Jiuxi

Chapter 437 Chapter 435 [As white as snow on the mountain]

In Dongnuan Pavilion, Li Duan put his hands behind his back and looked at the topographic map of the world quietly.

When he first came to the throne fourteen years ago, Daqi's situation was very precarious. The area occupied by Jingzhou in the north of Hengjiang only had Pingyang City, and nearly half of Huaizhou's territory was in flames of war.

At that time, people in both the government and the public were in panic, fearing that Jing's army would cross the Yangtze River and go south. This is why the imperial palace and various government offices were in Nancheng - when the situation was critical, the emperor and his ministers could evacuate south in time.

Nowadays, Jingzhou governs a large area of land in the north of the Yangtze River. The people of Huaizhou live and work in peace and contentment. Dingzhou further north has returned to the rule of Da Qi. The world situation has undergone great changes compared to fourteen years ago.

From the situation when the dynasty was almost overturned to now having a firm foothold and regaining the confidence to compete for supremacy, Li Duan should be proud.

But there was no complacency on his face, he was as calm as ever.

Qin Zheng slowly walked in, bowed and said: "Your Majesty."

Li Duan looked back and then waved his hand for the palace people to step back.

He walked to the imperial court and sat down, and said: "You are right, Lu Chen and Li Bingxue are indeed somewhat in love. However, two equally outstanding young people are not married, and they have fought side by side several times. It’s very common to live and die together and look at each other.”

Lu Chen nodded and said, "Excellent."

Li Bingxue could tell at a glance that this guy didn't mean what he said, so he said seriously: "Just say it."

"I just performed well, right?"

Nancheng, Huai'an County Government House.

……

Although Li Bingxue had cheered up and showed no flaws on the surface, in the eyes of Li Duan and Qin Zheng, two monarchs who were accustomed to seeing people's hearts, her various performances were naturally inseparable from the four words of concealment.

Lu Chen coughed lightly and said slowly: "Under normal circumstances, your words and deeds are enough to deceive others. But based on my understanding of His Majesty, since he will take the initiative to ask you what reward you want, and specifically give it to me in front of you. Granting a marriage means that he has determined something. No matter how unfamiliar we are at this time, even if we fight in front of His Majesty, he can still conclude that this is a cover-up. "

Li Duan nodded and said: "Now that they understand my thoughts and understand the true meaning of the word "give up," you can remove the people around Li Bingxue from now on."

Qin Zheng respectfully agreed, and then said: "I have found out that Ning Yuanfu went to Qiushan Lane on the night of the rebellion, but His Highness the Third Highness did not agree to their proposal."

Li Bingxue spat angrily and funny.

In the flower hall, Li Bingxue was sipping tea and talking with a smile.

"Speak carefully, what does it mean to become one?"

Lu Chen continued: "However, we don't have to worry. His Majesty did not mention this matter in person, which means that he will not interfere in our personal relations. As long as the matter is not brought to light, he will turn a blind eye. Your Majesty has too many things to worry about, so he can only spare a little energy to remind us that the border troops cannot be integrated into one body."

Qin Zhengdao: "How about I remind Lu Chen tactfully?"

Qin Zheng bowed and said: "I obey your order."

Li Bingxue was slightly startled, and then she wanted to understand the secret behind this.

Li Duan said calmly: "No need now."

Qin Zheng thought for a moment and sighed: "It's rare."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Li Duan closed his eyes slightly after hearing the words, and said after a long time: "The third child will not give up. He just knows that I have a great chance of winning, so he refuses to accompany those people to death. When I am here, the Queen and the Xu family dare not do anything without permission, but in the future After the second son ascends the throne, they may not be willing to stay dormant. They will take advantage of this opportunity to deal with those clans and take action with the Xu family. It is up to you to handle this matter carefully, so as to thoroughly punish the Xu family. , and we can’t leave corpses everywhere.”

He briefly explained what had just happened, especially Li Bingxue's several detailed responses.

Lu Chen gradually relaxed when he looked at her bright smile.

Since ancient times, the emotional entanglements between men and women have always been untied and confused, especially a man like him who is not very good at guessing his daughter's thoughts. He is not sure how Li Bingxue will react after hearing that his marriage has been finalized on the spot. .

So he specially sent Li Bingxue back to his home.

"I know what you're worried about."

Li Bingxue put down the tea cup, raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "Are you afraid that I will be jealous, and then I will fall out with Sister Lin, or even have an irreconcilable conflict? Or are you worried that I will be so upset that I will stay up all night and shed tears?"

"Of course not."

Lu Chen looked directly into her eyes and said sternly: "The Li Bingxue I know is a brave general on the battlefield who can stand upright with his sword, and a heroine who shines brightly and gracefully."

Li Bingxue's eyes curled up like the moon, and she said with a smile: "That sounds right. In fact, I had expected what happened today. After all, you are going to get married after all. Sister Lin and the Wang family can't waste their time waiting for you. . Even this day is much later than I expected. I originally thought that your marriage would be put on the agenda after the Heluo War, but I didn't expect it to be delayed for so long. Therefore, I had already prepared for it. Not so heartbroken.”

Lu Chen listened quietly.

Li Bingxue stood up and walked to the window, looking at the bleak autumn scenery outside the window, and said leisurely: "In my life, I despise people who go back on their word the most, and I hold myself to this standard. Back then in this mansion, at the White Horse Crossing in Xinzhou , I have already told you that you are the man that Li Bingxue likes. However, Li Bingxue is Li Tianrun's daughter. She wants to inherit her father's will and fight for the Li family until the end, so she cannot marry her husband and raise her children, and she cannot be trapped in the house. . Not to mention, the emperor’s views on the border troops are also involved between you and me.”

A piece of withered yellow leaves drifted quietly in the courtyard.

Li Bingxue watched the fallen leaves fall to the ground, then turned to look at Lu Shen and said: "In the final analysis, this is my own choice, how can I express my anger at others? On the contrary, my congratulations in front of His Majesty are not pretentious, but a sincere blessing. You and Sister Lin." Lu Chen looked up at her, with a bit of pity in his eyes, and said slowly, "But the burden on your shoulders is too heavy."

Li Bingxue tilted her head slightly, thought for a while and said: "My brother and I have had completely different paths. He has been quiet and reserved since he was a child, and his brain is smarter than mine. He is good at discerning people's hearts and strategizing. But I don't like red makeup by nature, and I have been since I was six or seven years old. When I was with my father, I loved watching his soldiers compete. Later, I started to practice martial arts. Even the masters hired by my father praised me for my outstanding talent. When I got older, I went on patrol with my father's guards. , there was no Feiyu Camp at that time.”

This was the first time she told Lu Chen about her childhood experiences.

"The soldiers of the frontier army actually lived a very hard life, especially the comrades on the front line. I have seen them face life and death without having time to shed tears. I have seen them blood-stained battlefields and horse-leather corpses countless times. I have also seen my father counting the days for several days. I can't sleep at night, and I have seen one man after another fight to the death against the enemy and refuse to give in. Do you know how many men from the Li family have sacrificed their lives for the country in the past thirty years?"

There was a bit of desolation in Li Bingxue's eyes.

Lu Chen stood up and shook his head solemnly.

Li Bingxue said word by word: "Seventy-six people."

Lu Chen looked in awe.

Li Bingxue took a breath and continued: "You probably don't know that your Majesty forced my father many years ago not to allow my brother to go into battle to kill the enemy, because your Majesty did not want to see the Li family die. However, The Li family has sacrificed so many people, how can the younger generation be afraid to move forward? It happened that my martial arts talent was far better than that of my brother, so when I was fifteen years old, I told my father that I wanted to go into battle. "

At this moment, her eyes were firm and determined.

Lu Chen said seriously: "I guarantee that the Northern Expedition will succeed."

Li Bingxue looked at him steadily, smiled brightly, and said softly: "Don't break the promise."

"no way."

Lu Chen didn't make long and impassioned speeches, but Li Bingxue knew his temperament very well, and these two words meant that no matter how bumpy the road ahead was, he would do everything he could to achieve it.

The smile on Li Bingxue's face became brighter and brighter, as if she had completely let go of the entanglements in her heart. She changed the topic and said: "Now that the overall situation in Beijing has been decided, His Majesty has taken back all the power of the Beijing army. You will also go to Shazhou on business in the near future. I guess it’s time to say goodbye.”

Lu Chen asked: "Are you going back to Jingzhou?"

"Ah."

Li Bingxue responded, and then said: "If Jingjun has plans to go south, autumn and winter are the most suitable seasons. Although they are most likely to target Dingzhou, they do not rule out the possibility of the other party setting up suspicious formations to harass Jingzhou. Fei The Yuying camp is not only a weapon for breaking through formations and killing enemies on the battlefield, but it is also the eyes and ears of the more than 100,000 comrades of the Jingzhou Army. Furthermore, I am a little worried about my father's health, even though Mr. Xue, the miraculous doctor, is taking good care of me. , but autumn and winter are a bit difficult for patients.”

Lu Chen asked, "When will we set off? Lin Xi and I will go see you off."

Li Bingxue said calmly: "No need."

Lu Chen nodded. Since the words had been clearly stated, there was really no need to add to the entanglement.

At this moment, Li Bingxue suddenly said: "Lu Chen, I have a question."

Seeing the rare hesitation on her face, Lu Chen suddenly guessed what the question was, so he said seriously: "I can answer it."

Li Bingxue said: "I want to hear your answer."

For a time, it seemed like countless memories poured into Lu Chen's mind.

The startling glimpse outside Guangling City, the life hanging by a thread in Xiliu Alley, the white horse in red clothes and white snow beside the ferry, and the galloping wind in Leize Plain.

The sound of thunder, rain, laughter, and fighting merged into a long and generous song, witnessing every moment of their journey.

He looked into Li Bingxue's eyes and said softly: "I know your heart, and mine is the same."

Li Bingxue stepped forward, and Lu Chen stretched out his hands to embrace her.

Silent.

a long time.

Li Bingxue raised her head, stood on tiptoes slightly, and touched Lu Chen's lips lightly.

Then he let go of his hand and took two steps back.

She smiled and said: "We will meet again on the battlefield tomorrow."

"it is good."

A smile finally appeared on Lu Chen's face.

Goodbye.

Li Bingxue looked at his leaving back, her shining eyes like stars in the night sky.