The Yongding camp returned to Wuchang at the end of winter.
…
"I have imagined the scene of returning here countless times. The wooden door with beautiful patterns is opened, many familiar people are walking over with smiles, people gather together, there are fine wines and flowers, and I have often imagined the scene of meeting you again...
Today when we entered the city, I saw the carriage in the crowd and knew you were there. You didn't want to show up in public, but you just couldn't wait to look at me..."
The night in the palace was so peaceful, the elegant room, the low hanging curtains, and the floor spotless. As soon as Zhang Ning said a few words, the little girl beside him burst into tears. He actually didn't say anything, and his tone was not sensational at all.
, just narrating in a low and tired voice, perhaps such a focused statement itself hides a kind of restrained sadness. Zhang Xiaomei is much more fragile and sensitive, and can no longer bear such silence.
But Yao Ji just listened attentively, glancing at his face from time to time. She did not interrupt Zhang Ning's ramblings, just like a listener. She was wearing a cross-collar dress with a flower pattern, and a red shawl on the outside.
As always, she was well dressed, with an elegant posture, and no fluctuations could be seen on her beautiful face. Even in such a quiet night, at the long-awaited reunion moment, she still acted as if everything happened naturally.
Zhang Ning was still wearing the gray uniform he had just returned from, with white lining, gold waist buckles, and even a dagger hanging from his waist. He was sitting upright, holding his iron helmet and hat on his knees. Just
His expression was obviously full of exhaustion, as if he was in a trance and didn't know where he was.
He looked at Zhang Xiaomei, whose eyes were filled with tears, and then looked at Yao Ji and said: "I almost regard Wuchang as my hometown and destination, but when we came back, it seemed that the people in Huguang were not very welcoming. I know that our war this year
It affected the interests of too many people... When Yongding Camp left, its strength once reached 15,000. Today, less than 10,000 people came back, and many people died. When cleaning up the relics after the war, many family letters were found... In fact
I also wrote a lot, and for a time I thought I would never come back."
Zhang Ning put her hands on the buttons of her clothes. After hesitating for a moment, she finally untied her coat, took out a stack of old paper from her arms, stood up and handed it over. Then she smiled at Zhang Ning and said, "I'm sorry, I haven't come back this time."
Bring any gifts.”
"I don't want it." Zhang Xiaomei choked.
Yao Ji glanced at the stack of papers, then looked up at Zhang Ning's eyes, reached out and took it slowly, and silently flipped through it.
A forced smile appeared on Zhang Ning's lips, "I was supposed to be a civil servant, but unexpectedly I became a soldier."
After a while, Yao Ji slowly said to Zhang Xiaomei: "These letters that were not sent back mentioned you many times. Fortunately, your brother did not love you in vain. When we met, he burst into tears."
Zhang Ning did not sit down after being given something. He walked a few steps beside the door and window, turned around and asked, "Do you remember Xin Wei? He was the guard in white who wanted to escape, but you caught him and almost executed him."
Yao Ji nodded slightly.
"She planted some vegetables in the yard of the governor's office in Jiangxi. She hadn't finished plucking them when we left, and she was a little reluctant to part with them, haha." Zhang Ning laughed.
But the joke doesn't seem funny.
Yao Ji said softly: "Tomorrow Emperor Jianwen will hold a banquet for all the ministers. Everyone you know in Wuchang will come to celebrate your success and 'gather together'. What else do you want?" Her voice was very gentle and revealed a hint of doting.
Zhang Ning shook his head: "When I was still in Wuchang, Zhang Fu's army of more than 100,000 people chased and intercepted me from three directions. What I thought about most was not how I would fare after I came back."
"Then what do you want?" Yao Ji asked again.
He sighed, raised his head as if reminiscing, and murmured, "Many times I felt that I could not hope to leave Jiujiang, and I never expected that General Zhou could use tens of thousands of new soldiers to defeat the elite army on the North Road... artillery
The sound is heard every day, as if there is a thunderstorm every day. In my mind, I can imagine the heavy iron balls and stones hitting the city wall. The bricks covered with rammed earth are falling apart, falling off the wall, and dust is flying everywhere.
.The city walls were trembling, and from time to time somewhere would collapse, and a flood of officers and soldiers would rush in and destroy us. I couldn't sleep at night, and I couldn't help but interrogate everything during the day. I felt very tired, especially when I was about to run out of ammunition.
Sometimes, I even look forward to the final moment coming soon and being freed from such a place."
It seemed like I was back in a war-torn city again.
"...On every first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, the military will raise the flag and play military music." Zhang Ning glanced at Yao Ji, "You wrote the music. The melody is very beautiful, but it is not exciting enough. There is something tragic in the melodiousness.
Sad. I will think of you and my little sister, and worry about what you will do in the future.
But in the dead of night, I occasionally fantasize about what it would be like to return to Wuchang after the war... There is a quiet body of water, a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, a house by the water, and the hall should be large and open. You can sit there and write.
Things, looking at the scenery, or laughing and playing with my little sister." Zhang Ning happily gestured at the imaginary scene with his hand gestures.
Yao Ji nodded and said nothing.
After a while of silence, Zhang Ning rubbed his temples and said, "I suddenly had a lot of nonsense today, and I still can't express myself." He thought for a while, and Zhou Mengxiong's old face appeared, and he couldn't help but say, "Second mother may be waiting for me, so
I haven’t talked to her alone for a long time, so I’ll go take a look.”
"Wait, sit down for a while." Yao Ji suddenly persuaded her to stay. She put down the letter in her hand and said, "I just asked someone to cook you some easy-to-eat soup. It should be served later."
Zhang Ning did not refuse, and sat down comfortably on the chair next to the piano table again. The cold wind of night gradually made some noises outside the door, but the room was very warm, making people feel soft all over.
In just a blink of an eye, he actually fell asleep while sitting, without any warning before.
When I was in Jiujiang, I suffered from insomnia for a long time, and I would often wake up during the night. Unexpectedly, I could fall asleep even while sitting on a chair, and I slept very deeply. After a while, I started snoring lightly.
Yao Ji said to a woman standing at the door: "Take a blanket to cover him and make the charcoal fire hotter."
Zhang Ning fell asleep without any sign of waking up. Until late at night, when Zhang Xiaomei had no choice but to go back to her room, he still didn't wake up.
Yao Ji paced back and forth in the hall for a few steps, then ordered the maid: "Go and tell Xin Wei, just say that King Xiang fell asleep sitting here with me. He is too tired, there is no need to wait... and then tell Zhou Niang
One sound."
The maid bent her knees and said, "Yes."
This is Yao Ji's residence. It is a suite. In addition to the wing rooms on both sides for the maids who are on duty, there is a large hall outside, where you can meet close guests, eat, and conduct daily activities. Inside is the bedroom, such as a
There was no door in the Nuan Pavilion, only a curtain. After nightfall, Yao Jiruo went into the bedroom to undress and go to sleep, leaving her adult son in the room. It seemed a little inappropriate.
She had no choice but to sit in the hall and kill time under the bright lights. It happened that she didn't have time to read carefully the stack of family letters just now, so she could read it slowly at this time.
It was already late at night, and the entire palace was under night curfew. There was no sound except the wind outside. There were two attendants standing in the hall, quietly accompanying Yao Ji to read letters.
While Yao Ji was immersed in reading, she would look up from time to time to look at Zhang Ning, who was sleeping on the chair. Sometimes she would pull hard on the corner of her clothes with her hands to control herself and behave as if nothing had happened.
Maybe it was because the night was so quiet that it was easy for people to calm down and feel. Maybe... Yao Ji felt very uncomfortable. There was something suppressing the tumbling emotions in her heart. Restraint may also be a deep emotion.
Most of the ancient poems about spring and autumn, including poems about women, were written by men. They showed how sentimental women were, as if they were writing about other people, but the emotions were revealed by the poet himself.
Yao Ji saw Zhang Ning's fragile heart from this letter to his family. His thoughts and troubles were more sensitive than a woman day after day.
He took out such a "treasonous and unethical" text at first calmly, and his fingers paused briefly in hesitation. Such a subtle movement was too easy for people to ignore. Yao Ji's heart was agitated because of this.
In the early hours of the morning, the attendant who was accompanying me couldn't help but yawn all day long, and the sleepiness shown was not restricted by Yao Ji Jiwei. Finally, Yao Ji said: "I'm sleepy, you help me sleep, and lie down in the side room next to me."
I’ll do that.”
The attendant looked as if he had been granted amnesty and asked again: "What should I do, Your Majesty?"
"He has been out for many days and is tired. He can't wake up now. Just let him spend the night here. Add more charcoal to prevent him from catching a cold."
Yao Ji then put away the letter, opened the curtain and went into the bedroom, undressed and lay down, and asked the maid to blow out all the lights in the room.
Darkness enveloped her, and this time Yao Ji tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Her senses were very sensitive, and Zhang Ning's heavy and regular breathing could still be heard in her ears. But this sound did not disturb her sleep. Sometimes,
The maid will also snore lightly, which will not affect her.
Some thoughts popped up in her mind, making her face feel hot, and she could hear her anxious heartbeat for a moment... She wanted to sneak into the hall quietly, and what was she going to do? And it was very risky. Those two people lived there.
The white-clothed guards in the wing are all very alert people. It is for this reason that they were chosen as close attendants. In addition to taking care of daily life, they can also play a role in protecting safety. Even if they make a little movement, they will be awakened and they will be found sneaking around.
Wouldn’t it be embarrassing to touch the ground outside?
That kind of image is obviously not in line with Yao Ji's usual dignified and generous style.
A bright day can make people wise, but it can easily make people think wildly at night. Even many thoughts that they think are ridiculous are out of control when they lie in bed and their eyes darken.