In the first year of Xuande, the ninth day of the first month.

Shen Zhou stood outside the mourning hall and looked at Chu Zhixia's back from a distance.

Chu Mingyan's funeral, the military defense of the Snow Pass, and the government affairs in the clouds cannot be delayed, and Chu Mingxiu went out in mourning clothes to take care of official business. The mourning guests in the mourning hall came and went, but Chu Zhixia was like a stubborn stone in the turbulent water, not moving at all.

A small shadow jumped into the mourning hall, arched his body and cautiously looked at Chu Zhixia. The white cat had always been afraid of Chu Zhixia, and as soon as she saw her, she fled in a panic, but today she was surprisingly calm. Chu Zhixia's sluggish gaze shifted for a moment, and he met the white cat's blue eyes without any emotion.

The white cat moved forward little by little, as if Chu Zhixia was only a little troubled, and it was about to escape.

Chu Zhixia didn't move.

The white cat scrambled in front of her and barked meekly and flatteringly.

"There's nothing to eat here." Chu Zhixia said, "Didn't Yuzhu feed you?" ”

The white cat didn't leave, and even rubbed Chu Zhixia's knee with a warm back uncharacteristically, sending her head under her hand. Chu Zhixia's hand trembled slightly, and he touched the white cat's head. The white cat tentatively stretched out its tongue and licked Chu Zhixia's knuckles - like a big cat comforting a kitten.

Chu Zhixia's back stiffened for a moment.

Shen Zhou couldn't bear it anymore and strode into the mourning hall. As if waking up from a dream, the white cat barked at the sinking boat and climbed onto the windowsill to escape.

"You've been kneeling here for a long time, go back and get some rest." Shen Zhou said, "I'll guard the eldest brother for you." ”

Chu Zhixia shook his head and said, "Today is the seventh day of the eldest brother's departure. ”

Shen Zhou didn't understand.

"They say that people who have obsessions in their hearts will return to familiar places on the seventh day of death, turn into frost, rain and snow, and see their relatives again." Chu Zhixia muttered, "Shen Zhou, is it snowing outside?" ”

"Nope."

Chu Zhixia stood up with Shen Zhou's hand, and kneeling for a long time made her knees sore and her calves numb. Chu Zhixia stumbled to the outside of the mourning hall, looking at the clear moonlight and the clear sky without a trace of flowing clouds.

"You know what? When I grew up, I had never been away from him for so long, except for those six years in the imperial capital. Chu Zhixia muttered to himself, "When I was young, my aunt at home treated me badly. So my eldest brother always protects me well, and what he is most afraid of is losing me. But he was the one who left first every time. ”

Chu Zhixia seemed to have returned to his previous life, the funeral where the entire north of the city mourned silently. She hurried back from the Snow Pass, only to see the dried blood in the spittoon and the spirit flags fluttering in the sky of Cloudsdale. It was Chu Mingyan's funeral alone, but it was two people who died.

For the first time, Chu Mingyan didn't wait for her; The second time, Chu Mingyan felt that his sister's return home was an illusion until he died.

"But even if it's like this every time, I don't blame you." Chu Zhixia said softly, "Big brother, are you looking at me?" ”

Suddenly the wind rose in the court, and the candle flame in front of the spirit danced.

Chu Zhixia turned his head suddenly, looking at the trembling candle flame, tears flowing silently.

A cool grain of sand fell under her eyes.

Chu Zhixia raised his hand and wiped a little melting wetness.

It's snowing.

——

In the clouds, Fushun Inn.

The Fushun Inn was cordoned off from top to bottom, and the heavily armed soldiers made passers-by dare not take a second look. A team of silver-white horses galloped from the streets, like a curtain of snow a foot high. Chu Zhixia flipped off his horse, and the soldiers waiting at the door of the inn respectfully moved out of the way.

"Miss." Ye Qian, the deputy general of the tiger and leopard cavalry, pressed the handle of the knife and bowed slightly to Chu Shixia.

Ye Qian had only seen Chu Zhixia a few times, and he had the impression that Chu Zhixia was a girl who was flying and jumping, and she was stubborn and willful, not losing to Chu Mingxiu. After a long time, Chu Zhixia was wearing a pure white mourning dress, and something seemed to have precipitated in his eyes.

"What about people?" Chu Zhixia's footsteps kept walking inside.

"Inside." Ye Qian followed closely behind her and said, "According to the information of Shen Zhou Gongzi, we have found someone who matches the description. But after all, the mountains in the clouds are high and the road is far away, and none of us can confirm whether this person is Bai Yu or not, so we have to invite the eldest lady to come. ”

Walking to a door, Ye Qian suddenly stretched out his hand to stop Chu Zhixia.

"The prince died of illness, and the eldest lady's mourning changed. But the general instructed that Bai Yu was always a legitimate royal child on the jade plate, and after being arrested, he must be handed over to the imperial capital. Ye Qian seemed to be unbearable, and said, "It's an eventful time now, don't be impulsive." ”

"You're afraid I'll kill him?" Chu Shixia said coldly, "Even if it is a gelding dog in the imperial capital, I can still endure its barking for many years. Bai Yu is not enough. ”

Ye Qian said yes and opened the door for her.

The well-trained tiger and leopard rider pressed a thin boy to his knees on the ground, his hands tied behind his back, and it was difficult to even raise his head. Chu Zhixia pressed the hilt of his sword against his chin and forced him to raise his head. That face was mixed with childishness and hideousness, the deep and shallow scars almost tore the entire face apart, and the round eyes reflected Chu Zhixia's expressionless face.

"He's not Bai Yu," Chu Zhixia withdrew his hand, and the young man threw himself forward and fell to the ground in embarrassment, "He's a ghost for the dead." ”

Ye Qian frowned, and instead ordered the others to continue searching.

"Kill him." Chu Zhixia said again.

Ye Qian said euphemistically: "Should I bring it back for interrogation?" ”

"Bai Yu left him here to die, how could he tell him his whereabouts? He's useless. ”

Chu Zhixia's words were full of bloody murderous aura, which made people shudder, "He must be one of the garrisons of the East Palace, and he still has parents, relatives, wives and children in the imperial capital." His body was returned to the imperial capital, the body was recognized and convicted, the man was exiled to the army, and the woman was punished as an official prostitute. ”

A crack finally appeared on the face of the hard and stubborn young man, and he yelled at Chu Zhixia: "Chu Zhixia, you killed the prince of the Great Zhou, and you deserve death!" You're not going to end well! You Chu clan in the clouds will not die well! ”

Ye Qian's face changed. The tiger and leopard slammed a quick punch into his face, coughing and spitting out two bloody teeth, and lay on the ground unable to move.

"Then you just wait and see, whether I die first or Bai Yu dies first." Chu Zhixia didn't reply, "But you probably won't live to that time." ”

Chu Zhixia strode out of the inn, and it only took a moment for the dead ghost to go from scolding to crying and begging. The tiger and leopard rider tied the man up like a crab and carried him into the prisoner's cart. Chu Zhixia stood on the silent and uninhabited street, looked at the gray-white sky, and exhaled a long breath.

——

This winter is coming to an end soon.

The secret agents in the clouds and the assassins of the Nine Shadows were secretly looking for Bai Yu's whereabouts, but this person seemed to have evaporated from the world, and there was no trace of him. When spring was about to begin, news came from the secret agent that Bai Yu had left the clouds in a group of wandering beggars. After exposing his tracks for the last time, Bai Yu fled into Qianfeng Ridge under the cover of a group of Beidi people.

"The thousand peaks stretch for 800 miles, not a single inch of grass grows, it is composed of several snow-covered mountains, and it is also the reliance of the snow pass. Even the residents under Qianfeng Ridge did not dare to say that they could come out alive after entering Qianfeng Ridge. ”

Chu Mingxiu and Chu Zhixia sat opposite each other in the study, with a game of chess in the middle. Chu Mingxiu is a stinky chess basket, he has never won chess, and occasionally he beats his master to death with a small victory. The game is clearly played against two highly skilled players, with black pushing white to the brink and white holding his breath.

"Who is this from Big Brother and who?" Chu Zhixia asked thoughtlessly.

"This is the eldest brother himself." Chu Mingxiu said, "Who won him?" You don't know whether to live or die. ”

"Erdan is different from the previous Beidi people, he is not a reckless man with a tendon in his brain." Chu Zhixia turned away from the topic again, "He needs Bai Yu, or rather, he needs Bai Yu's old Chen clan and the remnants of the East Palace." Whether it is disturbing the audio-visual or spying on the intelligence of the Great Zhou, the Great Zhou and Beidi do not trade with each other, and it is difficult for the Beidi people to sneak into the Central Plains. But with Bai Yu here, the situation is different. ”

"So you think that Bai Yu will not die, and the Beidi people have a backhand?" Chu Mingxiu easily understood what she meant.

"Let's open it." Chu Zhixia said casually.

In fact, Chu Shixia felt that Bai Yu must not be dead. The loss of Chu Mingyan seemed to be just a small admonition from the gods to Chu Zhixia. Chu Shixia had a hunch that returning home was not the end of her struggle against her established fate, but the beginning.

"Then ask Your Majesty for a decree to liquidate the remnants of the Chen family." Chu Mingxiu sneered and said, "When the regent was alive, he couldn't reach out to the north of the river, but I didn't expect that we were pecked by the eagle all day long, and this kid was mixed in." ”

"Murder and arson, you are a journeyman." Chu Shixia held his chin and said listlessly, "How the people of the Chen family kill, how many kills, you can as you please." But the corpses of the Beidi people want to be given to me. ”

"What do you want their corpses for, whip them?"

"Send it to the imperial capital, and play Your Majesty." Chu Zhixia got up and left, and said lightly, "The assassins sent by Beidi to murder the king of Zhenbei are ambitious, and the crime cannot be punished. The agreement between the two countries broke down, and the entire territory of northern China entered preparations for war. Yongxueguan will wait for the day from tonight, and the soldiers will be strong. ”

"Won't you do it?"

Chu Mingxiu asked behind her.

"In this game of chess, the eldest brother played for half a year, and after thinking about it, he didn't think of a way to crack it. You're his only student, don't you want to give it a try? ”

Chu Zhixia stopped.

Shouxiao These days, Chu Zhixia has lost a lot of weight. She was not a thin figure, and when she was fifteen or sixteen years old, she still had baby fat on her face, but she was uncontrollably thin during this period of torment, and her eyebrows and eyes showed a bony sharpness.

She stood in the bamboo forest outside the study, the hem of her clothes moving in the wind.

"Actually, sometimes I feel like he's never left us." Chu Zhixia looked at the bamboo leaves rising and falling in the wind and said softly.

"What did you say?" Chu Mingxiu didn't hear clearly.

"I said, when I come back alive from Yongxue Pass, I will play this chess again."

Chu Zhixia waved his hand with his back to Chu Mingxiu, and strode out of the courtyard full of long winds.

——

Embrace the snow pass.

"After the general inherited the throne, he was in charge of all the affairs of the northern part of the country, and the commander of Yongxueguan still had his name on it, but the specific military affairs were handled by his subordinates." Ye Qian led Chu Zhixia through the dark corridor and explained to her, "According to the general's wishes, his subordinates will arrange you in the Tiance Army first. ”

The city walls, tents, and warehouses of the Snow Pass are all made of black boulders, lying on the snow-white ridges, like the bones of a black dragon. The city wall is divided into three layers, the city wall is high and thick, due to the severe cold all year round, the windows are very small, and only a little faint sunlight shines in.

"This is the chief general of the Tiance Army, General Xin Qian."

Chu Zhixia clenched his fist at the muscular and handsome man in front of him.

There are seven armies in Yongxue Pass, in addition to the tiger and leopard cavalry of Chu Ming's cultivation lineage, they are the Tiance Army, the Guanshan Army, the Arakawa Army, the Benlei Army, the Eagle Eye Guard, and the Yi Cavalry. The Tiance Army is the army with the most casualties and the fastest promotion, and the commander of the Tiance Army, Xin Qian, is an unscrupulous madman. On the one hand, the military families in the north of the country despised Xin Qian, and on the other hand, they were proud of being under Xin Qian.

"This is the eldest lady?" Xin Jian is not as terrifying as the rumors, and speaks softly, as if he is afraid of scaring anyone.

"General Xin doesn't have to call me that, the sword has no eyes on the battlefield, so there is no identity difference in the barracks, just call me by my name." Chu Zhixia said.

"Since that's the case, then Xin has something to say." Xin Jian said, "All the people who enter the customs with you are arranged as your personal guards, and you train them yourself." You just follow me, you will move forward if I tell you to advance, and you will retreat if I tell you to retreat. No problem, right? ”

"No problem."

"I like people who speak crisply." Xin Jian patted Chu Zhixia on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Let those 'shadows' of unknown origin around King Jin get out, the seven camps can't accommodate sneaky people except Eagle Eye." This was the first warning, and the second time I hung their heads on the walls. ”

——

Night.

Chu Zhixia took off his close-fitting clothes, rubbed the medicinal wine in his palm, and rubbed the bruises on his ribs. She was buried under the snowdrift for a short time, almost broke her ribs, and had bruises of all sizes. The spicy smell of medicinal wine stimulated Chu Zhixia to sober up a little.

Someone opened the curtain and walked in without saying a word.

"Luo Shuangyi is gone?"

"Gone." Shen Zhou said as he walked, "The Nine Shadows Division will withdraw to the outside of the gate to find out the news, and I will go out regularly to connect with them." ”

Shen Zhou took the medicinal wine and rubbed the bruises on her back for Chu Zhixia. He still had the chill of wind and snow on his body, which made Chu Zhixia shiver. Shen Zhou froze for a moment, quickly finished the medicine, and wrapped her in a large coat.

"General Xin speaks ugly, but he is not a bad person, he just doesn't trust people outside the gate." Chu Zhixia patted Shen Zhou's hand and comforted.

"I just remember that he used to give you a look." Shen Zhou leaned on the back of Chu Zhixia's neck and said sullenly.

"Before" refers to a past life.

"That's because I've been the main commander since I came." Chu Zhixia smiled and said, "He just didn't obey me, and then he didn't ......."

Chu Zhixia stopped suddenly.

Later, Chu Zhixia defeated the Beidi people in a battle, and Xin Jian was convinced by her from then on. However, after Chu Mingyan died of illness, the new emperor put a lot of pressure on Yunzhong, and the battle situation gradually deteriorated. Xin Jian was the first general to die in battle, and was buried on the battlefield along with the Tiance army.

Shen Zhou knew that she remembered something bad, so he quickly changed his words and said, "I just saw Cheng Yuan." ”

Chu Zhixia reluctantly showed a smile and asked, "How is he?" ”

Chu Zhixia threw them all to Xin Qian's head for training, and Cheng Yuan must have been worse than dead.

"Not so good." Shen Zhou said euphemistically, "He can't eat." ”

"I'll be able to eat it tomorrow." Chu Zhixia said lightly, "Otherwise, he won't even have the strength to stand up the day after tomorrow." ”

"Regarding Chu Mingyan's ending, I have considered many versions. Chu Mingyan is an almost perfect character, the beauty is so miserable that it is a little stereotypical, her mother is a crossing girl, her father is a king with a different surname, she is persecuted by the faint king, she is sick and fragmented and takes on the heavy responsibility of the family, and she has the secret that the dynasty will perish in her heart, and she is desperate to move forward. Put it in another book, maybe he will be the main character. I thought for a long time about whether or not to let him die before dawn came, and finally decided to write this ending. It's not to deceive everyone's tears, but only death can make this character and story complete. Such a strong and vulnerable character is the one who supports Mo Xue's beliefs. Imagine that if he were alive, Mo Xue would be an invulnerable person, and growth was destined to destroy and rebuild. The king of Zhenbei, who has no last resort, the king of Zhenbei who puts the world first, has only one selfish heart in this life, and his death because of his concern for Mo Xue can be regarded as the last bit of consolation. His whole life has lived for the three words of King Zhenbei and the Chu family in the clouds, only the last sentence "Chang'an, don't bully your sister", is Chu Mingyan's personal portrayal.

Of course, I also want to give you a happy ending, so there will be a happy and sweet modern side after the end of the text."