Lonely city.

A peach blossom tree that was as tall as the watchtower was in full bloom on the snowy night. The Nine Saints were sitting cross-legged to recuperate their energy. The military camp in the city was silent.

The empress stared blankly at the moonlight.

It was a difficult night for her, boring and exhausted, and she seemed to be doing something meaningless.

But Gu Changan survived many such nights.

"Your Majesty, did your servant hear wrongly?"

Pei Jingshu suddenly woke up with a look of shock on her face. She stood up and accidentally knocked over the exquisite stove. The firewood was burning in the stove.

The fire reflected the empress's firm eyes.

She repeated:

"I'm not leaving."

Pei Jingshu looked pale and subconsciously retorted:

"Your Majesty, you are the king of a country, and you bear the heavy responsibility of reviving the Tang Dynasty."

The empress laughed at herself and said calmly:

"The country and the nation are at a critical moment of life and death, and it is not the power of the deep palace emperor to turn the tide."

"I was once the most talented practitioner in the Central Plains. Ever since I became a king, I have still remained at the level of a great master. It was through the great victory in the Western Region that I first glimpsed the path to enlightenment."

"The way of heaven has undergone tremendous changes, and the most powerful ones have stirred up the world. My becoming a saint can help the Central Plains resist the barbarians more than being an emperor."

Pei Jingshu was speechless, but her face remained anxious.

As His Majesty said, the three generations of practitioners from the Central Plains, old, middle and young, have extraordinary talents. The peak of the saints of the academy is only half a line away from the gate of heaven. Recalling the surrender of Jiangnan to the abyss of barbarians, they are now high-level saints.

As the leader of the younger generation, His Majesty's cultivation is not satisfactory. The biggest detour is that he should not turn to the king's path. But if His Majesty did not shoulder the responsibility of the Tang Dynasty at that time, who of the Li family could convince the public?

But no matter what, it has been in power for several years now, and the sluggish Tang Dynasty is gradually recovering its vitality. How can it give up the challenge at the critical moment?

The empress pursed her lips, not intending to hide her confidant, and said softly:

"The heavy shackles of responsibility have imprisoned me. I took the initiative to break the shackles. I hope to tell Gu Changan in this way that he should also try to say goodbye to the past and say goodbye to the loneliness and despair that has passed away."

"If I had vetoed Xu Ting's decision, he would not have become a soul, but would have accepted the worship of the people of the Central Plains as a hero. He would have returned to Chang'an and lived the life he wanted."

"Remorse is like ants gnawing at my heart all the time. I don't know when his soul will die. I just want to be with him. At least he won't be alone and uncared for at the last moment."

Li Wan rarely rambled, but his voice was unusually low and hoarse at the end.

"Your Majesty, you don't have to stay in an isolated city to atone for your sins... You must be the one to make the country." Pei Jingshu persuaded her politely, and then added:

"Besides, who of the Li family dares to succeed the emperor?"

After the Battle of the Western Regions, His Majesty's prestige will definitely increase steadily. Coinciding with the changes that have not happened in a thousand years, the government and the public will never accept the new king.

The empress remained silent, with a look of helplessness covering her exquisite face.

Didn't her prestige, including the unprecedented victory in the Central Plains, come at the expense of Gu Chang'an?

"Your Majesty..." Pei Jingshu stopped talking.

An unspeakable sentence——

When the news spreads that you are going to stay in the isolated city, the barbaric dogs will surely be like wild beasts that smell the smell of blood. Then they will be imprisoned. Isn't it also Gu Changan's burden?

"Disguise."

"You pretended to be me, and the palace maid made it easy for you. I changed my identity and became the palace maid, so as to hide the truth."

"You should be aware of my disguise skills."

Li Wan's face was expressionless. He had already made up his mind and would not allow any doubts.

On the one hand, she wanted to meditate in the isolated city and rebuild the path of domination, so as to break through the shackles.

The most important thing is that, accompanying Gu Changan on his last journey, he endured all kinds of hardships for the Tang Dynasty, so he should do something insignificant.

"Me?" Pei Jingshu was stunned and pointed at herself.

Does it mean that by pretending to be true, she wants to usurp power and sit on the throne of the Golden Palace?

"My maid is scared!" Pei Jingshu's face tightened.

"I trust you." Li Wan stared at her for a moment. Her best friend since childhood has also fought side by side in the field of power for many years.

Pei Jingshu moved her lips and said in a trembling voice:

"Fu Wei begs Your Majesty to take back your order..."

As he spoke, he knelt down.

Li Wan stopped her movement and said in a deep voice:

"I don't like the way you hesitate."

"The Tang Dynasty only had three states. You have been assisting Zuo Zhen in handling government affairs for many years. You can make decisions immediately on any complicated official documents."

"Do you think I am afraid of you usurping power? If you have the ability to lead the Central Plains to regain its glory, I will willingly issue an edict to abdicate!"

"The nation is in danger of extinction at any time. Whoever can make the Chinese nation stand firm in the torrential waves will be the bearer of this era."

Facing the stern tone, Pei Jingshu remained silent and finally nodded with difficulty.

The reason for her agreement was not His Majesty, but Gu Changan.

Deep down, she was also afraid that this tortured man would suddenly disappear on an ordinary day, how cruel that would be.

You shouldn't continue to be lonely, it would be nice to have someone to talk to.

"My servant used colorful pigeons to send messages to Your Majesty, asking Your Majesty to make decisions on important matters. I hope Your Majesty will return soon..."

He stopped abruptly as he spoke, and there was a hint of sadness deep in his eyes.

When His Majesty returns, Gu Changan is afraid that his soul has dispersed and died.

…

…

As dawn broke, Carpenter Qin gently opened the door and saw Hun Ying standing motionless in front of the window.

"Didn't sleep all night?"

Gu Changan hummed and said with a smile: "I haven't slept in a bed for more than ten years. I feel very awkward. The night breeze in the city is more comfortable."

Carpenter Qin kept staring at him until his eye sockets were red, and he sighed:

"We will hold on until victory. The Anxi Army's mission is over. Why don't you want to leave?"

Gu Changan was silent.

"Everyone thinks that your soul is about to disperse, and they don't want to be dispersed in the Central Plains and let the world blame themselves. But the old man knows that you want to be freed yourself, and there is nothing in this world worthy of your nostalgia."

"The omnipotent Chang'an wants to stand, but even God can't let him fall."

Carpenter Qin's withered face twitched, and he forced himself to hold back his tumbling emotions.

"I can finally be relieved with peace of mind." Gu Changan murmured in a low voice, and frames of the past emerged, and he finally shouted sadly:

"It was really hard along the way."

Carpenter Qin turned away and picked up a broom in the corner to clean up the dust silently, just like he had been doing day after day for more than ten years. He was disabled and could only do this.

"If you stay, it will only make me suffer more. I don't know which day I will have to dig a grave and erect a monument for a relative."

Gu Changan's tone was calm and smooth, and no emotion could be heard.

Carpenter Qin seemed to be talking to himself or pleading in a low voice, "You should take a look at Chang'an City, you should visit the mountains and rivers, and you should live a free and unrestrained life."

"The old man firmly believes that you can get a physical body."

"Nice?" Gu Changan smiled and then shook his head:

"For almost twenty-five years, I have been fighting for national justice. As soon as I was born, my grandparents instilled in me the need to rejuvenate the nation, expel the barbaric dogs, and sacrifice their lives for the rise of the Central Plains."

"Grandpa Qin, do you think that when I get to the Central Plains, I will be able to dash through the rivers and lakes with a sword? How can I turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people? How dare I sit back and watch the barbarians exterminate the Han people?"

"I also want to be selfish, and I also want to be alone, but every day of my twenty-five years of experience is beating me like crazy!"

Roaring almost in despair, the soul image shook a few times, and finally said in a lonely voice:

"Since we can't do it, we have to continue fighting endlessly."

"I will be covered in bruises and endure severe pain. I will not be able to die and will live a miserable life, just like reincarnation."

Carpenter Qin lowered his head to sweep the floor, and replied numbly: "The old man knows."

"Grandpa, take care of yourself and enjoy your old age." Gu Changan smiled freely.

Carpenter Qin held the broom and stood speechless. After holding it in for a long time, his throat rolled, and the long-overdue tears came out.

"Gone."

He staggered out of the narrow and simple courtyard and stopped at the courtyard gate for a long time. The days when he once waved and said "see you tomorrow" would no longer exist.
To be continued...