last time

Chapter 9
Ye Lanyi started to have a fever since morning, Xia Qiong pressured her to finish her breakfast, and rushed to decoct medicine.

Yesterday I heard that Ye Baiqi entered the palace and was appointed General of Zhonglang, originally wanted to go to see it, but the wind and cold were severe so he couldn't make it in time, and when he came back he collapsed on the couch and couldn't get up.

Ye Lanyi endured the headache and slowly opened her eyes. Wisps of golden light came in from the door, covering a slender and familiar figure. She watched the golden light gradually approaching, but it was vague and unreal, and she couldn't see it all the time. true.She murmured, "Jun'an..."

Chu Shiyu took her into his arms: "I shouldn't have listened to your words that day. You see, I still have to be sick with you. Are you uncomfortable?"

Ye Lanyi shrank into his arms and said, "...cold."

Chu Shiyu hugged her tightly and said, "Why didn't you tell me that you want to see him. If I don't come to you, are you really obedient and don't come to me? Lan'er, you are so cruel..."

Chu Shiyu's body was warm, with a faint scent of ambergris. He hugged Ye Lanyi and refused to let go. He didn't plan to let her go until Xia Qiong came in with the medicine.

It seemed that there was something trying to cover up, but Chu Shiyu didn't move.

Xia Qiong lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, Miss's medicine is ready."

"I'm here." Chu Shiyu gently squeezed her mouth open, tested the temperature, and poured it in when it wasn't hot.

Ye Lanyi frowned, and continued to say angrily, "Jun'an..."

"When you are well, I will let him see you." Chu Shiyu said in her ear, raised his head and said to Xia Qiong, "General Zhonglang will be invited here."

Xia Qiong couldn't hide his joy: "Yes. Thank you Your Majesty!"

After Chu Shiyu finished feeding the medicine, he hugged her and fell asleep together.

***
Yan Yingzhen stared at Wei Yin and said, "Li Yuchuan has caught someone who can be bullied. It's been seven days. Have you sorted out your household registration?"

How dare Wei Yin stop writing, people in the room forget to eat and sleep for a few days, and the minister is busy with other things, these things are overwhelmed by him, the servant. There was a surprise visit from the left prime minister, and there were only three days left, and there were still more than 1 people. Wei Yin shook his hands and said, "Master Xiang, let's hurry up."

Yan Yingzhen said: "Li Yuchuan is a difficult master to get along with, you can wish for yourselves."

Walking out of the door of the household department, I saw a person waiting outside the door.

The woman was dressed in red, with a white snow collar, just like a person in a painting. When the little maid beside her saw Yan Yingzhen, she immediately said, "Miss, it's the Prime Minister!"

Yan Qingyao turned around, saw her father smiled, bowed down and saluted: "Hi, my lord."

Yan Yingzhen immediately replied, "Yao'er."

Back at Zuo Xiang's mansion, Yan Qingyao served her father a cup of tea and said, "How is father?"

Yan Yingzhen took the teacup: "Everything is fine, don't worry Yao'er. I went to court this morning and saw that His Majesty's wind and cold are still not recovering. What's going on?"

Yan Qingyao lowered her eyes: "A few nights ago, Concubine Lan stayed in Yimeiyuan all night, and His Majesty went to find her, but when they came back, both of them fell ill, and Concubine Lan couldn't get out of bed today."

"It must be because His Majesty did not let her see Ye Baiqi." Yan Yingzhen smiled when she heard this, and said, "It is said that the married daughter splashed water, and Xiqi compensated her daughter and broke her son, but His Majesty still refuses to let her see Ye Baiqi." When they meet, no one can bear it."

Yan Qingyao said "Yes", "Father, where is Axuan?"

Yan Yingzhen said: "He is confined in the house, you go and see him."

Yan Qingyao went straight to Yan Chengxuan's bedroom, knocked on the door, and said, "Ah Xuan, sister is back."

Yan Chengxuan poked his head out, pulled her in, and hurriedly closed the door: "Sister, you are here, save me quickly."

"What did you do again?"

Yan Chengxuan faltered for a moment like he was struggling, and then said: "Didn't I just get beaten? It just so happened that that person was Li Yuchuan, so my father got angry."

Yan Qingyao sighed: "Be safe, don't go out to make trouble, if there is no accident, father will find you a master. You stay well, and when the confinement is over, I want to see me at any time and let Dongzhu come to pass the message."

"Hey... Sister..."

Yan Qingyao went out, took Dong Zhu's hand, and walked out of the mansion slowly.

Seeing that Yan Qingyao was not in high spirits, Dong Zhu asked, "Miss, what's the matter?"

Yan Qingyao loosened her snow collar, and let out a slow breath: "Father is always asking me how is His Majesty and Concubine Lan. As for his daughter, has he ever cared about it?"

Dongzhu lowered her head and didn't speak any more.

***
When Chu Shiyu woke up, Ye Baiqi was already waiting outside, he gently shook Ye Lanyi awake, and said softly: "I promise you, lie down well, and he will come."

Ye Lanyi moved her lips: "Thank you."

Ye Baiqi came in with tears, lying on the bedside and crying for a long time: "Sister, I miss you so much."

Ye Lanyi raised her hand and touched his head, wiped away her tears, and said, "Jun'an, you have suffered."

Ye Baiqi smiled and said: "Don't suffer, don't suffer, sister, His Majesty appointed me as Zhonglang General, and asked me to help Second Sister guard Xiqi. You can go home at any time, and I can take you home."

Ye Lanyi also laughed: "Okay, my sister is waiting for you to take me home."

The elder sister in Ye Baiqi's eyes is like a candle in the dark night, flickering but never going out, he can stay in that warm light, and it can also warm his heart so that he won't lose his way in the long winter.

***
On the day when Zhongqu Sanzhou fell, there was a heavy rain in Yongzhou, and the rainwater from the battlefield was mixed with blood and covered the adult's knees.What floats in the water is not dead branches and leaves, but people.

A casual touch is a handful of blood, a casual grab is a human wreck.Zhuo Ran was so scared, she was knocked out by the rain, rolled into the bloody water, soiled the new clothes her father gave her, she was washed away by the water, saw layers of dead bodies in the horrible bloody water, and piled up There, the water won't wash away.

When the water overflowed, all their wailing and painful groans were drowned out, and at this moment they echoed back and forth again and again, Zhuo Ran was weeping, but he didn't dare to cry out.

She wanted to crawl into the general's mansion, but no matter what she couldn't escape that terrifying place, the smell of blood was no longer pure, mixed with the stench of rotting corpses, Zhuo Ran's heart was washed away by the water.

She walked forward tremblingly, stepping on the road made of bodies, she couldn't tell what she was stepping on, maybe it was the soldiers of the Zhuo family army, or maybe it was the old man who sold vegetables. Zhuo Ran didn't dare to think about how many innocent people beyond recognition.

She yelled frantically, but no one answered her.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her ankle and pulled her into the blood. The blood flooded her from all directions, and Zhuo Ran couldn't breathe. It seemed that it took a long time before she was rescued.

It's my brother's back.

Zhuo Yi was wearing armor, holding Zhuo Ran firmly on his back, like the most solid shield, Zhuo Ran lay there with peace of mind, and said with trembling voice: "...brother, I'm afraid..."

Zhuo Yi was covered in blood, hearing her say that he was afraid, he turned her like he was when he was a child, his Adam's apple rolled, and finally said: "Don't be afraid...brother...take you home..."

Zhuo Ran sobbed in a low voice, her breathing smelled bloody, she asked: "...brother, are you bleeding?"

"No." Zhuo Yi said softly, "Hold brother tight...Brother needs to walk faster..."

Zhuo Ran tightened her arms, buried her head on his neck and shoulders, and whispered, "Brother, how far is it..."

Zhuo Yi said: "...It's almost there, soon...Uncle Zhou is still waiting for us..."

Zhuo Ran smiled: "Brother, Uncle Zhou made delicious food...with meat..."

Zhuo Yi laughed hoarsely, and said, "Well...he and his father are waiting for us to go home...to eat...Ran'er..."

"Yeah." She agreed.

"...Wipe my eyes for my brother, it's raining heavily...I can't see the road clearly..."

Zhuo Ran raised his white fingers soaked in blood and gently wiped the rainwater for him, but how could it be wiped clean.

Zhuo Ran asked: "Can you see clearly?"

"can…"

"Brother..." Zhuo Ran felt that Zhuo Yi was not leaving, and just opened his mouth to ask, but was thrown off his back.

She saw Zhuo Yi fell into the bloody water, tried to catch him but was in vain, she was anxious: "Brother!"

Only now can I see clearly that Zhuo Yi's body has been pierced with several blood holes, and the blood flows down like a spring. Zhuo Ran wants to block it, but she only has two hands, and she can't block it.

"elder brother…"

Zhuo Yi ignored her.

"I won't grab meat from you, brother..."

Still ignore her.

"Brother, take me home..."

Zhuo Yi could no longer take her home.

He still lied to her, he said he didn't shed blood, obviously he said it himself, he had to be honest, he couldn't lie.

She watched Zhuo Yi being washed away by the rushing water, but she couldn't catch up no matter how hard she tried, she lay down in the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood and watched Zhuo Yi's body receding away, sobbing silently.

She doesn't remember how she was taken away by Zhou Yu, or how she went to Gu Qiang.Day after day, she dreamed of lying in blood, dirty, disgusting, helpless, and almost killing her.

Han Congzhong hit her on the hand with a dry bamboo branch, Zhuo Ran suddenly came back to his senses, stared at Han Congzhong for a while, and then gradually returned from the blood.

"Zhuo Yi is very good to you." Han Congzhong said, "He taught you a lot."

Zhuo Ran lowered her head, her eyelashes were covered with a layer of frost, she didn't dare to raise her head, so she could only remain still and said, "Yes."

"Girl, but you also need to know that what he taught you is superficial. The real emperor's art, strategizing, is not that simple." Han Congzhong sighed, "Women should not be content with the status quo. Either live or die, it's all in your mind."

"I want to live!"

Han Congzhong said: "Chu Shiyu has a cold illness, did you know about it?"

Zhuo Ran nodded: "I know."

"tell me the story."

Zhuo Ran said: "Your Majesty seems to favor Yan Qingyao, and made her a noble concubine in charge of the Phoenix seal. She is already a queen in name, but he indulged Ye Lanyi too much. Back then, Ye Lanyi secretly committed suicide many times. After His Majesty found out, I just soaked myself in cold water for three full days, and it was winter again, so I naturally fell ill. But Ye Lanyi didn't seem to appreciate it."

Han Congzhong lifted Zhuo Ran's arm with a bamboo branch: "Stretch!"

He said: "From what you can see, whoever His Majesty likes more."

Zhuo Ran changed his tone and said: "Your Majesty doesn't like anyone. The other characters in the harem are nothing to worry about. The key lies in Xi Qi and Zuo Xiang. It is not a good way for Your Majesty to offend either side. It is better to give hope to both sides. They restrain each other, so His Majesty doesn't need to worry about it himself. He just needs to give some sweetness from time to time."

"Hmm..." Han Congzhong nodded in satisfaction, "Good girl, you are enlightened!"

"A few days later, it will be the day when Ye Ji and Xiao Qijing enter the capital." Han Congzhong searched around for the jug but couldn't find it, so he sat on the ground in a daze, "Oh, it's New Year's Eve."

(End of this chapter)