Great Sui Storyteller

Chapter 670 669. Don't Wake Up Again
The Xisui sacrifice is held on the banks of the Yangtze River and under the Datong Mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, the officials stood sideways.

All came.

The emperor, queen, emperor's grandson, number one in the world, number two, number four...

Anyone who can come will come.

After all, it is a day of praying for blessings. It is inappropriate for a courtier not to come.

But to be honest, the scale of this year's Xi Sui is much worse than last year's in Yique.

There is no fighting method of various schools of thought, and there is no gift from immortals.

There is only a three-zhang Dharma platform, and the national teacher performs the ceremony.

And the person who burned incense and prayed this year was also Yang You, not Yang Guang.

On the square, Lord Huqiu lowered her brows and eyes. As a courtier, she should have stood between the courtiers and the emperor's relatives.

This location is just right to see His Majesty the Emperor and Empress of the Great Sui Dynasty.

At this moment, Yang Guang is no longer as romantic and elegant as before.

Because of the cold weather, he was wearing a very thick cloak, and when he sat on the chair representing power and status with the empress, he actually looked...a bit stooped.

At the same time, his eyes were a little dull, and the flesh on his cheeks was sunken.

It seems that I have lost a lot of weight in a few months.

I no longer have the look of the past, even though the country is full of wars and wars, but I am still ambitious in the world, and my advantage lies in me.

The emperor represents the spirit of a dynasty.

But now the ministers below see their majesty in such a state, although they still listen respectfully to the voice of the national teacher's scriptures on the surface, but in fact they really don't know what they think in their hearts.

In the middle of the air, the scriptures that the national teacher recited to ward off disasters and increase blessings for His Majesty have already been recited for the ninth time.

A whole set of thoughts.

The officials can only wait in the cold wind.

Even though they were all frozen by the cold and humid climate in the south of the Yangtze River, no one said a word.

Finally, the ninth recitation ended.

In the sky, the golden pillars reaching the sky turned into golden powder again, and the blessings contained in them fell on everyone's shoulders.

Under the bamboo hat, Master Huqiu stretched out his hand quietly, looking at the golden light that fell on his hand and disappeared like snowflakes, his eyes were full of irony.

……

The New Year's Eve is over.

sunset.

His Majesty got up and drove back to the palace.

In a few hours, this year is also over.

His Majesty left first, followed by Number One Under Heaven who was also sitting in the chariot.

Then came the royal relatives.

After they were almost gone, it was the turn of Mr. Huqiu, the ministers and close ministers.

When she came to her carriage, Nvxia Cui, who had been waiting impatiently for a long time, immediately cheered up and opened the car door for her.

Then, the chariots and horses walked all the way to Jiangdu City in the setting sun.

Speechless the whole time.

And when he entered Jiangdu City, Master Huqiu opened the curtains, looked at the noisy scene outside with lights and festoons, and then there was a breath of life on his face.

But immediately this breath was replaced by a burst of bright red.

"Cough...cough...cough...cough..."

After a series of coughing sounds, she looked down at the handkerchief covering her mouth and nose.

The top is bright red.

"……Ah."

For some reason, she showed an extremely sarcastic smile, and casually threw the handkerchief out of the car.

When the carriage arrived in front of the mansion, there was no festive atmosphere in the whole Li Mansion, and Xue Rulong was waiting under the dark sky.

Master Huqiu got out of the car, so he hurried up to greet him, and said in a low voice:
"My lord, according to my lord's instructions, news came from my brothers in the army. Jiangdu's defenders are generally dissatisfied with the eve of the eve of the year, and these days there are more and more complaints."

"Well...it's normal."

The woman's voice was as calm as ever:
"These old soldiers who are still fighting are all the children of the Central Plains or Guanzhong. Now there are these old soldiers who should have been taking turns to take the lead. The fact that Xi Sui can't go home to reunite with their relatives is in line with the news that we deliberately flowed into the barracks all over the past few months. , it is enough to shake their minds. What else?"

"Food...is not enough."

"..."

The woman's footsteps suddenly stopped.

"really!?"

Xue Rulong nodded:

"The autumn harvest in the Central Plains is all in Xingyang. Now Xingyang is destroyed, and the grain and grass in the north seem to be in short supply. And the Yicang in the south of the Yangtze River is occupied by Du Fuwei. In addition to Xiao Xian's rebellion against the Sui Dynasty, among the six major granaries, Hanjiacang , Huiluo warehouse, Liyang warehouse, Yongfeng warehouse and Changping warehouse have all been occupied, leaving only one Heyang warehouse still struggling to support. Some time ago, the subordinates have sent people to check, and the entire Heyang warehouse is insufficient One-third. From the current point of view... At most, if we support it for another four months, the food... will be exhausted."

If it was a few months ago, Xue Rulong probably wouldn't have explained so much.

But since the adult arrived in Jiangdu, one after another, he has already let him handle all the affairs of Baiqisi himself.

Xue Rulong... dare not continue to think about why adults do this.

I don't want to think about it either.

But I also understand that I must take responsibility.

Therefore, after checking the information in the past few months, he will tell his motives, purpose, and results, and Lord Huqiu will judge whether Xue Rulong's actions are reasonable.

thus corrected.

And since... the fifth leaf of the Dragon Tree God's Ceremony fell off, my lord no longer intervened in any matters related to Baiqisi.

Even if Xue Rulong told her, she only gave the other party the motive for doing so.

But no longer make any decision-making opinions.

So, after hearing Xue Rulong's words, the woman let out a sigh:
"Oh...okay, I see. Is there anything else? Daozhang Sun...do you have any news?"

"Daozhang Sun is all well in the palace, but he is taking care of His Majesty day and night, and still can't come back."

"...Where's Li Chunfeng?"

"Still by Daoist Sun's side."

"Zhang Daoxuan...have you ever had contact with him?"

"No."

"……Um."

The woman responded and walked towards the backyard on her own.

But Xue Rulong suddenly pursed his lips.

After thinking about it, he stopped the increasingly lonely and weak figure, and said:

"grown ups."

"how?"

Looking at the woman who turned her head, Xue Rulong opened his mouth... and then said:
"Tonight, Xi Sui...but...do you want to have a banquet? The brothers who came back on duty today...are very worried about your lord."

"What are you worried about me?"

The woman finished asking in a low voice, but didn't wait for Xue Rulong to answer, she just waved her hand:
"I'll let you take care of the affairs between my fellow robes. Just remember to bring me a jug of wine."

After speaking, he disappeared into the darkness step by step toward the backyard.

……

Eve night.

At the door of the backyard, Nv Xia Cui held a jar of wine in her hand, tentatively outside the arch, and took a look inside.

All I saw was placed in the courtyard in front of the Nagarjuna god's cell with the Taoist priest sealed, and the woman in white was facing her back, sitting face to face with the seal with 7 leaves left, her figure exuding bursts of aura. The meaning of loneliness and desolation.

Alone.

Seeing this scene, Xiao Cui was a little tangled...

Hesitating whether to go in or not...

But at this moment, the woman's voice sounded:
"If you want to come in, just come in. It's normal if you can't participate in the banquet over there."

"..."

Hearing this, Nvxia Cui was a little embarrassed, but she still walked into the courtyard with the jug in hand.

After Sun Daochang and Chunfeng left, Li Shilang forbade anyone from entering this backyard.Even Xue Rulong is no exception... And as a temporary "non-staff" personnel, Xiao Cui, if she hadn't spoken out in person, she really wouldn't dare...

After all, since she took the initiative to help Li Shilang in the past few months, she...

Also grew a lot.

After seeing too many things, she is no longer the innocent girl with a sword in her hand.

Although the temper has not changed.

But after all, people have to grow up.

And after stepping in, when she walked to the table, she saw clearly...

At this eve of the year, at Li Shilang's table, there is only a pot of wine and a plate... fried beans, which are rare in the south of the Yangtze River.

Not to mention the wealthy households from the south of the Yangtze River, the poor mostly eat dried fish or shredded bamboo shoots dried in spring and summer.

Beans are really rare.

After thinking about it, she sat down opposite Master Huqiu, and then said:
"General Xue... is very worried about Mr. Minister, and... I am a girl there, and they can't let go... so... bother Mr. Minister."

"Ah."

Without the bamboo hat, under that calm and responsive face, there is a face that even the little heroine Cui would sometimes be jealous of.

And after staring at this face for a while, suddenly, she heard a voice:
"Pour wine."

"Uh... yes."

The young woman Cui quickly picked up the wine jar after reacting, controlled the wine with Qi to form a slender silk thread, and poured it into the pottery bowl in front of Li Shilang.

Then when he was pouring himself another drink, he heard a voice that sounded like a joke:
"In the whole world, there are probably only a few people who can make wine from Cui's direct lineage? You say it's a coincidence, in this courtyard, except for you, he and I have enjoyed it."

"..."

Little Cui was stunned, and subconsciously looked at the coffin with only seven leaves left...

For a while, I didn't know what to say.

After thinking about it, I could only pick up the pottery bowl:
"My lord servant."

"……Um."

The woman responded, and finally shifted her gaze to the face of Xiao Cui.

Picking up the bowl, after touching the bowl with her, he took the lead in drinking the wine with a very generous attitude.

Little Cui Nvxia was quite surprised by her boldness.

After all... this is Jiannan Shaochun.

very strong...

But he quickly raised his head.

Immediately, his eyes subconsciously fell on the seven fallen leaves.

then……

Suddenly, she realized something was wrong.

A... verdant fallen leaf, the moment she raised her head, fell silently from the branch...

"puff……"

A sip of wine was spurted out instinctively!
Nvxia Xiao Cui immediately panicked.

A vigorous step picked up the leaves that were about to fall to the ground:
"Dao... Daochang!?"

She pinched the leaves with a flustered expression.

Just... Even if the Taoist priest doesn't want me to drink, he shouldn't punish himself like this, right?

you……

How can you do this!

Holding the leaf, feeling the fragmented veins coming from the leaf, she looked at Master Huqiu in a panic.

"No... not me... I... Daoist, don't be angry!"

"..."

Lord Huqiu, who was unusually calm from the beginning to the end for some reason, did not speak.

But after looking at the fallen leaf, he pointed to the wine bowl:
"Pour wine."

"..."

Soon, another bowl of wine was filled.

Before Xiao Cui Nvxia put down the wine jar, she picked up the wine bowl again and drank it down in one gulp.

Push the bowl forward:
"Pour wine."

"..."

Three bowls in a row.

Little Cui Nvxia even smelled the smell of alcohol gushing out.

After filling up again, finally, Li Shilang stopped drinking.

He squeezed the fried beans from the two plates and threw them into his mouth.

Among the creaking sounds, she suddenly said:
"It's pretty good too, isn't it?"

"What... what?"

"That's fine too."

Faced with Xiao Cui's puzzlement, could it be that a smile appeared on the woman's face.

"...?"

Is this person crazy?
Feeling the joy revealed in those words, Cui Caiwei didn't know what to say for a moment.

Then I heard the other party muttering to himself:
"With such a heart, how can he bear to see this world become like this?"

"..."

"So...that's pretty good too, right?"

"Where...where is it good?"

"..."

Hearing this, the woman was silent for a while, and suddenly asked:

"Do you know why he appeared in Jiangnan?"

"Because... you're done with the Hedong business?"

"Do not."

The woman shook her head:

"He said he was here to help me."

"..."

Nvxia Xiao Cui instinctively looked at the woman.

Want to see her face.

But what awaited her was nothing but endless peace.

"He said...he came to help me, to protect me...heh."

There was a smile in his calm eyes.

"So, on the day we met, maybe if it wasn't for him, I would have been the one who died."

"..."

"You said... Has his goal been achieved?"

"..."

"He said he came to protect me, so he took this calamity for me."

"..."

"And now, there are six leaves left. That's good... right?"

It was already hard to tell whether she was talking to herself or talking crazily, and the little Cui Nv Xia asked instinctively:

"However, in case..."

"He's done his duty, hasn't he?"

There is no smile.

The woman whose eyes turned calm again spoke cold-blooded and heartless words.

"Since you have come to protect me, then you have blocked this catastrophe for me, and your goal has been achieved, isn't it?"

"How can you do this!..."

The moment these words came out, Xiao Cui's face immediately revealed a burst of anger:
"He became like this to save you! Now you say this is the purpose!?"

What kind of cold-blooded person is able to say such words! ?

her conscience...

Have you been eaten by a dog?
But facing her questioning, the woman remained calm.

It's as if you didn't hear it.

And this silence also turned into an unacceptable reason for Xiao Cui.

It took less than a moment to sit down.

She turned around directly and left the courtyard.

original……

For so many days, I have helped such a cold-blooded person!

I.

With Taoist.

You are all wrong!
But in the courtyard, the woman didn't say anything about the departure of Little Cui.

No dissatisfaction, no other emotions.

However, she picked up the wine bowl again.

Drank the spirit in the bowl in one gulp.

"what……"

After exhaling the breath of alcohol again, his increasingly pale fingers picked up a bean.

But before taking it into the mouth, the bean has already turned into powder.

Like fine sand, it slipped through the fingers.

"...It's pretty good too, isn't it?"

Looking at the coffin with withered leaves, her voice seemed inaudible.

"Then, don't wake up again, don't open your eyes to see this filthy world again."

"I owe you, you remember it."

"In the next life, find me."

"I will pay it back with my life."

The moonlight is like a hook.

The woman sitting alone in front of the coffin regained her silence.

Just under the light of the shallow moon.

There are crystal ticks falling like silk threads.

See you no more.

(End of this chapter)