After Young Master Liu carried the wine bag out of the city gate, he glanced at the white snowy scene in the wilderness outside the city and wandered aimlessly for a hundred years.
Concerning the existence of this girl Ren Qingrui, he was really at a loss and didn't know what to do.
It is true that she does not suffer any loss if she eats her. After all, she is a young and beautiful woman who is as beautiful as a flower. On the contrary, she makes a profit. But what happens after eating her?
There is an age difference of one and a half years. After Yun'er and others have passed away for a hundred years, will she be left alone to watch over the juniors below for twenty or thirty years until they die?
I cannot be like the ruthless people of other high-ranking families, where women with the status of concubines can be exchanged for playthings at will, and I don’t know which family will end up in the grave.
Especially since this girl has an inexplicable relationship with the kid Li Ye.
Whether she is her or not, this is a knot that cannot be ignored.
The sun is approaching dusk.
The dusk in winter comes very early and is much darker than the other three seasons.
Young Master Liu stared blankly at the imperial mausoleum on the outskirts of Beijing. He never imagined that after wandering aimlessly for a long time, he would end up here.
Subconsciously, he wanted to turn around and leave. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed in the white snowy field.
"Who is this person? This is an important place for imperial mausoleums. Report your name quickly, otherwise you will be killed without mercy!"
Liu Mingzhi was stunned. At some point behind the white snowdrifts, a dozen black-armored mausoleum guards carrying crossbows appeared. At this moment, they were staring at him cautiously, holding the serial crossbows in their hands and slowly pointing towards him.
Drawing oneself closer.
The poisoned crossbow arrow shining with jet black light was already on the string, and could be fired at any time.
Liu Mingzhi came back to his senses, raised his hand to indicate that he didn't have any weapons in his hand, and moved towards the token at his waist without haste.
While throwing the token to the military commander of the Guarding Ling, Liu Mingzhi said loudly: "That's Liu Mingzhi!"
The captain of the Guarding Army lowered his head to check the token in his hand. Hearing Young Master Liu's words, he subconsciously looked up. The rest of the Guarding Army subconsciously pressed the arrows of their crossbows toward the ground.
More than a dozen mausoleum guards looked at Young Master Liu with somewhat complicated eyes. They were the mausoleum guards who guarded the Li family's imperial mausoleum. Facing Liu Mingzhi, the new king who rebelled and proclaimed himself emperor and seized the Li family's territory, they reacted for a while.
I really don’t know how else to pay tribute.
After a long silence, the captain took the lead and bowed hesitantly: "We... we will see... see... Your Majesty!"
“We, the Great Dragon Guarding Tomb Army, are here to see Your Majesty.”
“No need to be too polite, just don’t be polite!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“You guys can continue to be on duty, I’ll just walk around and leave.”
“This...is, we are taking our leave.”
After more than a dozen mausoleum guards slowly retreated, Liu Mingzhi looked complicated. He hesitated for a long time before walking towards the entrance of the imperial mausoleum. He glanced subconsciously at the location where the mausoleum guards appeared, and then he suddenly realized.
No wonder they appeared so suddenly. It turned out that under the snowdrift was a spacious cave where you could rest to keep out the cold and monitor the surrounding situation.
Looking at the snowdrifts around him that were almost the same every twenty or fifty steps, Liu Mingzhi understood in his heart and walked towards the direction of the imperial mausoleum again.
After a while, Liu Mingzhi tightened his cloak and walked towards the entrance of the imperial mausoleum.
Outside the Broken Dragon Stone, a dim oil lamp flickered with faint light, illuminating the dark entrance with a faint light.
Lao Zhou, who was even thinner than before, was kneeling on the futon beside the low table as always, silently turning the rosary beads in his hand.
“Old…Old Zhou!”
Old Zhou's rickety body suddenly shook, and his neck slowly turned to look towards the entrance of the imperial mausoleum.
Looking at Young Master Liu standing alone not far away, his old and dim eyes looked at Young Master Liu with some excitement, but also some complicated sadness.
Picked up the already worn fly whisk next to the incense burner on the low table, stood up shakily, and walked slowly toward Young Master Liu with his waist hunched.
“Son-in-law… Prince-in-law! You are here.”
Liu Mingzhi stared blankly at Lao Zhou, who was like a dying tree. His eyes couldn't help but feel a little sore. The title Prince Consort was so familiar back then, but now it's so unfamiliar.
When I heard it again suddenly, I felt helpless and sad, ironic and nostalgic.
Blinking his eyes hard a few times, Liu Mingzhi nodded silently.
“When I came, I wandered out of the city in a hesitant mood, and involuntarily wandered to the place of the imperial mausoleum.
I wanted to leave directly, but then I thought, since I have already come, I might as well come in and see my old friends.
Old Zhou, how are you doing now, after we said goodbye back then?
Lao Zhou nodded with wet eyes, wiped the corners of his eyes gently with his withered palms, nodded tremblingly and bowed with a big salute: "Aihao, everything is alright.
Old slave, thank you, my consort, for your concern. Thank you, my consort, for your concern."
“Get up quickly, get up quickly!
What are you doing? Do we still need this between us?"
"Thank you, Prince Consort. This old slave is confused. Prince Consort, please sit down quickly."
The place is simple and crude, so please don’t dislike it, Prince Consort.”
“Hey! I don’t mind it, it’s better if the place is simple! Sit down and feel at ease.”
The two of them knelt down on the futon in silence. Lao Zhou picked up the copper kettle that had already lost its appearance on the stove, poured a bowl of tea and handed it to Young Master Liu.
“The weather is very cold, please drink some tea to warm yourself up.”
“Okay, sorry to trouble you.”
Liu Mingzhi took the tea and warmed his palms. He looked at Lao Zhou who poured a bowl of tea for himself and sighed silently.
“Lao Zhou, my queen mother is in good health and will definitely live a long life. All the royal ladies in the clan’s mansion are also in good health physically and mentally, and live a worry-free life.
I don’t know when the imperial mausoleum will be completely sealed. How many more years will it take for you to keep guarding the mausoleum like this?
If that doesn’t work, let’s go back to the capital and stay for a while, so that we two old friends can catch up with each other.”
Lao Zhou shook his head with a gloomy look, and raised his eyes to look at the yellowed but spotless portrait of Li Zheng above the incense table, his eyes full of respect.
“I won’t leave, I won’t leave.
Although this place is simple and simple, the old slave is content to spend the rest of his life with His Majesty.
Prince Consort, this old slave’s body is getting worse and worse day by day. I’m afraid I won’t be able to wait until the day when all the stone that accompanies the mausoleum will fall and the mausoleum will be completely sealed.
I'm afraid I won't be able to survive that day.
There is nothing serious, so I don’t dare to leave anymore.
The old slave is afraid that if he leaves, he will never come back here again.
We have served His Majesty for more than half a lifetime. He is used to it, and so is the old slave.
If he cannot see your majesty after he goes there in the future, and he is not used to being served by other servants, he will be furious.
The old slave has already said hello to General Xiao, who is guarding the mausoleum. When the old slave dies, his body will be buried outside the entrance of the imperial mausoleum.
We have to guard your mausoleum for the rest of our lives.
You can still keep guarding after death.
For a eunuch like Lao Nu, it’s a good start and a good end!”
Liu Mingzhi looked at Old Zhou's turbid and calm eyes with emotion: "Old Zhou, have you...had dinner?"
"We have just used it. Prince Consort, haven't you eaten yet? Let's go ask General Xiao to bring you some food."
"no, I'm fine.
It’s good to have eaten. Life is hard here. You haven’t drank for a long time, right?
Come, I, my consort, will treat you to a drink."
“This... old slave, just dare to be bold once in front of His Majesty.”
Lao Zhou finished the tea in the coarse porcelain bowl and placed the tea bowl in front of Young Master Liu.
Young Master Liu also drank the cooled tea in the bowl, took off the wine bag from his waist and filled two bowls of wine.
"please!"
“I respect you, old slave.”
There weren’t any appetizers, so the two of them just sat across from each other, chatting around a wine bag, and exchanged glasses.
Talk about the past, interesting stories, and the future.
Only tacitly, no one mentioned the Fengyundu assassination and Liu Mingzhi's rebellion and usurpation of the throne, proclaiming himself emperor.
It's just two old friends who meet in such a situation and identity, and no matter how good the wine is, the best wine is in their mouths.
It’s also full of sorrow!
The sky was dark and night had fallen. Young Master Liu left the imperial mausoleum with his empty wine bag and walked slowly towards the capital on the snow.
Since then, Liu Dashao’s life seems to have become busy.
While guarding the fortune-telling stall and waiting for Zhou Baoyu and others to return to Beijing, he stayed in a shack and wrote with a brush.
But no one knew what he was writing.
Even when the pretty young lady Tao Ying, who often stayed by his side, asked curiously, Mr. Liu smiled and passed by without comment.
Until the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the third year of Dalong's reign, Zhou Baoyu and others personally escorted Spismult and others to the capital.
In the study room in the inner courtyard of Liu Mansion, Liu Song stopped outside the door and patted the door of the study room gently and not hard: "Master, Master!"
In the study, Liu Mingzhi suddenly stopped holding the wolf hair in his hand and looked towards the door: "What's the matter?"
“Back to the capital! General Zhou and the others are escorting the Western Turks, and the important generals from Russia and Russia have returned to the capital. They have now entered the inner city and can rush to the palace gate at any time.”
"Finally home."
Liu Mingzhi murmured something softly, put away the rice paper covered with calligraphy on the desk and put it in the drawer.
“Go and tell the young lady that I will prepare the formal attire for the court for the young master!”