Denghuaxiao

Chapter 252: Extra : Tower
There is a wooden tower on the drawing desk in Pei Yunying's study.

The wooden tower is very tall, and every piece of wood was cut by him himself with a dagger.

Very few people could enter his study, and everyone who entered his study and saw the wooden tower would be surprised. He was the commander of the Palace Front Department, proficient in music, riding and shooting, but he didn't like drinking and having fun, but had such a strange hobby.

The blocks for his first wooden tower were piled up after his mother passed away.

The wife of Duke Zhaoning was held hostage by the rebel army, and my father watched helplessly as my mother died in their hands. When he learned the news and rushed over, it was too late. When he broke free from the guards and rushed to his mother, he only had time to cover the wound on her neck. The blood gushed out like a spring and could not be cut off. My mother said to him, "Ying'er... run away... run away..."

He always thought that when his mother said "run away", she wanted him to escape from the chaotic army's swords. It was only a long time later that he realized that the words "run away" were referring to him escaping from the Pei family.

He doesn't understand.

His mother died, his uncle's family died, and his maternal grandfather's family was gone. When the new emperor ascended the throne, Pei Di was busy every day. At that time, the Pei family was always gloomy. Pei Yunshu was so shocked that she fell ill, depressed, and couldn't eat.

He learned to make the wontons that his mother often made when she was alive and fed them to Pei Yunshu one spoonful at a time. When Pei Yunshu ate the last one, tears fell from her eyes.

"Aying," my sister cried, "from now on it's just you and me."

From now on, it will be just the two of them.

At that moment, his father's coldness was already evident. Although he was only fourteen years old, he could sense that the successive deaths in his maternal family were suspicious. He tried to get his father to investigate thoroughly, but Pei Di coldly rejected him and strictly forbade him to mention the matter again.

"Don't bring trouble to the Pei family, be a good prince." Pei Di warned, "Don't forget, the Pei family has more than one son."

Of course, the Pei family has more than one son, there is also Pei Yunxiao. Since his mother passed away, he even heard that a matchmaker came to discuss remarriage with Pei Di.

It is impossible for the Duke of Zhaoning, who is in his prime, to be a widower for his wife for the rest of his life. People's hearts are fickle and they change from one day to the next.

So he said coldly: "Without the Pei family and the title of Prince Zhaoning, I can still take revenge."

"There is still a long way to go. We will see what happens."

It is always difficult to find the truth without help. He learned a horrifying secret from the living confidant of his grandfather: the death of his grandfather's family, his uncle's family and his mother were all related to the death of the late crown prince.

It turns out that his enemy is the current emperor, and his father, whose blood is thicker than water, chose the latter between family and glory.

It was a rainy night in autumn. All houses were silent and the rain was falling. The young man sat against the wall, listening coldly to the crickets chirping in the yard. There was a desolate look in his eyes.

The road to revenge is full of difficulties and dangers, with no end in sight, and he is alone, like an ant climbing a mountain.

Can it succeed? How can it succeed? The road ahead is uncertain.

When he was upset, he picked up a branch from outside the door, and carved it carefully with the silver-gleaming dagger, gradually carving it into a round piece of wood.

Pei Yunying looked at the piece of wood for a long time and made up his mind.

When a person is born, when the sun rises, he will be slow to climb the mountain, and fast to descend the mountain.

He is young and strong, so why not seize this opportunity? His mother should not die in vain. If a child can tolerate the hatred of his family, how is he different from an animal?
Revenge is difficult, as difficult as climbing to the sky, but small pieces of wood accumulated over the years can also be piled up into a towering tower.

To kill the sky, you must first ascend to the sky.

He placed the block of wood on the desk.

So he decided to take revenge.

An old man from the Privy Council who had an old relationship with my grandfather gave Pei Yunying a ring and asked him to go to southern Jiangsu to find someone. Emperor Liang Ming designed the death of the former crown prince during the autumn hunt, and killed all the people who knew about it. But there were always one or two fish that slipped through the net, who realized something was wrong in advance and fled. He wanted to bring the "witness" back to Shengjing to become the "weight" for revenge.

So he took his knife and went to southern Jiangsu.

The journey is not easy. He once lived a life of luxury, not suffering from worldly pains, but when he set out on the road, he saw all the other travelers, staying at night and traveling in the morning, accompanied by a single lamp, traveling north and south by boat, and gradually he understood.

He went through untold hardships to find the "witness" and persuaded the other party to go back to Beijing with him. However, he was stabbed in the back by the "witness" and the other party informed the government to hunt him down. He escaped with a narrow escape and thought he was doomed to die, but he met a thief who was picking up corpses in the execution ground where he was hiding.

The thief who picked up the corpse clasped his hands together and prayed, while he skillfully carried away the dead man's heart and liver.

He was unbelievable and forced the thief to save him at knife point.

The thief was a young girl with poor medical skills. She sewed the wound in a messy way. She wore a face scarf in the cold weather and was full of secrets.

He smiled on his face, but felt indifferent in his heart.

There are countless poor people in the world, but he has no interest in the suffering of others and does not want to ask about it.

But perhaps the snow in southern Jiangsu was too cold that night, or the flame of the oil lamp under the dilapidated statue was too warm. In the quiet lamplight, he was actually moved for a moment. He allowed the other party to force him to carve a debt note on the wall and gave her the silver ring.

He thought that this reward was too light for his savior.

He survived, returned to Shengjing, experienced an ambush, and met Yan Xu.

Later, this experience became the second "wood" of the wooden tower.

他第三颗木块来自于加入严胥以后，这位曾与母亲提过亲被拒绝，在众人口中爱而不得的枢密院指挥使似乎十分讨厌他，每日让他和不同人交手训练，车轮般绝不停歇，每每被揍得鼻青脸肿还不算，开始要他接任务，任务免不了杀人。

It was the first time he killed someone. After returning home, he washed his hands over and over again until his fingers were red. Later, he went to the ancestral hall and stared at his mother's tablet in a daze.

This is just the beginning, and perhaps many more people will be killed in the future. Some things cannot be ended once they begin. This road is indeed difficult to walk. Halfway through, you can neither go up nor down, but you cannot turn back.

He silently whittled off the third piece of wood and placed it on the desk.

The fourth piece of wood came from an interrogation. Yan Xu asked him to sit and watch. The person being interrogated had participated in the autumn hunting of the former crown prince. Yan Xu wanted to interrogate him. The man was very stubborn. The secret prison of the Privy Council was gloomy. They made a hole in the man's chest, put a black rat in it, and then roasted it with fire. The black rat was affected by the fire and kept making holes in the man's body with its claws, making the man bloody.

The man screamed miserably. After coming out, he held on to the sycamore tree at the door and vomited for a long time.

Yan Xu sneered as he walked past him: "Get used to it sooner or later, otherwise, you will be the one being interrogated in the future."

He returned home, closed his eyes for a long time, and placed the fourth piece of wood on the top of the wooden tower.

The wooden towers gradually piled up like a mountain, each piece of wood was round and sharp. He took on many tasks, killed many people, and when he entered the interrogation room, he was able to torture and interrogate the prisoners with ease.

When you reach a high place, you get used to living with a mask on, talking, laughing, killing, walking, with no waves in your heart.

His tower was gradually taking shape, and he hadn't added a single block of wood to it for a long time.

Until I met Lu Tong.

……

Lu Tong is a person with secrets.

From the first time he saw her, from the moment he saw that velvet flower as sharp as a silver needle, even though the woman was delicate and pitiful, he saw disgust and hatred in her eyes at first sight.

Hatred.

He was most familiar with hatred.

So at the Wan'en Temple where the Qinglian Festival was held, he became suspicious the moment he caught a glimpse of her wrist.

It is strange that a female doctor with a miraculous hand and kind heart could actually be a female demon who kills people at night. She is calm and indifferent, but wherever she goes, there is always bloodshed, either by accident or by chance.

When the imperial examination fraud case was exposed, Lu Tong was involved in it. He was innocent and had nothing to do with it, but there were traces of her everywhere. So when he received the report, he personally brought people to the door, thinking that he would catch the female devil.

Who knew that what was buried under the tree was pork.

The woman looked at him with mockery and ridicule, then turned around and framed him for the murder without hesitation.

She was bold and fearless, and in her eyes, he could only see madness.

He admired her scheming and calmness, but he suspected that she was the prince's or the third prince's person, or perhaps the Liang Ming Emperor's person, otherwise she would not be so fearless without anyone's support. However, she was a commoner and could not find any clues. He tried repeatedly, but she was impeccable.

It just so happened that she saved her sister at this time and owed her a favor.

In this world, it is hard to repay a debt of gratitude. And the person she saved was the most important person to him. He exposed his weakness in front of Lu Tong, but he knew nothing about her.

After that, she had a competitive mentality, three parts sincerity and seven parts testing, unwilling to be at a disadvantage. He was the one who tortured and extorted a confession, while she was the most difficult prisoner to pry open, and sometimes she even became the host.

The chance encounter at Yuxian Tower and the hiding on a snowy night, fate always brings them together intentionally or unintentionally.

He once asked Lu Tong with a smile: "As the saying goes, 'If you show kindness to others, you will meet them everywhere in life. If you do not make enemies, it will be difficult to avoid them when you meet someone on a narrow road.'"

"Doctor Lu, is the relationship between you and me one of gratitude or hatred?"

Lu Tong raised her eyelids to look at him and replied coldly, "It's a bad fate."

Bad fate.

This fate is really not a happy one.

Especially when he found out that his name was also on Lu Tong's kill list.

He had thought of many possible identities for Lu Tong, including the crown prince, the third prince, Emperor Ming of Liang, and even others, but he did not expect that she was just an ordinary female doctor who came to Beijing alone for her family. Without any background or support, she deceived him and used a fictitious "big shot" to add weight to herself.

All for revenge.

People who are at the end of their ropes always go crazy with all their might. The incense mixed with drugs was split in two, her dagger was as fragile as she was, the fireworks reflected the mud, the woman sat in the mess, her voice was like a cry that she was trying hard to hold back. "I don't need fairness, I can find fairness myself."

He stopped.

The person in front of me suddenly resembled the young man in the ancestral hall when I was a child.

He was like that at that time, with nothing but himself.

Time passed by so quickly that he almost forgot how he felt when he was fourteen years old, but he saw himself back then in the woman in front of him.

So he handed over a handkerchief.

On New Year's Eve, the fireworks at Dechuntai would last for a long time. When he returned home, it was already very late. Pei Yunshu and Baozhu had already gone to bed. He entered the study, and on the desk, the wooden tower, which had not been touched for a long time, stood quietly.

He sat down, and that night placed a log on the wooden tower.

……

A long time later, he and Lu Tong had married, and the guards in front of the palace were drinking and chatting, and they talked about whether women's tears were useful to men. He passed by and was stopped by his men to ask the answer to this question.

He replied: "It depends on the person."

Someone else asked, "How are Dr. Lu's tears?"

Another guard cheered him on: "Doctor Lu won't cry!"

Lu Tong acted calmly and collected, and indeed did not look like someone who would cry.

Pei Yunying didn't say anything, but his mind recalled the tears he shed on New Year's Eve.

He thought that he couldn't stand her tears at all.

It seemed that it was from New Year's Eve that the wooden tower that he had not built for a long time began to gradually grow higher.

Lu Tong was sent to the Southern Pharmacy to pick red catkins, and was tortured by Zhu Mao. Cui Min of the Medical Officer's Office, influenced by the Minister of Taifu Temple, deliberately asked her to see Jin Xianrong... She always had a lot of troubles, many of which were self-inflicted. He watched coldly, wanting to be an indifferent outsider, but he always paid attention to her unconsciously.

He had complicated feelings towards Lu Tong.

On the one hand, she felt that she was overestimating her own abilities and that dealing with the Qi family in this way was like hitting a rock with an egg. On the other hand, she strangely believed in her heart that as long as she wanted to, she could succeed, and she would definitely succeed.

But he couldn't help but worry, so he helped her secretly, as if he had some expectations for her, and even went beyond his limits. Go to Mangming Township, talk about the Yang family...

The wooden tower she knocked over was in pieces, and things went out of control from that moment on.

Xiao Zhufeng saw through it at a glance and always teased and ridiculed him, but he didn't take it seriously.

Until the hunting trip outside Beijing.

The moment he saw Lu Tong injured, he was so angry that he almost drew his sword and killed Qi Yutai in public. He couldn't bear to see Lu Tong being humble in front of others, and couldn't bear to see her endure humiliation and bow her head in front of her enemies. Why should the person he wanted to protect be trampled on?
The feeling of emotion cannot be denied.

Pei Yunying wanted to help her get revenge, but was rejected. Lu Tong always refused help from others. He approached her again and again, but was pushed away again and again. The wooden tower in the study was knocked down by her once, and he did not continue to pile it up, but he was still distressed.

She became a new problem.

There are always many problems in the world, and I have heard that it is difficult for men to understand women's hearts. Lu Tong is one of the best.

Sometimes he felt that the other person might be interested in him, but the next moment, she threw away the comb and pushed him away coldly.

He didn't understand what Lu Tong was thinking.

After the Nuo ritual, Qi Yutai died at the hands of her biological father. Qi Qing was at the end of her rope, and she was determined to die with Qi Qing. He rushed to stop Lu Tong, but when he looked into her eyes, he suddenly realized that she didn't want to live at all.

Fortunately, Chang Jin took her to southern Jiangsu.

Everything had been arranged, and he had no worries. He stayed in Shengjing to add the final touch to his long-planned revenge.

During the reign of Emperor Liang Ming, bribery and selling of official positions were rampant in the court. Grand Tutor Qi Qing doted on his evil son and formed a clique to cover up the virtuous. There were also many people in the court who secretly disliked him. The Privy Council and the Palace Guards were unified, and Prince Ning launched an uprising to force the emperor to abdicate, which was incredibly smooth.

The Third Prince and the Crown Prince fought openly and secretly, and they had never let this idle prince go. They had been indulging in comfort while lying dormant for a long time.

During the fight, Emperor Liang Ming pointed at him with a trembling hand: "Pei Yunying, how dare you rebel against me?"

He smiled faintly: "When it comes to rebellion, who can compare with Your Majesty?"

"you……"

"A person like you," Pei Yunying said coldly, "are you worthy of being a king?"

"Why not?" the emperor roared, "How am I inferior to Yuan Xi? It's because he is the crown prince, and the throne should be in his hands. He has loyal ministers and brothers, and the best of everything. Father lied to me, saying that I am his favorite son, but in fact he is partial to me and wants to leave all the best things to him!"

"They all deserve to die!"

"I shouldn't have kept you back then!" Emperor Liang Ming panted, staring at the approaching Prince Ning with a ferocious expression, "And you! You have endured for so many years just for this moment... What an idle prince!"

"Brother, isn't it the same?" King Ning sneered, "You should be thankful that you have been in possession of the stolen goods for so many years."

"It's ridiculous for a thief to dream of conquering the country."

The blade cut through, and all grudges came to an abrupt end.

The revenge that he had planned for many years finally came to an end. When he looked back at the past, he could not remember the path he had taken and felt empty inside.

I wonder if Lu Tong felt the same as he did when he looked up at the fireworks by the Changle Pond on the night when he got his revenge?
After he had taken care of Yan Xu's funeral in Shengjing, Yuan Lang asked him to go to Qishui. He knew that Yuan Lang did it on purpose. His Royal Highness Prince Ning, who had been with him for many years, still retained some of his former gossip and worldly wisdom even after ascending the throne.

He is quick to accept advice.

Pei Yunying thought very clearly that when people get along with each other, it is like walking face to face, some people walk fast and some walk slowly.

It doesn't matter if she walks slowly, he is willing to walk a few more steps.

He was glad he took a few more steps.

Only then did I realize how miserable, painful, and lonely she had been.

It turns out that she had been pushing herself away because she had a deeper unspeakable secret.

When he was young, he was very proud and arrogant. He always refused to respond to invitations from others. His mother told him, "Aye, if you continue like this, no one will talk to you in the future."

"unnecessary."

"But, Aye, if a person's life, whether happy or unhappy, is experienced by one person alone, it will be very lonely."

Lu Tong had once felt so lonely.

Fortunately, it won’t happen again in the future.

From now on, no matter the joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, love and hate, he will share them with her.

He walked into the study room, where Lu Tong was sitting at the desk, carefully building his wooden tower. The wooden tower stood tall in a ball, and the top one just couldn't be put in place neatly. After repeating this several times, Lu Tong's face was already showing impatience.

He pursed his lips, walked behind her, held her hand and moved the block upwards, saying, "Don't be anxious. Building a tower requires concentration."

She was in his arms, her hair brushing his chin. She paused and said unhappily, "How can I be at peace with you here?"

"Tsk, are you blaming me for distracting you?"

"if not?"

"It's all my face's fault," he sighed.

Lu Tong turned around and stared at him with frowned brows. After a while, he said seriously, "This face does look like an old friend of mine."

"What old friend?"

"An old friend who owes me money."

He raised his eyebrows: "I don't have money, but I have a person, do you want it?"

Lu Tong pretended to be disgusted: "It's okay, the face is okay."

“…Then I made a profit.”

She looked up at him for a moment and couldn't help laughing.

Pei Yunying also laughed.

The wooden tower stood quietly on the table. It had been piled up grain by grain, and then suddenly pushed down by someone, over and over again, back and forth, witnessing his past and present, fragility and strength.

The future is long, and he cannot say that he will no longer be confused, but he has not built a wooden tower for a long time.

She is the last one.

It is also the most important.