Only when the light returned outside the palace did everyone feel relieved.
Xu Qingmu silently put away the beads at the entrance of the white mirror and placed them in something nearby. After standing up, he bowed his hands to the man in white, Qi Chunfeng, and the man in white returned the same greeting.
Then he handed the twenty-six nameplates he collected to Red Armor. Every soldier will get a nameplate with his or her name engraved on it when entering the border fortress, and carry it with him. The war is cruel, and the body and soul are often destroyed, and the body is left intact.
It's not impossible. So at this time, the military will take back the nameplate to count the military merits and make it the memorial tomb. It is the only memory of the living relatives. People in the Central Plains have the obsession of returning to their roots after the leaves fall, so the nameplate will be taken back to their hometown for burial.
Even if I come back, there will be a place to burn paper and kneel down every Qingming Festival.
People eat dirt for a lifetime, and dirt eats people once.
The red-armored Santie took the nameplate and knelt down to the young man in front of him.
Xu Qingmu also took a step back and half-kneeled in return.
The little girl Cao Tong was unusually silent, and everyone lowered their heads to pay attention.
The group of people decided to leave the city at noon. Qi Chunfeng, who was dressed in white, stopped looking for the dog beast. He shamelessly said that he had nowhere to go now and would just follow the team. Xu Qingmu had no objection and said that as long as Brother Qi is willing, he will wait until he reaches the army.
Just explain it to General Wang Ziyi. Upon hearing Wang Ziyi, the man named Qi had an invisible dark look in his eyes.
The group of people still walked cautiously through the city, with the two little beasts Qishang and Baxia walking at the front, smelling this new and unfamiliar world with their noses from time to time. Xu Qingmu was not worried about the two little guys running around. Over the past few days,
, the two little beasts have grown up a lot. Thinking that there are less than three months left before the agreed battle in the same realm, I still feel a little worried. Even if I have the Chouli Sword in my hand, but the sword cultivator Li,
It still seems very far away, let alone the four realms.
Xu Qingmu did not think about whether he could survive this problem. Twelve years of hard life made Xu Qingmu understand that living well in the present is the most important thing. After eating this meal, do you think about whether you can have a Manchu banquet tomorrow?
How is it different from that idiot talking about dreams?
Soon a group of people left the city. Fortunately, the boat left by the boatman was still there, so everyone didn't hesitate and got on the boat and set off on their way back.
On the way, Qi Chunfeng found Xu Qingmu who was still practicing sword stabbing, and expressed his worries: "You were strangled by the king-level ghost, and you were left with a mandatory order. The ghost moves mysteriously, coming and going without a trace, unless
Go to the east and west and get help from an expert, otherwise no one can remove this mark."
Xu Qingmu was not too worried and expressed his thoughts: "Thank you, Brother Qi, but I think it is safe at least during this period. If the person behind the scenes really wants to kill me, I will already be dead in the palace. So.
I guess the reason why that ghost was sent to commit murder was not to take my life, but to confirm something."
Qi Chunfeng put the folding fan together, stared at the young man and asked: "What's going on?"
Xu Qingmu touched his feet, where he had just returned from eating fish, and sighed: "There is something I am also confirming."
From the attack on Mingfeng Village, to the struggle between heaven and earth that the man in black inadvertently revealed, to the emperor Xu Pei's repeated attempts to kill him, and even the unprovoked provocation by the adopted son of the eunuch Si Shouge, Nalan Yu, whom he met by chance in the river.
There is something fishy about everything. Xu Qingmu, who has always been cautious, also mentioned it to the old beggar intentionally or unintentionally, but Song Zihan said that people and things in this world are all determined, and knowing it will become a burden, so it is better to go on step by step.
On the way back, we passed by Siyue Lake, which Xu Qingmu wanted to visit when we came here.
Siyue Lake, known as the Four Lakes and Six Mountains, is not large in area, but it is famous for the pen and ink of literati and poets of the past dynasties. Even King Xu Yan once praised the beauty of Siyue Lake.
After her visit, Concubine Ye personally buried the "Siyue Lake Monument" at the mouth of the lake, and engraved the poem "The breeze ruffled the spring water, and the mandarin ducks played with the white heads." The accompanying officials all stretched out their hands to applaud, and nodded and raised their heads.
Thumbs up, this empress not only has poems and books in her belly, but also misses the monarch all the time. She is really much better than the empress who stayed in Qiuhe Hall all day after her son died. Concubine Ye just said angrily: "Don't worry about it."
Li, what is the crime for talking about my sister behind my back?" All the civil and military officials bowed their heads and said, "Please forgive me." But when they raised their heads, the empress in front of them received another generous compliment.
So Xu Qingmu discussed with everyone that when passing by Siyue Lake, please delay for a few days and want to visit the beautiful lake on the tip of the pen in person.
No one objected. This period of worry had caused physical and mental exhaustion, so it was a good opportunity to relax.
The two little beasts were jumping back and forth excitedly. Where there is a lake, there must be big fish! Xu Qingmu was still worried about how to feed these two gluttons, but after seeing the fishy fishing skills, he was completely
No worries. The two little beasts not only have excellent water quality, but also have first-class fishing skills. They are completely self-sufficient and do not need Xu Qingmu to worry about it. Of course, after the two little beasts ate Xu Qingmu’s grilled fish, they preferred to cook it.
The caught fish was thrown on the boat, and his two big eyes stared at Xu Qingmu pitifully, waiting to eat the grilled fish.
Xu Qingmu also said with a smile: "You two are so insatiable that I don't even dare to let you taste the taste of roasted tiger meat. By the time you are used to eating tiger meat, how can I catch so many for you?"
tiger?"
Unexpectedly, on the same day, after the two disappeared for a whole morning, a wild beast was actually brought back, but it was not a tiger. I think this little beast just came to this world, and I don’t know what a tiger is.
So one sunny afternoon, a group of people got off the boat at the midway pier and entered the famous Siyue Lake.
The red-armored three-tie soldier did not take off his military uniform, but he was recognized by the local prefect at a glance. He immediately arranged for a group of government officials to come to greet him and took Xu Qingmu and others back to the mansion with great fanfare. After understanding the purpose of their visit, he ignored Xu Qingmu's objections.
He directly ordered the closure of the lake and dispersed all the idle people, just so that Xu Qingmu and others could enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lake alone. The fat man smacked his lips and said: "Is Tianshu Camp really so famous?"
The recovered young soldier smiled and said: "Who knows about General Yi, the tiger-mad prince in the sixty-four cities and seventy-two villages of the frontier fortress? In recent years, General Wang has not only failed to use his military power to deceive the people, but the fish and meat village has become a breeze. When the truce comes,
Take the initiative to lead soldiers to open up trade routes, drive away Japanese pirates, suppress bandits, and protect peace!" His eyes were full of pride.
The prefect next to him also nodded and said: "General Wang's character is seen by everyone and remembered in their hearts. It's just this month that General Wang didn't bring his troops to visit the veterans who were placed here. In the past, he was very punctual. Maybe
Let’s get busy with the war at the frontier.”
Then, as if to comfort himself: "It must be busy at the frontier, yes, that's it."
Xu Qingmu also thought of the gentle and elegant Brother Wang, and felt a warm feeling in his heart. People on the road are like jade, and people like princes.
Xu Qingmu did not accept the sumptuous meal prepared by the prefect, and went to the lake to relax on the grounds that the two little beasts were naughty and needed to be taken care of.
It was June or July, and it was already the third autumn season of osmanthus and lotus flowers. While it was still dark, one person punted a boat and went alone into the lotus leaves that connected to the sky, trying to find a sharp corner.
A person was lying on the boat, recalling the events of the past two days in his mind, feeling annoyed. When the king-level ghost attacked, he had many confidences to save his life, but because of nervousness and fear, he did not use any of them.
.Character is really a very dangerous thing. Not to mention the hanging jade engraved with the words Yin and Yang given by General Wang Ziyi, the three sword energies left in the body of the old beggar during his lifetime were enough to withstand the attacks of ghosts. Xu Qingmu's heart
I secretly thought to myself that just practicing swordsmanship is not enough. In real battlefield fighting, the character of fighting with others must be improved at the same time. Otherwise, he will really become a fool who holds a treasure without realizing it.
Xu Qingmu was thinking about it on the boat, but he didn't pay attention to the bubbles in the water under the boat.
Suddenly, a pale hand grabbed the side of the boat, and then a round bald head emerged. Xu Qingmu clenched his fist subconsciously, and without waiting for the monk to have any chance to breathe, he directly raised his fist and came with a bang. The bald head struck again with a sound of pain.
He fell into the lake. He was so excited that he thought there was a big fish, so he swam over quickly. The monk who had not yet sunk to the bottom was dragged up again by two small beasts. His hands that were originally covering his head hurriedly chased him away.
Seven up and eight down, the embarrassing thing is that the position where the seven up bites is the culprit of human affairs.
By the time Xu Qingmu saw the person coming and reacted, the young monk had almost fainted from the pain. Xu Qingmu hurriedly drank to stop, jumped into the water, dragged the monk with him, put him on the boat, and then quickly rowed to the boat.
On the shore, the monk who fell into the water, was punched, and was bitten by two unknown wild beasts, frightened, recovered after a long time, opened his eyes, looked at the young man in front of him, and backed away.
Xu Qingmu looked at the monk's crotch, which was somewhat damaged, scratched his crotch, and said sheepishly: "I'm sorry, you appeared too suddenly and scared me."
The monk moved his buttocks a few more times, and the place where he might have been bitten still hurt. After moving his buttocks a few times, he grinned in pain. Looking at the handsome young man in front of him, he felt a slander in his heart: Did I scare you? I actually scared you.
Yes? I still have to apologize to you, right?
Xu Qingmu didn't care about the monk's thoughts and started to light a bonfire on the shore, indicating to the monk that he could take off his clothes and put them on the fire to roast.
Looking at the monk with his hands on his chest, as if he had been greatly wronged, Xu Qingmu said, "If you mind, I can turn my back."
When the monk met the young man in front of him, he really didn't look like he was pretending, so he gradually became more courageous: "My name is Shou Yuan, from the East Chamber." After observing the young man in front of him for a while, he slowly took off the monk's iconic robe and put it on the table.
It was slowly roasting on the fire. As for the pants, the guy named Shouyuan refused to take them off. From time to time, his eyes glanced at the man lying on the side, his eyes filled with fear and more resentment.
Xu Qingmu suppressed his laughter and did not try to persuade him. He watched the little monk who was about the same age as himself swallowing saliva. He thought he might be hungry, so he whistled and Qishang next to him jumped into the water. After a while,
, holding a huge grass carp in his mouth, jumped up to the shore and threw it at Xu Qingmu's feet. Xu Qingmu touched his hand and motioned for it to take his sister Ba to go to the lake to play. It wasn't until the two little beasts left that the monk completely relaxed.
Come down.
After a while, the aroma of grilled fish came.
Shouyuan could no longer close his clasped hands, and his eyes that were originally focused were fixed on the fragrant grilled fish. Finally, after Xu Qingmu sprinkled some seasoning, the monk completely lost his monkish reserve and started to
He took it and ate it with big mouthfuls. After a few mouthfuls of meat, he felt energetic and said vaguely to Xu Qingmu: "There are really not many fish here. The incident of you allowing the dog to bite me has been wiped out."
Qishang, who was playing next to him, had pointed ears and immediately jumped over with his teeth bared, grinning at the monk eating fish. The little monk immediately changed his words: "It's a mythical beast, Master Divine Beast!"
Qishang raised his head with satisfaction, walked past without looking at the little monk, and continued to play with his sister.
The little monk was frightened again and couldn't hold on any longer. Tears streamed down his face. The fish meat in his mouth had not been completely chewed yet. He probably felt that crying would be a waste, so he held back his tears first and swallowed the fish meat in one gulp.
, opened his mouth and howled loudly. Xu Qingmu grinned, shouldn't this monk give up anger and ignorance? Why is he so crazy?
After a while, the young monk gradually stopped feeling aggrieved. He lowered his head and took another bite of fish, and then his mood calmed down a bit.
Xu Qingmu asked: "Except for the monks in the East Chamber, aren't you allowed to go down the mountain if you are under eighteen years old? Why are you living here alone at such a young age?"
It was okay if I didn't say it, but when I said it, the little monk started sobbing again, but he still didn't forget to swallow the fish in his mouth. "I came to kill Xu Qingmu!" He bit another piece hard, and these words popped up on the simple face under the bald head.
, which really shocked Xu Qingmu. The monk chewed a few mouthfuls and continued: "A few days ago, I eavesdropped on the conversation between master and master, and I wanted to marry their only daughter Yu Yuan to that Xu Qingmu! Damn it, I don't even know who Xu Qingmu is.
It was just that the thought of my junior sister marrying someone else made me uncomfortable, so I secretly followed Master, slipped out of the east chamber, and went down the mountain to kill the thief."
Xu Qingmu asked with a smile: "Is your master that Chunyang Taoist?"
The little monk opened his bright eyes and looked at the person in front of him curiously: "How do you know my master?"
Xu Qingmu laughed and said that he happened to ask him for directions and had a chance encounter. Looking at the young monk who was still devouring his food, Xu Qingmu persuaded him: "Maybe your junior sister is not willing, and then this marriage will not happen."
Doesn’t it just happen naturally?”
The young monk seemed to be even more sad, and even forgot the movement of swallowing. "My junior sister said that when Xu Qingmu was 15 years old and he didn't go up the mountain, he would take the initiative to go down the mountain to find him. I think my junior sister must have been brainwashed by my junior sister.
"After saying that, it seemed that the fish in his hand was no longer fragrant. He threw it on the ground with dull eyes and murmured: "I am also curious, what kind of person is this Xu Qingmu, and how can he be so charming."
The young monk seemed to think of the junior sister's face: "Who would refuse the most beautiful junior sister in the world?" The two chatted until dark, during which Qishang caught a lot of fish, all of which were roasted by Xu Qingmu.
The little monk seemed to have forgotten the unpleasantness, his belly was round after eating, and he burped and said that he had not had a full meal for a long time in the past half month.
After finishing the upper lip, it’s the turn of the lower lip.
Xu Qingmu looked at the young monk and nodded solemnly.
The little monk looked suffocated and shook his head firmly.
Xu Qingmu's expression remained unchanged and continued to nod.
The young monk couldn't resist, and finally nodded.
After a while, the two people hiding behind the lotus leaves took advantage of the dark night to make a noise without any image.
The young monk covered his nose and looked at the lotus leaves in front of him and said angrily: "I originally wanted to steal some lotus seeds to satisfy my hunger, but the county magistrate directly sent people to chase them away. He said that Xu Qingmu was visiting Siyue Lake today and ordered that no one should appear around him.
There were so many people waiting, so I had no choice but to jump into the lake to avoid the people from the Yamen."
Xu Qingmu held back his strength until he let out a comfortable sigh, then slowly said: "Are you hiding here to kill him?"
The little monk listened to the jingling bell under Xu Qingmu's butt, and was obviously a little envious. He held it in for a while, but gained nothing, so he had to give up: "How can I? Just say something angry. I just want to see what kind of fairy Xu Qingmu is.
.Why can you marry my junior sister without even meeting her once?"
When he was about to finish, Xu Qingmu stretched out his hand to rub a lotus leaf and put it under his buttocks. After wiping it with satisfaction, he picked up his pants and stood up. As a result, he just discovered that the place where he pooped was the stele with the inscription of Concubine Ye. Under the moonlight,
Xu Qingmu saw two other sentences:
"When you lean against the window and admire the moon alone, you will come and return at the same time."
Xu Qingmu tied up his belt and said his sins to the stone tablet. Everyone knew that Concubine Ye was born in the Ye Family Jianzhong, one of the four major palace academies, and she gave birth to the only prince for the emperor. She must be very proud of her.
But loneliness is something only you know.
Xu Qingmu thought about it, but still did not tell the young monk Shouyuan that he was Xu Qingmu. Instead, he gave some silver coins and told the monk Xu Qingmu that he had taken a boat to the frontier fortress. You should go back earlier. That Xu Qingmu has nothing to see.
The monk was stubborn. He clasped his hands and said that being a monk has no merit and no reward. He practices meditation while walking and practicing meditation while lying down. The hardships along the way are all Zen. Xu Qingmu was amused and said, what else is your Zen?
The young monk smiled and his eyes were bright: "My little junior sister is my greatest Zen."
Before leaving, the young monk asked: "Donor, I haven't asked my name yet. You are a good person."
Xu Qingmu waved his hand: "The name is not important. Go back and tell your junior sister, just say Xu Qingmu, there is no need to wait until she is fifteen, she is not his Zen."
The little monk froze on the spot, a pair of torn shoes standing out in the moonlight.
Come on, this shit is for nothing.
By the time Xu Qingmu returned to the government office, it was already dinner time. According to usual practice, the prefect had to go and look around Siyue Lake in person before heading back home to have dinner.
While everyone was having dinner, they chatted about daily life. Xu Qingmu secretly took out a few lotus seeds from his arms, which were picked on the boat. He originally wanted to pick more, but was interrupted by the monk Shouyuan, and only got one.
Xu Qingmu vaguely remembered that when he was at the inn, Cao Dan shook his head at the Wuzi Yanzong soup in the pot and said that it was a pity that the lotus seeds were missing.
Passing the lotus seeds to Cao Dan, the latter's face was as red as a lotus tip.
Cao Tong, who was sullen on the side, stuffed a fried dough stick into his mouth and chewed it. Just then, the prefect came back.
The prefect who picked up the chopsticks said angrily: "I didn't know that damn thing would poop in front of the inscription tablet of Concubine Ye!"
The fat man instantly raised his head and stared at Xu Qingmu.
Everyone was silent and looked ugly.
What was even worse was Cao Tong, half of a fried dough stick was exposed outside his mouth.
Yellow and thick.
After that night, Cao Tong could no longer bear the murderous intention towards Xu Qingmu. He felt a little wronged all the time.
The group of people rested in Siyue Lake for three days. During this period, Xu Qingmu also went to the Veterans Nursing Home in the name of Wang Ziyi. Those veterans had one eye or a broken leg, and all of them were seriously injured. There were only seven in one hospital.
The fifteen veterans all showed kindness when they mentioned Wang Ziyi. Privately, Xu Qingmu learned that most of these old people were widowed and their children were no longer at home, or their families had simply disowned them. General Wang Ziyi was like their son.
, taking care of him with all his heart. Many old people call General Wang by his nickname in private. The minister who can shock everyone by stomping his feet has a warm smile and doesn't care at all.
A veteran was on his deathbed. He held Xu Qingmu's hand. His eyes were cloudy and he could not see anything. He mistakenly thought that the young man was General Wang. Although he could not move, he still struggled to kneel down: "General, my
General Wang, in the next life, this old slave will still want to be your soldier." But before he could finish his words, his breath was gone.
Xu Qingmu held the veteran's hand and was speechless for a long time.
When the general reaches this point, his soldiers will die without any regrets.
After the old soldiers were buried, everyone boarded the ship again and headed back to the frontier fortress.
On the way, Xu Qingmu asked Qi Chunfeng, a scholar, a question: "Brother Qi, what do you think of the veteran who wants to serve General Wang even before he dies?"
Qi Chunfeng, who was facing the setting sun, said: "Soldiers are the arms of a general. There are wars in the wilderness, but the soldiers know death and do not retreat, and are not afraid? No, it's because every time General Wang takes the lead and kills the enemy in battle. As time goes by, love grows.
Deep, especially on the battlefield where lives depend on each other, this is one of them."
"After the war, the veterans who lost their value have been abandoned by their families. General Wang has become their last support in despair. He is not a relative, but he can be filial and loyal like a son of man, and win his heart and love. This is his
two."
"Having charged into battle with no regard for life before, and now being able to live a long life, if it were me, I would be like this and give up."
"This Prince Yi lives up to his name."
Xu Qingmu was shocked and remembered the conversation General Wang had with him: "It is not easy for a person to take care of himself in his whole life; if he takes care of the country, he will be an emperor; if he takes care of all things, he will be called a saint. But in my life, I am a son and a minister.
All in vain."
The evening breeze blows on my face, but the world remains the same.
In the evening, Xu Qingmu asked Taoist Chunyang if his surname was Yu. Taoist Chunyang looked surprised and asked, "How do you know my wife's surname?"
Xu Qingmu clicked his tongue, he is indeed your direct disciple, so similar.