Inside Chang'an City.

Yuan Wei galloped non-stop on the empty street, the high-rise buildings on both sides were constantly retreating, and a few permanent lights were erected at intersections, emitting a dim orange light.

Suddenly, a burst of bells rang in his ears, spreading throughout Chang'an City. His brow furrowed, his hands clutching the reins, his eyes becoming more and more cold.

He turned down the straight official road, and instead of going outside the city gate, he entered another alley.

The alley was dark and silent, and the candlelight outside could not shine here. Yuan Wei stopped and looked at the end of the alley, and by the faint moonlight, he could vaguely identify that this was the street of Chang'an City in his memory.

Yuan Wei took a deep breath, calmed down, jumped off the horse, tied the reins to the stone pillar on the side, and walked alone into the alley where he couldn't see his fingers.

There was a dead silence all around, and all he could hear was his lonely footsteps.

He had done it countless times through the short alley, over the broken barrels and wooden railings that stood in the way, and lifted the oil-stained curtains, and even on a dark night, he was able to get out of the alley with skill.

On his left was the largest bun shop on the street, his favorite food when he was a child, and on the right was a bridge, and he wouldn't be far from the place he had been dreaming about.

Silk Rhyme Building.

Yuan Wei exhaled deeply and groaned, "Qian'er, I'm back." ”

Night shrouded his eyes, but his gaze seemed to be able to penetrate the darkness in front of him and reach farther away.

"Hey, your gate is over there, it's the wrong way. ”

Suddenly, a lazy voice sounded behind Yuan Wei, his body tightened, and as soon as the words fell, he quickly turned around, drew his sword in the direction of the sound, and prepared himself to meet the enemy.

In front of him was the alley he had just walked into, and a figure gradually appeared in it.

Yuan Wei's heart couldn't help but be clenched all of a sudden, a drop of cold sweat ran across his forehead, and he was so nervous that he didn't dare to breathe. Even on the battlefield on the border, he had never been so flustered.

The figure walked towards him unhurriedly, gradually getting closer, Yuan Wei was stunned, and the person in front of him rode the horse he had just tied, facing the faint moonlight, and came to him generously.

"Why are you here?"

Yuan Wei's eyes widened in surprise, and he hurriedly put away his sword and greeted him.

Ye Buliu jumped off the horse, with a hint of playfulness on his face, and asked, "I still want to ask you, what are you doing here if you tie the horse there, don't go back to your emperor Lao'er?"

Yuan Wei patted him on the shoulder heavily, and said with a smile: "It's a long story, you talk first, why did you come to Qi Kingdom? Why don't you tell me?"

"It's a bit of a thing, especially tricky. Ye Buliu said lazily, "What's the use of looking for you? Haven't you been staying at the border for the past ten years? ”

"Where's that. Yuan Wei smiled heartily and said, "I have something to do now, you are not allowed to leave, go to my place, we have to have a good drink." ”

Ye Buliu raised his eyelids and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Alas, didn't you hear the bell just now?" Yuan Wei said, "This is the national bell of our Great Qi, and only when we ascend the throne and die, the national ceremony will be struck these days...... The first emperor of my Great Qi has died. ”

Ye Buliu nodded, and asked again: "Then what are you doing here, where are you going, do you want to go together?"

Yuan Wei was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly said: "No need, Brother Ye, you can wait for me here, I'll be back immediately." ”

With that, he turned and walked towards the stone bridge not far away. But before he could take a step, Ye Buliu's hand was already on his shoulder.

"General Yuan, are you going to Siyun Tower?" he asked with a malicious smile on his face.

Yuan Wei stopped, stunned, and did not answer.

Ye Buliu patted him on the shoulder, and said lightly: "What are you afraid of? Will I denounce you? Besides, who in the whole world doesn't know about you and Song Qian'er? Even the whole Chang'an has already spread it. ”

When Yuan Wei heard this, he frowned, his expression became solemn, and he said in a low voice: "I didn't, Brother Ye don't talk nonsense." ”

"Why am I talking nonsense? I don't even bother to tell you. Ye Buliu said to him lightly, "I'm just here to remind you that Fan Lingxiang is already planning to get engaged to Song Qian'er." ”

"What?" Yuan Wei shook his head, looked at him tightly, and said, "Brother Ye is going to talk nonsense, and it is impossible for the Qi Palace to agree to this matter." ”

"Yes, you're right. Ye Buliu walked to the side as he spoke, patted the horse's belly, and said, "Fan Lingxiang has never told his father, his father still thinks that his son is addicted to gambling money all day long, and he runs to Siyun Building all day long." ”

Yuan Wei shook his head and said: "Impossible, it is impossible for Fan Changlong to agree in the end, the royal family can only intermarry, it is impossible to marry a woman in the market, not to mention, she is still a ...... of three religions and nine streams."

Yuan Wei said, and then he lost his voice.

Ye Buliu turned his head, glanced at him, and said: "I know this, Fan Lingxiang also knows, but he doesn't have your brains, he said that no matter what, even if his father knows about breaking a leg of him, he will give Song Qian'er a letter of appointment." He doesn't care about anything, even if he gives a letter of appointment and is despised by the people of Chang'an and even the whole country, he has to marry Song Qian'er. ”

After hearing this, Yuan Wei looked at him in disbelief, and asked in a daze, "Really...... Really?"

He nodded, and said nonchalantly: "Yes, Song Qian'er has already agreed when I heard it, after all, how many women are not eager to marry into the palace of Qi? ”

Hearing this, Yuan Wei's body froze, and his face suddenly turned bloodless. His eyes were staring straight ahead, blank.

Ye Buliu looked at his appearance, couldn't help but chuckle, and said: "Now that Chang'an is under martial law, the news of your return has spread all over the world, she must also know, maybe she is waiting for you in Siyun Building, go and see?"

Yuan Wei was stunned for a moment, and slowly raised his head to look at the place of the Silk Yun Building. In a trance, he seemed to really see through the dark night and saw a candle shining on a lonely window.

He stood still for a moment, not taking a step forward, turning, pulling the reins from his horse's neck, and walking into a dark alleyway.

Ye Buliu looked at his back and asked, "You really don't want to take a look?"

"No, I'm just good friends with her. Yuan Wei smiled faintly and did not stop.

Ye Buliu entered the alley with him, and said with a smile: "I won't believe it, last time you drank, you said that next time I came to tell me about her, now is the time." ”

Yuan Wei suddenly stopped again, and his body froze in place again.

"What's wrong?" Ye Buliu seemed to have anticipated his reaction, and asked with a sly smile, "There is still an hour before your new emperor returns to the palace, we haven't seen each other for so long, so we can't say a few more words?"

Yuan Wei's resolute face was hidden in the dark alley, and he couldn't see the expression on his face clearly.

He pondered in the dark for a while, and then slowly spoke, "What happened that year...... I haven't mentioned it to anyone. ”

Ye Buliu raised his eyes and looked at him with interest.

"It was winter, I don't remember exactly. Qian'er, as the first batch of refugees to flee the famine, was smuggled from the Western Regions. ”

"She's from the Western Regions?" Ye Buliu asked.

Yuan Wei nodded, and continued: "Together with one or two hundred people from the Western Regions, she was captured by the Zhenxi Army at the border. Later, many people from the Western Regions died, but she survived. ”

Yuan Wei's tone had always been very flat, and his mind had fallen into memories.

"She had her long, unkempt hair tied with straw rope. Although her face is dirty, she is very beautiful, and many people are attracted by her appearance, and a woman from the Western Regions like her is rare even in Chang'an, not to mention the border where you can't see people all year round. Yuan Wei said slowly, "The border war has not stopped that year, and the control of prisoners is not as formal as it is today. Many people from the Western Regions were killed, starved to death, and froze to death, because she was beautiful and smart, and secretly came to our camp every night to spend the night, and survived. ”

"Oh, Song Qian'er was an official prostitute at that time?" Ye Buliu said with a smile.

Yuan Wei took a deep breath and groaned, "Sort of." However, compared to the dusty woman in Chang'an, she is really not worth mentioning, black and thin. This kind of thing was not allowed in the camp, but at that time I had just succeeded to the position of general, and I was busy with the war, and I turned a blind eye to her affairs. ”

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at Ye Buliu, and continued: "Until one day, she was caught in a lieutenant's barracks, and I was also present, and those soldiers said that she had just killed someone. ”

"So exciting?" Ye Buliu asked nonchalantly.

"She was beaten half to death when she was brought to me. Yuan Wei chuckled and said, "I heard that when she was spending the night with a soldier, she cut the soldier's throat with a private knife. Later I learned that she had raised a black cat among the refugees and snuck into the soldier's barracks to look for her, but the soldier drank too much and wanted to slaughter her cat on a whim, so she killed the soldier in desperation. I never imagined at that time how a little girl as thin as her would have the courage to kill. ”

"And then, just kill someone for a cat?" Ye Buliu asked.

Yuan Wei nodded and said, "The refugees from the Western Regions killed the soldiers of the Western Army in our town, and according to the law, they not only had to behead, but also killed a hundred of her near the refugee camp as punishment." I put her in the dungeon, at this time the border and the Western Regions are in full swing, the western army of our town has suffered heavy casualties, and many soldiers have poured their anger on this little girl, and people go to the dungeon to see her every night. ”

Ye Buliu led the horse, walked forward slowly, and asked lightly, "Then Song Qian'er, can she survive?"

"I thought she was dead at the time, but later, the Western Regions married the Xiongnu and joined forces to invade the Central Plains, and the Zhenxi Army was defeated and outnumbered. Yuan Wei said, glancing at him.

"Then I know you, General. Ye Buliu chuckled.

"Not bad. Yuan Wei said while recalling, "At that time, the Great Moon Kingdom fought against the Huns, and had to come to my Daqi to seek an alliance, and I met Brother Ye, the first swordsman of the Great Moon Kingdom, at that time. ”

"General Yuan is overrated. Ye Buliu said with a smile.

"But at that time, I was taken aback, Brother Ye looked thin and small, and he was powerless, I thought that I would send a disciple of the general sect to the alliance. Yuan Wei smiled, "Brother Ye doesn't like to talk either, his face is full of resentment, and he still mutters in his heart, but later Brother Ye's strength really slapped General Ben's face." ”

"No. Ye Buliu replied politely, "The battle with the Xiongnu in the Western Regions depends on General Yuan's strategy. ”

"Don't dare to be. If it weren't for Brother Ye, how could the Western Army of our town be where it is today. When we were defeated, we retreated 30 miles, burned down all the refugee camps, and executed all the refugees from the Western Regions. Yuan Wei said, "But when I led the people to retreat and destroy the dungeon, I found that Qian'er was still alive." Originally, I wanted to take her to the rear, but after igniting the dungeon, she actually rushed in to save the black cat she was trapped in the dungeon. ”

Ye didn't listen, looked at him in a daze, and asked, "So what? Why did you save her life in the end?"

Yuan Wei was stunned for a moment, thought for a while, and said, "I don't know, maybe it's the same reason as her rushing into the sea of fire to save her black cat." ”

Ye Buliu smiled and asked, "What happened later?"

"Later, disfigured and bruised, she followed the black cat back to the rear. While we were planning a counterattack against the Western Regions, she volunteered to serve as my advisor. As you know, we don't know much about the tactics of the Westerners, and that's when she and I lived a lot. Most of the soldiers who had been in contact with her had died in the war, and I gave her a new identity, and no one knew about her past. You know this, but you must keep it a secret for me. Yuan Wei said to him.

Ye Buliu nodded.

As the two spoke, they had unconsciously come to the main road of Chang'an City, there was no one around, there was a dead silence, and the ever-bright lantern used to welcome King Qi back to the palace in the distance still emitted a dim yellow faint light.

On the main road, the two looked at each other all the way without saying a word.

I don't know how long I have been walking, and the gate of Chang'an City in front of me is getting closer and closer.

Yuan Wei stopped and said to Ye Buliu: "Brother Ye, I'm going to leave the city, there are many people, there is no need to send each other, you are good to stay in Chang'an, wait for me to invite you to drink." ”

Ye Buliu frowned, looked at the city gate not far away, and his expression became solemn.

"The 50,000 Zhenxi troops outside are already stationed ten miles west of Chang'an. What are your plans?" he asked faintly.

Yuan Wei smiled and said, "I've already planned it." The country is poor and weak, with corruption, bureaucracy and infighting. The people were poor, but the dignitaries sang every night. If we don't make changes, I'm afraid that without the people of the Western Regions and the people of Chu, our own court will bury my Great Qi. ”

Ye Buliu was stunned for a moment, looked at his resolute face, and did not speak for a while.

After a while, he suddenly laughed out loud and said, "You are quite similar to the second prince of Qi Wang, worrying about the country and the people. I will stay in Chang'an in the next few days to do business, and feel free to find me if you need help. ”

Yuan Wei saluted him and said with a smile: "Then I'm not welcome, Brother Ye will have a date later." ”

After greetings, Yuan Wei pulled the reins and rode towards the city gate in the night.