The cold weather has not eased because of the passage of time, on the contrary, the weather has become colder and colder day by day, and the horn of winter, the grand scene of ice and snow, has become clearer and clearer.

The terrible north wind, whirring loudly, blowing the "Great Zhou Dragon Flag" at the head of the capital, making the sound of hunting; Everywhere you look at the tower, you can see a large number of gold-armored royal forest soldiers standing tall, each of them holding spears in their hands, red tassels fluttering, the golden armor on their bodies and the spears in their hands, flashing with dazzling cold light.

And the imperial palace that stands in the depths of Shangjing is even more daunting at the moment.

At the moment, the biting cold wind is whistling back and forth in the air like a swimming dragon with an extremely violent momentum; The sudden strong wind brought an overwhelming snow to Shangjing in the middle of winter.

The snow fell suddenly, and from the night before, it felt unusually cold, until the next morning, when I saw that the huge palace was full of countless snowflakes, falling in torrents.

But I saw that the towering Fengge Dragon Tower was covered with a layer of snow, and at a glance, it seemed like a large continuous snow-capped mountain; The crystal snow fell on the blue brick and tile palace, but it did not bring the slightest breath of intoxication, nor did it bring people the elegance of appreciating the snow, because at this time, the whole sky was gray and overshadowed, and it looked very depressing.

Today is a heavy snow day, but in the Xianyang Hall of the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it is full of lights, the lights are bright, the bluestone floor tiles can be seen from the people, just like a pool of spring water rippling, on both sides of the main hall, are the royal royal high-grade bells, and all kinds of musical instruments, are also neatly placed on the music stand, all of them are well-made.

At this moment, in the huge Xianyang Palace, the lights and shadows are like day, and the grand banquet has already been set up in the palace.

After a while, the carriages and horses of the princes and nobles came one after another. Lei Hao, the nobleman in charge of chanting, stood in front of the Xianyang Palace, shouting so loudly that his voice was almost hoarse; In the hall, people come and go, all of them are busy figures of palace attendants, holding food boxes and wine vessels, shuttling between the palaces.

And the kings entered the temple one after another.

It turns out that today is the birthday of the concubine, and as the most favored woman of His Majesty today, her birthday is naturally to be done in a big way; Therefore, Xiao Changyao set up a banquet in the Xianyang Palace today, and invited the royal family to the palace to gather to congratulate the concubine.

Of course, among the royal relatives who were invited to the palace, there was one person who was particularly special, and he was Xiao Changling, the king of Qin. Everyone knows why His Majesty specially invited King Qin into the palace, his purpose is self-evident; Regarding the past of King Qin and the noble concubine, this is something that almost everyone knows, but no one dares to mention it in front of His Majesty, but this does not mean that His Majesty has no problem with this matter.

In fact, for Xiao Changyao, the old relationship between Xiao Changling and Xie Wanxin is like a sharp thorn, deeply rooted in the heart of this great Zhou Tianzi, making him extremely jealous and extremely gloomy, even after so many years, this scar will still ache faintly; Perhaps, this knot in Xiao Changyao's heart, just like Xiao Changling's unforgettable hatred for himself, is difficult to let go of even after ten or twenty years.

Therefore, it is not clear to everyone that on the birthday of the concubine, His Majesty specially invited King Qin into the palace, whether it was a temptation, a declaration of sovereignty, or another attempt...... They have no way of knowing; After all, the enmity between His Majesty and the King of Qin did not arise overnight, but has been around for a long time, and it is not so easy to resolve.

The luxurious palace banquet was arranged in the main hall of the Xianyang Palace, the emperor's throne and the concubine's seat, and placed side by side at the top of the Danqi; And the center of the spacious and bright main hall is also full of friends at the moment, gathering together, the princes, princesses, princesses, and wives of the Great Zhou royal family have all sat down at this moment, and all of them are full.

It is precisely because today is the birthday of the noble concubine Niangniang and it is an extremely important day, so the royal relatives in the palace, as well as their relatives, not to mention two or three hundred, at least there are about dozens of people; A grand scene like today, except for the Yuan Day Meeting, the Emperor's birthday, and the Queen Mother's birthday, I am afraid that it will never be seen again.

Not only that, for today's feast, the Son of Heaven decreed that nearly half of the musicians and dancers in the palace should be present; Among these people, some people play the harp, some play the sheng, some beat the building, and some ring the bell; All in all, Xiao Changyao smiled for Bo Jiaren, and almost emptied most of the Yuefu, such a favor, even Cao Qingxi, who was the queen, did not have it.

Xianyang Palace, the big feast will start.

I saw that before the clan seat, three people were seated, two men and one woman, they were: Xiao Yingxue, the eldest princess of Pingyang, Xiao Changling, the king of Qin, and Xiao Changche, the king of Yan; Speaking of which, the three people here are all close relatives who are related to His Majesty today, and it is no exaggeration to say that in this world, they and His Majesty are truly one family.

Emperor Xuan's life, although there were many concubines, but the heirs were not prosperous, only three sons and one daughter: Xiao Changyao in Jinshang, Xiao Yingxue, the eldest princess of Pingyang, Xiao Changling, the king of Qin, and Xiao Changche, the king of Yan; Among them, Xiao Changyao, Xiao Yingxue, and Xiao Changling are the sons and daughters of Emperor Xuan and Empress Zhang Xian, but Xiao Changche's biological mother is Emperor Xuan's favorite concubine Yang; Because of this, Xiao Changche, the king of Yan, is also the youngest of the four siblings, and he is just twenty years old this year.

The palace ladies and chamberlains serving on both sides stood behind with their heads bowed, but their eyes were quietly looking at the three nobles; While they are watching, they are amazed in their hearts, most of the princes and nobles in the capital at the moment advocate lazy style, pretending to be pretentious, but the three sisters and brothers, sitting in the hall, whether it is from the eyebrows, or the way they dress, can always make people feel, revealing a radiant spirit and spirit.

Xiao Yingxue and Xiao Changling, who were originally killed in the battle array, have been Jin Ge Iron Horse for more than ten years, and have already forged a physique that is as strong as iron, and their demeanor is unique; Xiao Changche, who was twenty years old at the time, although he did not fight on the battlefield like his brothers and sisters, but his handsome face, upright facial features, warm expression, and a green shirt gave people an illusion, and the young man in front of him did not seem to be a pampered prince, but more like a graceful and elegant poet.

However, among the three sisters and brothers, the charm is the most outstanding and the demeanor is the most charming, and no one can surpass Xiao Changling; But I saw that His Royal Highness the King of Qin, who was in front of the case, dressed in white and snowy, was spotless, like a snow eagle soaring for nine days, with a stubborn arrogance, rushing out of the fog from the snow-capped mountains, looking so lonely, elegant and noble.

At this moment, Xiao Changling didn't say a word, his tight cheeks seemed to be covered with a layer of frost, making the contours of his face more and more obvious; And his cold gaze was always fixed on the empty seat on the Danqi, blurred, hollow, and hazy.

Under the cold expression, there is a scarred heart, a soul that has been numb for a long time; Who would have thought that Xiao Changling, a man who has killed countless people on the battlefield, is regarded as a god by Jingbei soldiers, and has long lost his children's affection, in fact, deep in his heart, there is also unknown softness and infatuation, and his softness, from beginning to end, is only left to one person, the woman he has loved for half his life.

Just when Xiao Changling was alone and sad, he heard a long call from the inner hall.

"Your Majesty has arrived—"

"The concubine has arrived—"

As a result, everyone immediately stopped the exchange and bowed their heads one after another.

"See Your Majesty—"

"See the concubine Niangniang—"

Even if he is as noble as Xiao Changling, at this moment, he is dressed in white, he can only be like everyone else, with his hands staggered, kneeling straight down, bowing three times, three bowing and nine kowtowing; Just imagine, as the king of Jingbei who is in charge of 400,000 iron cavalry, Xiao Changling is naturally proud, and his ten years of great military exploits in conquering the world have made him develop a kind of conceit that goes deep into the bone marrow. In the whole world, in addition to his father, mother, teacher, and elders, there is only that woman.

In the thunderous sound of worship, Xiao Changyao, the son of the Great Zhou Dynasty, walked out side by side with the beauty beside him; But seeing that His Majesty the Emperor's face was as warm as jade, he gently accompanied Xie Wanxin's softness, and under the attention of everyone, he slowly stepped up from the inner hall to the Danqi.

It can be seen that Xiao Changyao is very energetic today, wearing a light blue imperial dress, although he does not have the majesty of the twelve crowns, but it also sets off the slender figure of the king of a country; The Son of Heaven's eyes are scorching, his eyes are bottomless, and his gestures are a little comfortable and leisurely, but they also reveal a chilling kingly wind.

Xie Wanxin followed the emperor and slowly came out of the inner hall.

To be precise, Xie Wanxin is very beautiful, although at this moment, she is dressed very plain and elegant, wearing a long water blue dress, not decorated with beads, only a water blue ink jade hairpin, pulling up her soft and flowing long hair; This kind of dress, although it is not eye-catching among the pink-covered harem beauties, still can't hide the flower-like beauty under the elegant face of this noble concubine.

Bing Qingyu's clean appearance, soft and slender figure, coupled with the pair of autumn water eyes full of resentment, let me ask, such a demeanor, such a style, how many men in the world will not bow down under her pomegranate skirt? No wonder back then, Xiao Changyao and Xiao Changling would have a deep love for her, and even for her, they did not hesitate to turn against their brothers.

She followed the side of a generation of kings, letting the Son of Heaven hold her hand, and above her beautiful face, she was still as cold as ever, and she could not find a trace of a lovely smile; It must be admitted that Xie Wanxin's facial features are so delicate and impeccable as naturally carved, but at this moment, they are like a touch of residual snow under the sunset, desolate, cold, and indifferent; Her eyes, which were originally very beautiful, are now only numb.

Perhaps, from that day on, from the moment she was forced to separate from Erlang, from the moment she entered the palace as a concubine, her heart was dead.

"Get up."

saw that Xiao Changyao waved his hand casually, and the two dark eyebrows were raised, and then he pulled Xie Wanxin and sat on the main seat.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Immediately, the kings and clan relatives got up one after another and sat down again.

After the kings were seated, Xiao Changyao raised his eyes slightly, and looked around the hall with his peaceful and majestic gaze; In this process, Da Zhou Tianzi deliberately cast his keen eyes directly on Xiao Changling; Under the flickering lights, Xiao Changling sat on the seat like a dream, his whole face was expressionless, so indifferent that he couldn't be more indifferent, as if he had lost his soul, only the white clothes on his body made him look a little more vigorous.

Xiao Changyao smiled coldly, turned to face the kings, and said leisurely.

"Today is the concubine's birthday, you don't have to be restrained, be casual. All of you here are our own Xiao family, I set up a banquet today, one is to congratulate the birthday of the concubine, and the other is to meet everyone, no matter the monarch or the minister today, the right is to be a family banquet! ”

"Thank you, Lord Longne!"

After saying that, Xiao Changyao smiled, and then held Xie Wanxin's hand very pamperedly, his eyes were full of love; The high emperor may be using this fair and honest way to express his deep love for the woman in front of him.

Xiao Changyao's movements, every move, are so gentle, all exuding the nobility of being an emperor; Even if it is not about others, they can feel His Majesty's thoughtfulness towards the concubine; Despite this, even if everyone is moved by the infatuation of the Son of Heaven, Xie Wanxin's beautiful and handsome cheeks will always be a cold snow color, and her heart, like the goose feather snow outside, is bleak, misty, and without a trace of temperature.

What Xie Wanxin didn't know was that at the same time, there was another person, the man who had been in touch with her and promised to protect him for the rest of his life, the young hero who was forever in her heart, his heart was not the same as herself, silently dripping blood.

She saw that Xiao Changling's eyes were looking at her stupidly at the moment; She couldn't imagine that the man in front of her was such a commanding and invincible commander, but now, Xie Wanxin saw him with only endless sadness, melancholy and decadence in his eyes, is this still the Erlang she knows?

Xiao Changling pursed his lower lip, so obsessed, looking at the love of his life so deeply, the memory of being one year old and one withering, at this moment, turned into a green youth, gone forever.

The two people who love each other are now close at hand, and they seem to be far away from the world, obviously they are worried about each other in their hearts, but they can only bury this concern in their hearts; Just like outside the Chengqian Palace that day, he and she were already destined to not go back to the past. All this seems to be God's arrangement, even if the love is deep-rooted, it is just a matter of time.

In the end, the two infatuated hearts were still separated from the palace walls after all.

……

"Feast, music—"

With a high-pitched singing, the feast of the Xianyang Hall officially began.

For a time, the orchestra burst out, the sheng pipa sounded in unison, and the tactful melody struck by countless chimes fluttered gently in the main hall; This sound, this rhythm, this melody, like a beautiful natural sound, makes people intoxicated and unable to extricate themselves for a long time.

Immediately afterwards, a group of pure and moving dancers, dressed in fringed dance skirts, stepped on light and graceful dance steps, and slowly entered; With the melodious sheng music, their water sleeves stretched and danced, like a cluster of peonies blooming in the imperial garden, taking away the fragrance of a hundred flowers in an instant.

Raising the sleeves, dancing, spinning, and the bright candle shadow sets off the graceful posture of the dancer; It was not until this moment that everyone discovered that the woman standing in the middle to lead the dance was actually Concubine Li Yan; I saw that Li Yan danced softly, surrounded by a group of dancing girls, accompanied by the music and rhythm of the hall, showing her exquisite dancing skills, like a fairy from the picture scroll, I feel sorry for the direct teaching.

At this time, in the splendid Xianyang Palace, the wine banquet is in full bloom, singing and dancing are fun, the wine on the table is warm, the dishes are new, and between the staggered plans, there is a group of joy and harmony, filled with a warm atmosphere.

At this moment, the royal family and princes present either buried their heads in tasting the delicacies on a table, or drank the wine in a glass one by one; Or, they talk to each other cordially and don't know what they're talking about. There are also some young clans who are obsessively appreciating songs and dances, and sometimes they don't forget to point their fingers and make a good judgment......

Only Xiao Changling was alone, sitting there in a daze, his gloomy face was not half clear, just like before the heavy rain was coming, the black and oppressive lead clouds were covered with thousands of miles of sky; He carried the wine jug and silently poured himself a drink, until he was a little drunk, and the gloomy look on his face sank slightly.

The dance ended.

All the dancing girls left one after another, and Li Yan slowly walked to the front of the seat, picked up a birthday wine, faced the throne of the Son of Heaven, and bowed.

"Your Majesty, today is the birthday of the noble concubine, and the concubine specially danced a song to talk about her heart. The concubine is here, I wish His Majesty and the concubine Niangniang to conclude a mandarin alliance, and the love is as deep as the sea. ”

So, everyone got up one after another and cheered for Concubine Chen.

"Okay, Concubine Chen has a heart." Xiao Changyao was overjoyed for a moment and said happily.

At this time, even Xiao Yingxue, the eldest princess of Pingyang, who had been saying little, couldn't help but speak slowly and praised from the bottom of her heart.

"Concubine Chen's dancing skills are very good, and she is like a shock, but it's a pity that I, a person in the military, really can't appreciate it, I'm afraid I will live up to my mother's kindness."

Facing the praise from the eldest princess, Li Yan smiled gently, "The eldest princess has an overreputation, how dare she be so evaluated by His Royal Highness." ”

Xiao Yingxue also smiled back.

Just when everyone was amazed by Li Yan's shocking dance, His Majesty the Emperor on the throne suddenly turned around, stretched out his hand and gently held a slender wrist of Xie Wanxin, his eyes were as tender as water, not like the Hehe Longwei of a generation of emperors, but more like an ordinary infatuated teenager.

"Why, I know that you and Ah Yan are best friends, how about it? The surprise I have prepared for you, are you still satisfied? ”

In fact, from the very beginning of the banquet, Xie Wanxin has been frowning, silent, and there is no joy at all; Xiao Changyao was surprised to find that the woman beside him, with her innate snowy skin and flower appearance, was still so quiet and calm against the background of the light plum makeup, unmoved by external objects.

Xie Wan smiled heartily, but in this seemingly beautiful smile, there was still a faint trace of coldness that was not easy to be noticed.

"Thunder, rain and dew, all are the grace of heaven, how dare the concubines be dissatisfied."

As the ruler of a majestic empire, Xiao Changyao could certainly hear the sarcasm in Xie Wan's words; If it were another concubine, if anyone dared to talk like this in front of him, he would have been beaten into the cold palace a long time ago, but who let that person be his favorite woman, besides, for so many years, Xie Wanxin has always treated himself with this attitude, he may have been used to it, and in addition, Xiao Changyao happened to be on the rise today, so he didn't care.

At this time, Xiao Changyao gently stretched out his arm and hugged Xie Wanxin into his arms; The soft green silk, like a cotton grass, brushed on the cheeks of the Son of Heaven, making him, as the lord of a country, feel comfortable like never before.

"I have always been responsive to you, as long as you want, I will give it to you. Because I firmly believe that you and I are a natural pair. I just don't know when you'll be able to give birth to a prince for me. ”

"Boom!"

But I heard a crisp sound, and it was clearly the sound of a wine glass falling to the ground.

Xiao Changling's brows furrowed slightly, his already hazy drunken eyes quietly crossed a faint pain, not so much pain as sorrow; His hands trembled slightly, and the feather fell to the ground with a crisp sound, and the wine was spilled on the ground.

There is no doubt that this crisp sound not only alarmed His Majesty the Emperor, who was speaking softly, but also made everyone present couldn't help but be surprised; Xiao Yingxue and Xiao Changche, who were sitting next to Xiao Changling, first felt a little shocked, and then raised their eyes to look at Xiao Changling.

"Ahu."

Xiao Yingxue called out to Xiao Changling, but Xiao Changling did not react......

"Second brother."

Xiao Changche called out to Xiao Changling, but Xiao Changling still didn't react......

Seeing that Xiao Changling did not react, Xiao Changche was inevitably a little anxious, at this moment, the third prince of the first emperor, who has always been gentle and elegant, known as the "poetic bones of the heavenly family", also didn't care about the identity of the prince, and hurriedly pulled his brother's white clothes.

"Second brother, second brother......"

Finally, Xiao Changling reacted slowly, however, he didn't pay attention to the third brother, but cast his dark gaze on the Danqi.

In front of the public, such a gaffe is the first time for Xiao Changling; I think that at the beginning, when he faced the hundreds of thousands of troops in Southern Chu and the millions of iron cavalry of the Rouran Royal Court, he was also fearless, and he was not like today, but today...... Because it was that woman, it would make His Royal Highness the iron-clad King Qin sad.

The pain in the bottom of my heart tormented the lovers. Xie Wanxin's eyes moistened, and with a woman's intuition, she keenly realized that her Erlang was obviously on the verge of getting out of control; The hands that had taken her deep into their arms countless times, at this moment, their fingers were clenched, the green tendons were highlighted, and they trembled slightly from time to time, just like the state of mind of the two at this moment, in addition to being sad, they were still sad.

Xiao Changling's whole body seemed to be out of control, but his eyes, those eyes that looked at him affectionately, were still as quiet as before, although they were a little blurry, but it was still difficult to hide his love for that woman that he had maintained for ten years and supported half his life.

However, Xie Wanxin quickly looked away, she didn't dare and couldn't, and continued to look at the eyes that were full of pain; She was afraid that if she continued like this, she might no longer be able to control her inner emotions, which would not only harm herself, but also hurt Erlang.

"Poof!"

Xiao Changling's eyes were slightly closed, and the whole person slipped from his seat like a mountain falling; No one expected that the powerful Kyushu back then, dominating the world, personally leading the Jingbei Iron Cavalry, cutting down the Quartet, killing the Southern Chu in ashes, and killing the generation of heroes who shrank into the desert north - Xiao Changling, the king of Qin, is now like a wronged child, lying on the smooth bluestone ground, whimpering deeply.

"Wan'er, Wan'er, don't leave me, don't leave me......"

After a mournful protest, Xiao Changling fainted.

Instantly, everyone was stunned.

Xiao Changyao sat on the throne, his face became more and more ugly, and in his eyes that were as warm as jade, the calm of Fang Cai was gone, and countless dazzling sparks burst out, as if they wanted to devour everything in front of him.

"Your Majesty forgive your sins, Ah ......, he is drunk." Witnessing her younger brother's behavior, Xiao Yingxue stood up, helped Xiao Changling, who had fainted, and faced the emperor.

"Since you're drunk, let's go back and rest early. Come and send King Qin back to his house. Xiao Changyao said lightly, and in his words, there was a majesty of self-esteem, domineering and not provocative.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

……

Xiao Changling was drunk, left, disappeared outside the noisy Xianyang Palace, and disappeared into the snow in the cold winter, leaving her with only a Xiao Suo's back.

Xie Wan closed her eyes in pain, letting the clear tears fall down her beautiful cheeks, and the tears were lightly stained.

Her heart was dripping blood.

"Erlang, I'm sorry, I lost you, I will never forget the days we spent together."