyan is very taboo about this, so he always beats her not to be smart.

"Big brother, you can send me to the imperial capital." Chu Shixia looked at his eyes and said seriously.

Chu Mingyan's face changed.

"I'm a daughter, how many daughters have not married throughout the ages? Marrying someone is not marrying, marrying in the clouds is also marrying, marrying in the imperial capital is also marrying. Chu Zhixia gritted his teeth, "The second brother stays at home, he is more useful than me." ”

Chu Zhixia thought more than once, if he went to the emperor by himself, would the ending be different? The eldest brother will not die of exhaustion, and the second brother will not be trapped in the palace wall for ten years.

If there must be someone in the Chu family who is trapped and killed in the imperial capital, she would rather that person be herself.

"Go on." Chu Mingyan's face was cold.

Chu Shixia sneered, even if she lived again, she was still timid under the stern gaze of her eldest brother. She subconsciously felt that she had done something wrong, and she lowered her head and did not dare to speak again.

"You learned to write at the age of seven, and your husband said that your pen and ink are sharp, and you have the spirit of killing soldiers, and you are afraid of hurting yourself. He wants me to polish your temperament, so that you won't be famous and won't be able to marry in the future. I didn't agree. ”

"At the age of eight, someone else's daughter learned piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and knitted female red, you want to fool around with your second brother in the barracks. I will invite the swordsman who wanders the rivers and lakes for you to pass on your swordsmanship. ”

"Chu Zhixia, I allow you to learn poetry and books, learn swords, not to ask you to despise yourself as a daughter, draw the ground as a prison, and sell it in front of your husband in the future. We raised you, taught you, and never considered whether you were useful or not - you are our sister, we are a family, between family members, how can we only talk about gains and losses? ”

Chu Mingyan spoke sharply, and at the end of his speech, he was a little excited, and coughed lowly.

Chu Zhixia rushed over in a little panic and patted his back lightly for him, "Big brother, don't be angry, I was wrong." ”

"If you know you're wrong, ......"

Just go back to sleep and don't talk about it again.

Before Chu Mingyan finished speaking, Chu Zhixia said with straight eyebrows: "But I still have to go to the imperial capital." ”

"Big brother, you love me, I know. But I'm not a child anymore - they just want a child of the Chu family, it doesn't make a difference between me and the second brother. But the second brother is a wild horse destined to run outside the gate, how can you lock him up in the imperial capital? ”

Chu Mingyan laughed angrily at her, "I just told you in vain if I dared to love." ”

"You let me go, you can do your best for the Chu family, the second brother can sacrifice himself for the Chu family, why can't I?"

"Get out!" Chu Mingyan's face completely cooled.

——

Chu Zhixia was scolded with a split head and face, and when he rolled out of the eldest brother's study like a stream, he also intimately told him not to be too angry, so as not to hurt himself. In response to her, there was an inkstone that was torn apart on the door panel.

Chu Zhixia touched his nose and slowly walked back wrapped in the big thrown out by his eldest brother.

A shadow tumbled down from the eaves and landed softly and deftly beside her, spreading a paper umbrella above her head. Chu Zhixia was taken aback, after years of fighting, she almost reflexively drew her sword and crossed the opponent's neck, but her hand fell empty at her waist.

She suddenly realized that she was only fifteen years old now, and she was not the only one to rely on in the Zhenbei Palace, so she didn't need to hold her sword tightly all the time.

"It's you, Shen Zhou." Chu Zhixia's heart was stunned, and he looked at that clear face and smiled.

Because he has not seen the light of day all year round, Shen Zhou's face is sickly white, like ice crystals that melt at the touch of a button. His eyebrows are straight and powerful, like a thick ink stroke, and when the eyelashes are gently covered, they look like a quiet porcelain doll.

The sinking boat was picked up by Chu Zhixia's Sword Saint Master and thrown into the Zhenbei Wangfu as a half-young man. But he himself is withdrawn by nature, he comes and goes without a trace, and when he appears, he is mostly glued to Chu Zhixia's side, but it is like her shadow.

In the previous life, the Beidi soldiers came to the city, and Chu Zhixia went to ask for help.

She knew that reinforcements would not come, but she also didn't know if Shen Zhou was still alive when Yunzhong Junpo and Beidima set foot in the Central Plains. Shen Zhou's escape without knowing anything was Chu Zhixia's only selfishness.

Shen Zhou nodded.

"Come with me," Chu Shixia said, "You won't sleep anyway." ”

Shen Zhou still nodded, silent.

Two small figures walked in the snow one after the other, two sets of footprints close together. There is nothing to visit in the Zhenbei Palace, Chu Mingyan has to change his methods every year to free up some military expenses, and the most valuable thing in the mansion is probably Chu Zhixia's sword.

In the end, the two of them simply climbed to the ridge and sat down, the ridge that spread out like a black dragon was sprinkled with clear moonlight, and the snow was clear. There is a curfew in Yunzhong County, and no one walks outside after dark, and a few lanterns are lit here and there are scattered on the long street.

"Shen Zhou, have you ever been to the imperial capital?" Chu Zhixia racked his brains, and finally asked without a clue.

Shen Zhou didn't answer that he had been, nor did he say that he hadn't, he just waved and said, "I'll go wherever you go." ”

The same bull's head is not in the horse's mouth.

There is such a tacit understanding between Shen Zhou and Chu Zhixia, and he can always penetrate her original meaning from Chu Zhixia's hidden words.

Chu Zhixia's heart was soft, and he was a little puzzled, "Why don't you speak?" ”

Shen Zhou lowered his eyelashes and did not answer.

"What's wrong with your throat," Chu Zhixia jumped up suddenly, "Is it from the wind chill or can't make a sound?" ”

Chu Zhixia's voice woke up half of the secret guards in the palace, and even the maids who were keeping vigil were shocked.

In the middle of the night, there was still a lot of trouble.

——

The shadow-like little boy in the Zhenbei Wangfu is dumb, this is not a big deal. If it weren't for Chu Zhixia's trouble, few people in the mansion would have thought of him.

couldn't help but know that Xia was not frightened, Shen Zhou was a little blind and dumb when he first came to the palace, and he had good ears.

Master said that the residual poison in his body had not been cleared, and his five senses were incomplete.

For a long time, the sunken boat was sometimes inaudible, sometimes invisible, sometimes invisible. Chu Zhixia's immoral master likes to feed him with Coptis the most, and Shen Zhou does not refuse, and chews honestly.

"It's not residual poison." Shen Zhou said in sign language.

"Then why can't you speak all of a sudden?" Chu Zhixia was anxious, but the doctor also said that he was fine.

There was no such thing in his previous life, Chu Zhixia was not only worried about the sinking boat, but also worried about whether there would be unexpected changes in his own life.

"I can't speak, so you won't take me to the imperial capital?" Shen Zhou asked rhetorically.

Chu Zhi Xia was stunned, "Of course not." ”

"That'll do." Shen Zhou didn't care, his fingers flew, "I'm used to it, I can't usually say a few words anyway." ”

"You are simply ......" Chu Zhixia couldn't cry or laugh, and immediately fell silent.

After a long time, she asked, "Shen Zhou, the emperor is not a good place." Are you really going with me? ”

"The ends of the earth, the mountains of swords and the sea of fire, I will go with you."

——

The next day, early in the morning.

The envoy who came to the imperial capital to send congratulatory gifts was the regent's henchman, a young white-faced scholar who always hid half of his smiling face behind a folding fan when looking at people, and his eyes were bent.

"It's bitter cold in the clouds, Mr. Liang will take care of it." Chu Mingyan was so angry with his sister that he didn't sleep well last night, his face was so white that it was almost transparent, but the etiquette was still leaky.

"Your Highness is serious." Mr. Liang was also very humble, "It is really urgent for the DPRK and China, otherwise I would not want to do such a disgusting errand when the festival is approaching." ”

"I understand." Chu Mingyan said lightly, "My younger brother is stubborn, and he was just sent to the imperial capital to be well educated, and I hope Mr. Liang will take care of him." ”

"Your Royal Highness is polite, the second son is a dragon and a phoenix, and it is not something that a vulgar person like me can bring. Zhenbei Wangfu is a great person, the second son is also working for the imperial court in the imperial capital, and the Chu family has made great contributions! ”

Chu Mingyan sneered in his heart, what is the greatest merit, and it is true that the merit is high.

Otherwise, why spend so much effort to take people to the imperial capital, instead of matching a royal lady to monitor in the clouds? The people of the Chu family, whose daughters, whose sons, and those who control the government will not be at ease.

Before Chu Mingyan could talk to him, a neighing sound of a fierce horse came.

"What sound?" Chu Mingyan frowned.

Horse racing is not allowed around the palace.

"Back to Your Highness, it's the eldest lady! The eldest lady tamed the Wantian horse and ran over! ”

Chu Mingyan's face changed suddenly, but his first reaction was not his sister's safety, but turned to Mr. Liang and said, "That beast is wild, I'm afraid it will hurt the nobles, please Mr. Liang avoid it." ”

Mr. Leung was at ease.

Long before he came to Yunzhong, he talked about the youngest daughter of the Chu family when he met people, and the answer he got was that this person was a bastard who was crawling around in the market, and he did not have the demeanor of a noble girl, and the Chu family abandoned her like a shoe.

Today, it seems that this is not the case.

An abandoned girl will not be qualified to meet Wan Tianma, who is worth a thousand gold. The royal power and wealth of the Chu family on horseback are mostly good hands who can shoot people off the horse.

At the risk of offending the imperial capital, he refused to subdue people by forceful means, not because he couldn't, but because he didn't want to.

"It's okay, just let me see the heroic posture of the tiger girl in the door."

Before Mr. Liang could finish speaking, a dark red shadow swept in like a wind. The courtyard gate was kicked to pieces by the horses, and the man on horseback had his long hair flying and grabbed the reins as the horse was about to charge under the porch.

The horse's hooves were raised, and the wind blew on Mr. Liang's face.

Chu Zhixia sat firmly on the horse's back, with his bare hands, only the palm holding the reins oozed a trace of blood.

She raised her chin slightly, ignoring her brother's gloomy face, and said proudly, "Big brother, I tamed this horse for you." ”

Mr. Liang stroked his palms and laughed, "Miss Chu is so graceful, the ladies of the imperial capital are tied together, and they are not as good as the eldest lady breaking into the house." Such a woman, when the imperial capital ministers open their eyes, His Royal Highness the King of Zhenbei, what do you think? ”

King Zhenbei's eyes looked like he was about to eat people.

——

"You kneel for me!"

In the ancestral hall, the spirit is clear, and the candle flame is faintly burning.

Chu Mingyan shouted in a high voice, almost shouting at himself, coughing endlessly. Chu Zhixia was worried about his body, and wanted to look up, but he was whipped on his back with a bamboo whip, his neck shrank in pain, and he knelt in place honestly.

"You've got a lot of skills." Chu Mingyan carried the bamboo whip, coughed so hard that he barely stood firmly, "I can't control you anymore, you can pack up your things and roll me out immediately, from now on, there will be no such person as you in the Chu family." ”

"I'm not leaving." Chu Zhixia also knelt straight, and his words debunked his brother's intentions, "I'm leaving, where do you go to find another Chu Shixia to send to the imperial capital?" ”

"The Chu family can't take your turn to call the shots!" Chu Mingyan's eyes were red, and his voice trembled, "Where is the emperor, and a little girl like you can go if she wants to, and leave when she wants?" Are you going to die, Chu Zhixia...... Little Changle? ”

Hearing her brother call her name, Chu Zhixia couldn't bear to close her eyes, her eyelashes were moist, and her whole body trembled.

"You were born a little longer, your mother is gone, we follow your father in the barracks, and you can't even drink a mouthful of milk. The squeamish child is difficult to feed, and your second brother feeds you with mare's milk, but your spleen and stomach are weak, and after drinking, you vomit and diarrhea, and you are so anxious that you almost jump into the river. ”

"Your life is so precious, Xiao Changle. Brothers guard this pass, guard this city, there is no tomorrow on the battlefield, we have a thought for you. ”

Chu Zhixia knew better than anyone that if it wasn't for the last resort in her previous life, Chu Mingyan would not agree to her going to the battlefield. The king of Zhenbei has always believed that man will conquer the sky, but on every night of her battle, she can not kneel in the Buddhist hall.

Chu Mingyan gasped, angina, "You are punishing my brother's heart, do you know?" Now there is still a chance, you leave overnight, and I will send a secret guard to disguise yourself as you to hide from the world. From now on, don't go back to the clouds. ”

"But I can't let the second brother go." Chu Zhixia took a deep breath and held back her tears, "Big brother, you have always had no last resort, but you are wrong in this step. You kill me, as long as I still have a breath, the person who enters the imperial capital will definitely not be the second brother. ”

"You!"

Chu Mingyan raised the bamboo whip high, Chu Zhixia subconsciously closed his eyes, puffed up the muscles on his back and prepared to be beaten. But the bamboo whip didn't fall for a long time, and all Chu Shixia waited for was a lonely chuckle from his brother.

Chu Zhixia opened his eyes in confusion and looked back at him.

Chu Mingyan inherited the throne of Zhenbei at the age of eighteen, and the border wars and the people's livelihood in the clouds were entrusted to his weak body. But he is not like a living person, as if he will never be tired, and his back will always be straight, like an indestructible bamboo.

At this moment, Chu Zhixia inexplicably felt that his brother was very tired, and even the strength to stand up was extravagant.

"You've grown up, Changle. It's the elder brother who is stubborn and self-serving. When your second brother comes back, you can tell him yourself. ”

Chu Mingyan didn't look at her again, threw down the bamboo whip and turned to leave.

His figure was as lonely as a crane in the snow.