The dust is like smoke, and the old dream is like the wind. The wind passed without a trace, and the dust and smoke dispersed. Only the old people linger in their hearts and add a few lines of lovesickness.

Outside the window, the noise of the market fell into Ziling's ears again, like the sound of drums and horns on the tower, urging the arrival of dawn. In a trance, there was a feeling of waking up from a big dream.

These past events that have been precipitated by the years have been accumulated in Ziling's heart for a long time like a boulder, and no matter how she struggles, she has never been able to remove them, so she can only silently blame herself and chew on the pain in countless silent nights.

When the past poured out from between her lips and teeth, Ziling only felt relieved, and the dull and depressed feeling that had lingered in her heart for a long time was finally alleviated. The spring breeze blows off the dusty clothes, and the air seems to have been washed by heavy rain, becoming fresh and fragrant.

Ziling slowly let go of her fingers, let out a long sigh of relief, and her eyebrows, which had been condensed, also relaxed. Immediately, she set her eyes on Su Jingqian, who had been listening silently.

But seeing him quietly staring out the window, the sunlight poured down and spread on him, lining his eyebrows and eyes more and more beautifully, like a bright red dust, taking in the spring light. But the bottom of those deep eyes seems to be wrapped in a hazy twilight, revealing a sense of vicissitudes that do not match the years and have been tempered by the years.

Ziling's throat was astringent, his eyes were suddenly full of apology, and he couldn't help but bow down to him again: "Today, it was Ziling who was too impetuous and failed to restrain his mind, which reminded the master of some old things, disturbed the master's Qingning, and asked the master to punish him." ”

When Su Jingqian heard this, he moved his gaze to Ziling, there was not too much emotion in his eyes, and he only opened his lips lightly: "The past is not enough to mess with my mood." Besides, the past is gone, and you don't have to be too persistent and mindful. ”

Ziling couldn't see how many undercurrents were hidden under this calm, and the master had long been accustomed to suppressing all kinds of emotions in his heart and never revealing half of it. When he said this, he probably wanted to let go of his past.

Ziling's eyes dimmed, and he suddenly felt that his heart was sour, and his originally calm mood stirred up waves again, "But after all, it was because of Ziling and Ah Ying that the master had to shoulder these heavy responsibilities......"

That's why your hands are covered in blood......

However, the last unfinished sentence was choked on Ziling's throat after all.

At the beginning, the young man in white, the young man who was willing to stand up for strangers, and the young man who was willing to break the obstacles for the common people in the world, but after all, he couldn't escape his fate, and he was still in this treacherous whirlpool. In order to shoulder the heavy responsibility on his shoulders and for the stability of the world, the once clean and kind young man finally dyed his white clothes into black robes.

Ziling's lips trembled slightly, and her expression was sad and guilty, as if she had carried too much of the past, which made her difficult to let go.

"If Ziling hadn't gone to the Snow Mountain back then, and if Ah Ying hadn't sent his master back to the palace back then, then everything would have been different from today, maybe the master and Miss Lin would have been together for a long time, and they would not have been forced to a desperate situation by the first emperor."

Seeing that Ziling was immersed in self-blame and pain again, Su Jingqian was silent for a moment, turned his eyes to look out the window, and then spoke: "Ziling, I said that all this is my own choice. ”

The light and shadow flowed, and his vision seemed to be drawn by the clear blue sky, over the mountains and rivers, and extended to the unreachable distance.

"I still remember when I was young, I used to put a sky lantern with her and Rong Sui to pray. She said, I hope that the three of us can set our hearts for heaven and earth, establish our lives for the people, continue to learn for the saints, and open peace for all generations. At that time, I was young, and I didn't know what I would pay in the future to realize these wishes, but I felt that people should always have a sincere and unswerving yearning in this life. I thought it would be enough to protect her and our dreams. But later I learned that it was far more difficult than we imagined to break through this treacherous and turbulent world. ”

At this point, his long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he saw the shadow of the clouds curling in the sky reflected in the bottom of his eyes, like the flow of smoke, ethereal and hazy, making it impossible to distinguish the color of his eyes.

"After all, we are not the characters in the book, we can easily overturn the world with one sentence, no matter how many beacon smoke there are behind us, how many floating corpses are everywhere, and how many soldiers' heads are bloody, just step on the road made of 10,000 blood and bones with peace of mind, and stay with your beloved. But in fact, which is not a responsibility that must be shouldered at all times by the family, the country, the people, and morality? Every choice you make, every path you choose, comes at a price. ”

His tone was as calm as ever, but he still felt a trace of sadness from his slightly hoarse voice, "The world is like chess, not only black and white. If you want to establish a heart for heaven and earth, a life for the people, a continuation of learning for the saints, and peace for all generations, those who hold chess should be ruthless; People in the bureau should take every step of the way to seek long-term results. Every step taken since then is a matter of being cautious, and every child that falls behind must be painstakingly planned and calculated, and at the same time, it must be understood that even if you give everything, you may not be able to get the understanding of the world. ”

Su Jingqian looked at the distant sky for a long time, his eyes were deep and lonely, as if he had traveled through the four seasons, and he had seen all the wind and sand and glitz in the passing year.

"I did resent and hated the first emperor, and I was unwilling, and I have always had regrets about the past, but since I ascended the throne, when I have really been in charge of the government, witnessed the turbidity of officialdom, and experienced the suffering of the people, I have understood what I should really do, and those unwillingness and regret are no longer so strong. Even though life is short, it is not only love that is worth paying and sacrificing, but also people's positions and principles, responsibilities and missions, and adherence to the bottom line are equally important. And my blood can't be sprinkled on her alone after all. Rights and responsibilities are equal, the gift of fate has already been secretly marked with a price, I have no choice, this is my fate and responsibility that I have not changed since I was born. ”

As for this, his eyebrows moved slightly, and a ripple finally opened up on his lips, like a streamer cutting through the silence of the night, as if there was bitterness, as if there was a hidden bond.

"She knows this far more than I do. That's why she hoped that I could be like the bright moon, dispel the darkness, illuminate my subjects, and be a prosperous monarch. It's just that at that time, I didn't want to be this moon on earth, and I wanted to be her light. It wasn't until later that I finally realized that she was right. These responsibilities are too heavy to shirk or shirk, and once they retreat and bend their backs, they will fall behind a country of flesh and blood and countless displaced people. It's my own choice, and you and the Shadow don't have to blame yourself for it. ”

His voice was deep and soft, but every word that came out of his lips and teeth was like a morning bell, and every word was full of shocking power.

After hearing this, Ziling suddenly felt surging and had a lot of thoughts, as if the depression and pathos in her heart had also been diluted a lot.

Although it was the first time I heard him talk about these words, Ziling knew that what the master had done over the years was just as he said, which was to establish a heart for heaven and earth, a life for the people, a continuation of learning for the saints, and peace for all generations. Now I can hear it from his mouth, and I only feel that the sound is deafening, and the words reach the hearts of the people.