She raised her head and found that it was Pei Xiaoyuan.

"It's all my fault, I don't know you're back tonight. I'm supposed to pick you up. I thought you were staying in the palace tonight. ”

He picked up the dice on the ground for her, straightened up, looked at her apologetically, and said.

They had returned to Chang'an three days earlier. That night, she quietly entered the palace directly, and then she stayed in the palace, and he went out of the palace alone, and then they never met, and it was not until this moment that the two met again.

"It doesn't matter. I don't need you to pick it up, and it's convenient to come back by yourself. ”

Su Yu reacted at this time and responded.

With his return, she finally got a justified excuse to temporarily interrupt the game that she had looked like she wanted to pull back. Not only was she secretly relieved, but she was even a little grateful for his timely appearance.

"It's so late, why don't you rest and play chess alone? Just now I came in, and when I saw you staring at the chessboard, I didn't dare to disturb you. ”

He glanced at the situation of Shuangluzi on the chess table, said another word, and then gently lowered the dice.

He didn't expect her to come back from the palace tonight, and with his embarrassing situation in front of the emperor now, it was naturally difficult to enter the palace without permission.

He didn't plan to go back to Yongning's house tonight, he wanted to spend the night directly in the government office, but He didn't see him returning, so he quietly sent someone to send the news, so he hurried back. When she arrived, it was already past midnight, and although the lights were on in the room, she was afraid that she would be tired and fall asleep, so she told He Shi and the others not to make a sound outside, and only quietly entered by herself, but she didn't expect to see such a scene.

"It's nothing, I'm not sleepy, so I'll play by myself."

How could Su Yu let him know what kind of chess he had just played, she replied vaguely, wiped it casually, disrupted the chess surface, and ended this chess game that she might have lost.

"Are you hungry? Hoam made a supper, I ate it, and I left it for you. I'll ask her to bring it. She said you loved to eat when you were young—"

She changed the subject, and went to the house to call someone in, when suddenly he grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"No need. I'm not hungry. He said.

Su Yu looked at him.

From the first moment he appeared in front of her, he had a smile on his face.

It's just that he shouldn't know that the smile that floated out of the air couldn't hide the real tiredness imprinted on his eyebrows and eyes, as well as a few faint rays of melancholy.

"It's fine. Then get ready to bathe. You must be tired, rest early. ”

She withdrew her gaze from his face, turned around and was about to go out again to call someone, when his low voice of inquiry sounded in her ears: "How is Your Majesty's health these days?" ”

Su Yu stopped and met the two glances he cast.

The arrest of Li Yangong fell short and the operation failed, and Chengping's murderous rebellion was completely confirmed, but he tried to cover it up for personal gain.

Three days ago, on the night he returned, Su Yu accompanied him into the palace overnight, and then with him, in the same place where he was first called to face the saint, behind the screen, knelt down and begged the emperor to surrender.

The emperor only ordered his daughter to be admitted, and then the door behind the screen was never opened.

The emperor did not see him, nor did he hold him accountable, nor did he say a word.

He knelt alone in the outer hall for a while, Zhao Zhongfang came out, asked him to get up, and personally sent him out as usual.

In the eyes of outsiders like He, he is indeed fine, and there is no change in his official position. But from the next day, Lu Wusi's essence was hollowed out, and nothing was known to him.

Pei Xiaoyuan gave Liu Bo and others a leave, and sat in the government office alone behind closed doors, so he spent these three days.

"Aye's eyes still can't see clearly...... she said.

His anger towards Pei Xiaoyuan did not disappear, but he just endured it. This is very clear to Su Yu.

And what Pei Xiaoyuan's actual situation is now, she understands even more.

Ashina defected and fled, and the pursuit was fruitless, and it is very likely that he had successfully fled north. At the same time, the imperial court also received definite news that the father of Chengping was indeed approaching, and time was running out. With Ashina's scheming, he had secretly thought that he had already planned in the past, and when he escaped back, there would be major changes in the North Court, and the northern border, which had been stable for many years, might rise again.

In the past few days, the courtiers have been debating whether they should immediately order the soldiers to beg for them. Wang Zhang advocated raising troops to fight as soon as possible, which attracted many people to echo him, but Cui Daohe, who had been cautious for half his life, after being a historical official for a month, did not know whether he was enlightened or wanted to regain the sacred heart, and rarely went to the court and politics. His opinion represents the view of some other officials in the DPRK and China, who believe that there is no doubt that the guard should be strengthened at the moment, but in any respect, it is not appropriate to immediately raise troops to crusade, but he can send an envoy to travel first, and order the northern court to immediately tie up Ashina and ask for the crime, and if the other party refuses to obey the order, then discuss the attack.

Just today, the final decision was made. The emperor adopted Cui Daosi's opinion, and issued an order to order Ganliang Jie Du to make Linghu Gong soldiers and horses prepare for war, and as for the envoy, he was selected as Cui Daosi. He should also go down, and early tomorrow morning, he will set off for the north.

"Don't worry too much. Aya has a strong temper, and now he is angry with you because of Ashina's affairs. Don't worry, after a while, he will slowly lose his anger. Su Yu comforted her.

"It is my guilt, and Your Majesty has treated me leniently in this way. I'm fine, princess, don't worry. But yourself, don't get too tired, and be sure to rest more. ”

Pei Xiaoyuan stared at her face and replied.

Su Yu smiled: "I know. You too. ”

"If you have something on your mind, whatever it is, if you want to, you can tell me about it, and don't put it on your heart alone."

In the end, Su Yu hesitated and said again.

He looked at her, paused, and then smiled: "Thank you, princess, I'm fine." He replied in his usual calm and calm voice.

In the distance, I don't know which street corner, there were a few faint leaking sounds.

It's halfway through the night.

Su Yu lay on the bed and waited for a long time.

He bathed longer than before, and finally gave up, with long black lacquered hair, a white bedgown, and double lacquered shoes, and turned back.

Most of the bright candles in the depths of the dormitory had been extinguished, and only the soft light at the head of the bed that shone slightly flickered to illuminate the night.

Through the light veil that had been hung up to-night, he stepped in lightly and walked to the bed, but did not immediately get into bed.

As if to make sure that she was asleep, or to wake her up, he stood in front of the bed for a long time through the tent, and finally, slowly stretched out his hand and lifted a crack in the tent.

She was lying quietly in the inner corner of the wide bed with her eyes closed, her black hair curled up in a lazy bun like a cloud, loosely scattered on the crimson silk pillow. A brocade quilt was loosely pulled over her shoulders and chest.

Or the charcoal fire in the house was too hot, and she didn't sleep well, and the brocade quilt was piled up, and in front of her chest and neck, which was staring at a touch of dark snow, a messy quilt rolled up.

He stepped into the tent sideways, sat down on the couch gently, turned his face, and silently stared at the beauty beside him with his eyes closed. For a long time, he lay down very lightly in the large enough position she had reserved for him beforehand.

"Won't you cover the quilt?"

The stove in the house was indeed very hot, and it did not go out all night, so that she even felt a little hot. But on such a winter night, if you sleep without a blanket, I'm afraid you will still be frozen.

I found that he did not move after lying down, and did not even touch the quilt.

Su Yu finally couldn't help it, opened his eyes and made a sound, and reminded him.

He seemed to wake up from a dream, oh, opened his eyes, turned his head to look at her beside the pillow, and looked at her pair of hazy eyes that looked extraordinarily large in the dim light of the night light, lowered his eyes, turned up the corners of the quilt, and covered his body.

"I'm cold, I'm afraid of touching you and making you cold." He explained.

"I'm fine."

Rain should be. He smiled at her, closed his mouth, and closed his eyes again.

"Did you notice that there was something more in the house, different from before?" After a moment, she looked at the top of the tent and asked softly.

Pei Xiaoyuan opened his eyes again. His expression seemed a little ignorant, and he turned his face, and through the dim light that came in through the candle flame at the bedside outside the tent, he looked out a few times through the tent.

"What is it?"

He responded, obviously, absent-mindedly at the moment.

"Nothing. I'll talk about it casually. Su Yu smiled.

"Sleep."

She closed her eyes and stopped talking.

The room was as quiet as snow for a while.

Then, as if he had fallen asleep, he suddenly sat up, stretched out his tent, and extinguished a candlestick that was still lit at the head of the bed, and the dormitory fell into darkness for a moment.

He lay back. Then, an arm was stretched out, and the palm of his hand silently passed through her waist, and pressed against her back, which was only a thin coat, and after a moment of slow caresse, she was gently embraced by him.

Su Yu felt two pieces of slightly warm, but the touch was like a slippery and cool lip fell on the old scar on her forehead, and kissed it.

"Does the princess need me to serve?"

His low, steady voice rang in her ears.

"No need. There's something to do tomorrow morning, go to sleep. ”

After a pause, Su Yudao's casual tone covered up the melancholy and loss that was rising in her heart at the moment.

He is clearly considerate and gentle, just like he was when the two of them got along in private before. However, for some reason, a moment ago, he made her feel that he was bending to welcome and serve her.

He stopped, continued to hug her quietly for a moment, then kissed her lightly on the forehead again, and then let go of her as she said, and thoughtfully tucked the corner of the quilt for her that had just been loosened by his actions.

"It's fine. The princess sleeps in peace, and I won't disturb you. ”

"Whatever the princess commands, just tell me."

Finally, in a very gentle voice, he whispered in her ear.

In the second half of the night, Su Yu's sleep woke up.

Although he didn't seem to even roll over, she knew that he also seemed to have trouble sleeping.

At the beginning of the fifth watch, in the heavy sleepiness that struck, she was disturbed by him beside her.

He seemed to be suffering from some nightmare, and became restless, tossing and turning on the pillow, and his palms began to clench into fists, and his bones rattled.

Suddenly, he sat up.

It was the heaviest time of the night, and the winter moon slowly moved into the night sky above the window of the dormitory, and the cold light spilled in behind the roller blinds that had never completely fallen, and penetrated the light gauze tent.

Su Yu completely woke up with him. She saw that his back, outlined by the night and the moonlight in the tent, was as dignified as a mountain rock, and as he gasped, the contours of his shoulders and backs were constantly rising and falling, like a rising tideline.

She subconsciously sat up, stretched out her arms, and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

"Pei Lang, what's wrong with you? What did you dream about? ”

As she put her arms around him, she felt him stiff and stone-like. Horrified, she raised her hand to pat him, trying to wake him up from his nightmare. When his hand touched his cheek and one side of his neck, he felt his jaw bite firmly, and the blue tendons on his neck were vertical and horizontal, and the blood was surging under it.

"What's wrong with you? Wake up! ”

I've never seen him like this.

At this moment, he actually reminded her of the Arhat King Kong in the Sutra Painting who turned into a fierce Arhat King Kong because of the invasion of the evil demons of the outer way.

Her heart beat faster, and her whole person panicked.

At first he sat motionless, letting her hold him. Fortunately, he quickly relaxed, and his body softened.

"I'm fine. Fang just had a nightmare. ”

He explained in a low voice, his voice a little hoarse.

She gasped slightly, still in shock, and didn't say a word.

After a pause, he turned around and dragged her to his chest with his backhand, then sat her on his lap and put his arms around her.