Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 241: Things are different, people are different, everything is over, tears flow before words can be spoken

On the day of the Banquet of All Nations, the sun was shining, the sky was clear and the air was fresh, it was a rare good weather.

Upon hearing that Zhao Wumian was determined to go to Shu to challenge the Sword Master, many martial artists in the capital had already left, but more people chose to stay in the capital, discussing today's competition.

To put it simply, the Banquet of All Nations is that envoys from various countries present gifts in public to show their loyalty and so on. Later, Luo Chaoyan waves her hand and rewards them with some gold, silver and jewelry in return to show that both sides are still in harmony, you are my father, I am your son... In fact, it is meaningless. What really arouses the interest of the common people is the martial arts competition.

In previous years, envoys from various states mostly fought against each other to show off their own country's style. This year, Goguryeo directly stated that it wanted to challenge Weiminghou, which was a big deal... Now that it had risen to the level of a war between countries, the meaning was completely different.

Wei Minghou represents the Dali underworld. If he loses this match, the Dali underworld will be inferior to others for many years to come and will be looked down upon by the Goguryeo underworld, to a degree no less than the Chinese national table tennis team transporting sticks to the Olympics.

But if they win, they will naturally be very proud and show off to Goguryeo... Didn't they threaten to challenge Weiming Hou as soon as they arrived in the capital? Keep shouting?

The Forbidden City was not as bustling as the marketplace. Civil and military officials dressed in court robes stood in front of the Taiji Hall and on both sides of the Imperial Road, waiting for the Emperor.

However, it was still a little early at this time, so the officials were a little noisy and whispered to each other. They were not very interested in the martial arts competition and were mainly discussing government affairs.

Chief Constable Su and Xu Ran were also among them. As the two most prominent martial arts masters in the Dali court, they basically never left the capital, so most matters that required "business trips" would be given to Zhao Wumian.

Shen Yiwen stood in the front row, pondered for a moment, then stepped back a few steps, came to the side of the two men, and asked in a low voice: "I wonder what you two think of this martial arts competition between Wei Minghou and Wei Minghou?"

"Zhao Wumian will not lose." Chief Constable Su shook his head slightly and said lightly.

Shen Yiwen nodded, "I think so too, but it is not appropriate to kick the Goguryeo warriors to death as if they were stray dogs... Why not send a few young men to fight Miao Yixi before Wei Ming Hou fights him? If Miao Yixi can win, then when he is defeated by Wei Ming Hou in the end, it won't be too embarrassing for Goguryeo."

Shen Yiwen's consideration was more thoughtful, so as to avoid causing Goguryeo to lose too badly.

Xu Ran and Chief Constable Su pondered for a while and nodded... After all, this is not the martial arts world, and they still need to consider Goguryeo.

Tap tap tap——————

After a few words, footsteps were heard in front of the Taiji Hall. All the civil and military officials on both sides of the imperial road were silent, no longer speaking, with solemn expressions.

In front of the palace gate, Luo Chaoyan, wearing a wide dragon robe with dark red colors, walked out slowly from the palace. Her face was lightly powdered, her lips were vermilion, and there was a flame between her eyebrows. Her long hair was tied up with a golden hairpin with a dragon pattern, leaving not a single strand covering her neck. Her beautiful and delicate face had no expression, and she was majestic without being angry. At first glance, she no longer had any of her former gentleness and virtue, but only the majesty and elegance of the master of the world.

Li means Nanli, which means fire. Dark red has been the royal color of Dali since ancient times. However, since they took control of the Central Plains, they gradually changed the dragon robes to bright yellow. Today, Luo Chaoyan specially put on the dark red dragon robe, which made the civil and military officials feel a little confused, but then their doubts were resolved.

But Zhao Wumian was half a step behind Luo Chaoyan, wearing a dark red python robe outlined with gold thread and a rare crown, looking very noble. His handsome and elegant face also had no expression, and he looked cold and otherworldly. But now that he was standing next to Luo Chaoyan, anyone who saw them would have to praise them for being a perfect match, saying that they were a talented man and a beautiful woman.

With Zhao Wumian's status, he should have stood with the civil and military officials, but Luo Chaoyan insisted on letting him stay by her side, so there was really nothing he could do. But at this moment, as he walked out of the Taiji Hall and looked at the civil and military officials on the imperial road, Zhao Wumian vaguely thought that he was the Emperor of Dali.

But this thought only lasted for a moment before he was attracted by the woman next to him.

Today, Luo Chaoyan dressed up specially, put on makeup, and sprinkled powder. The faint fragrance was like millions of butterflies, flying towards Zhao Wumian.

The emperor's majestic appearance at this moment made Zhao Wumian feel itchy in his heart.

The Emperor of Dali, the common ruler of the world, always shows favoritism to himself.

The so-called kingdom is not even half as valuable as the woman beside you.

Zhao Wumian had a stern face, and in front of all the civil and military officials, he whispered to Luo Chaoyan, "Your Majesty, you smell so good."

Luo Chaoyan's face still had no expression, and she didn't respond. It was unknown whether she heard it or not... Mainly because she didn't know how to transmit secret message.

Female official Zhongli walked at the end of Luo Chaoyan, rolled up her sleeves and lightly lifted the hem of her dragon robe.

Seeing Luo Chaoyan's serious look, Zhao Wumian couldn't help but want to tease her, so he continued to whisper, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what kind of perfume did you use today?"

Luo Chaoyan still ignored Zhao Wumian, took light steps, walked down the stone steps, and came to the sedan chair.

The emperor's sedan chair had a silk cushion, a golden dragon head, and a canopy with tulle hanging down, which was extremely luxurious.

Luo Chaoyan raised her little hand slightly, and Zhao Wumian bent her arm.

Luo Chaoyan pressed Zhao Wumian's arm with her small hand under her sleeve and pinched it hard. Then, with Zhao Wumian's support, she sat into the sedan chair.

Xu Ran and Chief Constable Su are the strongest, so this little trick would definitely not be hidden from them, but they both had no expression on their faces at the moment, pretending they saw nothing.

The chief eunuch, Lao Li, also known as Eunuch Li, raised his voice and shouted, "Go, my lord!"

The sedan chair moved forward, and after it passed the civil and military officials, the officials followed closely behind it.

Only after leaving the palace did the palace servants who had been waiting in advance bring the horses.

Zhao Wumian turned over and rode on the Zhaoye Jade Lion. He took the horizontal sword from the palace servant, hung it diagonally on his waist, and rode beside the sedan chair to act as a guard.

Xu Ran and Chief Constable Su also rode on tall horses, with alert eyes and always paying attention to their surroundings.

The journey to Zhuwu Lake is a bit long, crossing half of the capital. Now I am sitting in a sedan chair mainly to let the common people know who the current emperor is... It never hurts to show my face in front of the people.

After a while, the pedestrians on the street started to make noise, and the carriages passing by also pulled over to both sides to make way for Luo Chaoyan.

The Empress Dowager also sat in a sedan chair, following behind Luo Chaoyan. She was wearing a golden and red phoenix skirt, and placed her buttocks on the cushion properly. She was unusually serious, with her eyes straight ahead, maintaining her royal majesty. However, her appearance was too intimidating. Unlike Luo Chaoyan, the Empress Dowager felt backache after sitting for a while, and it seemed that she could not hold on any longer, so she tapped the armrest of the sedan chair with her finger and asked Lian Xue to call Zhao Wumian over to talk to her.

On the side of the street, in a carriage, Xiao Yuanmu raised his hand and gently pulled the curtain, looking to the side and front.

The royal guards in black armor rode on tall horses and led the way in front. Looking a little further back, there were two luxurious carriages. Through the curtains, one could vaguely see the women sitting upright inside, looking graceful and elegant.

Next to the carriage was a young man in a dragon robe with a handsome face and a refined and noble temperament.

Xiao Yuanmu subconsciously exerted force with his hand that was pinching the curtain, and several small holes appeared on the silk curtain.

She looked at the man in the dragon robe expressionlessly, but saw a maid dressed as a palace maid trotting and saying something to the young man. The young man then slowed down his horse, came to the second carriage, and said something to the woman inside.

With Xiao Yuanmu's martial arts skills, she could hear the conversation between the two people no matter how noisy the street was.

"Empress Dowager, what's the matter? Are you feeling unwell?"

Queen Mother?

The Queen Mother took advantage of the time when Zhao Wumian was talking to her to lean back and relax. She opened her red lips and said, "Where is your master? We had agreed that night to have her come to the ship as a guard so that we can take care of her. Why can't we see her now?"

Master?

"Well... I think she is still at the Jianzong branch. I stayed in the palace all night last night... I will go to the branch to pick her up after I send Her Majesty to the ship."

Staying overnight in Ouchi?
The Queen Mother nodded slightly. "She has a stubborn personality, but she always sticks to her word. Since we have already agreed, she will not regret it... Have you seen Xiang Ge recently?"

Zhao Wumian also went to the Shen Mansion to look for Shen Xiangge these days. Shen Xiangge said that as a disciple of Canghua Tower, he also had things to do, but this matter must not be told to the Queen Mother, so Zhao Wumian helped to cover up, "Miss Shen is a stay-at-home girl, you know about that, she is determined to stay at home, and I can't pull her out."

Miss Shen?
The Queen Mother held her forehead with her hand, feeling a little embarrassed, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed Marquis Wei Ming. I'll go to the Shen Mansion and teach her a lesson when I have time."

"I'll go with the Queen Mother, and I'd better use a willow stick to spank her."

Spanking? Who's going to spank me, you?

The Queen Mother continued, "That night, I discussed your marriage with Xiangge with your master."

marriage?

Zhao Wumian was stunned for a moment, then waved his hands repeatedly, "It is true that the matchmaker's words are true, but I still want to make my own decision on marriage, and I believe Miss Shen feels the same way."

The Queen Mother nodded, "I know the personalities of both of you, but I am still worried. You also know that Xiang Ge is already 25 years old... Lord Marquis, can you give me a definite answer, do you have feelings for Xiang Ge or not?"

Xiao Yuanmu continued to stare at the nobleman in the dragon robe with an expressionless face.

Zhao Wumian regarded the Queen Mother as an elder in his heart. Facing this kind of question, he felt a sense of urgency, as if he was being questioned by an elder during the Chinese New Year. He said helplessly, "To be honest, I am interested in you... but our relationship is not good enough to discuss marriage. We should just let nature take its course and take things slowly."

Oh? Are you interested in that so-called Miss Shen?
The Queen Mother was obviously not satisfied with this answer. She frowned and asked, "Then your relationship with Miss Su has reached the stage of discussing marriage? Aren't you still living in the Su Mansion?"

tear-

She tore off a piece of Xiao Yuanmu's car curtain, but Xiao Yuanmu didn't notice it.

Zhao Wumian shook his head, "I have already let Miss Su down, I can't let Miss Shen down again."

Miss Su and Miss Shen again. How many young ladies from aristocratic families do you know?
The Queen Mother glanced at Zhao Wumian with a hint of dissatisfaction, "It's a good thing that the Marquis has a sense of responsibility, but if you keep thinking about what you should apologize for and what you deserve, you don't really understand women...

Go back and ask Miss Su, does she really think you are sorry for her? Sometimes it is okay to be tough on women, just like the nun in Xiao Xitian. Your Majesty often mentions your relationship with you two. According to me, if you are tough on her and help her break her vows, maybe she will let go of her insistence and be a marquis' wife at ease. "

A nun from Xiaoxitian?

"If you let go of the Miss Guan you insist on, will you still be Miss Guan?" Zhao Wumian asked back.

The Queen Mother was speechless, her red lips pursed, and she began to speak in a scoundrelly manner, "My Lord, how come you are unwilling to even say something nice to make me happy? On this festive day, if you continue to be like this, I will not cheer you on in the martial arts competition later."

"Just because all nations come to pay tribute is a festive day? It's a real festive day when the Queen Mother is happy."

"Why?" the Queen Mother asked with a bit of girlish innocence.

"Have you ever heard of the story of King Zhou and Daji? As the saying goes, a beautiful woman's smile..."

I don't know if the Queen Mother has heard of it, but Zhao Wumian has told Xiao Yuanmu the story of King Zhou and Daji before. You use the story you told me to please another woman?
A Taixuan Palace disciple who was sitting next to Xiao Yuanmu keenly noticed that something was wrong with the mood of his palace master, and thought that she had seen the current emperor and intended to assassinate him, so he hurriedly grabbed her hand, signaling her not to be impulsive. This is the capital, and the combat power on the surface alone is two martial arts champions and tens of thousands of troops, not to mention some immortals hiding in the dark.

If you really take action, you might be able to kill the emperor, but you will also die here... It will be of no use at all to the overall situation.

Xiao Yuanmu ignored the Taixuan Palace disciples beside him, and just looked at Zhao Wumian who was walking from the front with an expressionless face. Gradually, Zhao Wumian rode his horse from the front to Xiao Yuanmu's carriage.

Although Zhao Wumian was chatting with the Queen Mother, he did not relax his vigilance and kept looking around. A hole in the curtain of Xiao Yuanmu's carriage attracted his attention.

He then turned his head to look at the carriage on the side of the street and met Xiao Yuanmu's eyes inside the carriage.

The noisy and bustling streets seemed to have vanished into nothingness at this moment, and not a sound was heard.

Xiao Yuanmu sat upright in the carriage, revealing only his exquisite profile. He glanced at Zhao Wumian, looking into his eyes.

Tap tap tap————

The sound of horse hooves rang in his ears, but Zhao Wumian did not stop his horse and continued to move forward.

Along with the crisp sound of horse hooves, Zhao Wumian's figure disappeared from Xiao Yuanmu's sight, and then the noisy sounds from the street followed like a tide.

Xiao Yuanmu still had no expression on his face. He just slowly withdrew his gaze, looked at the carriage, and then silently closed his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

"Palace Master?" A disciple of Taixuan Palace called Xiao Yuanmu softly.

On the street, Zhao Wumian still looked back at the carriage, his brows tightly furrowed.

The Queen Mother looked at Zhao Wumian curiously, "That girl is indeed beautiful, but you wouldn't keep staring at her, would you? And she seems to be quite young... Do you like this style?"

"I didn't notice whether she was pretty or not." Zhao Wumian looked away, his tone slightly blank, "It was just that my heart skipped a beat when I saw her."

"Love at first sight?" the Queen Mother asked teasingly.

"How is that possible?" Zhao Wumian smiled, and then his face became serious again, "I was just wondering, did I know that little girl before..."

The Queen Mother raised the phoenix-embroidered fan with her small hand, covering the lower half of her face, revealing her beautiful eyes. She also glanced at the carriage on the street, then withdrew her gaze indifferently, and said in a low voice with a calm tone:
"My Lord, do whatever you want. You are Marquis Weiming. No one in the world has the right to say anything about you except the emperor in front of you. Even if you ride over on a horse and say to the girl in the carriage, 'Hello, my name is Zhao Wumian, and I am a favorite of the emperor. Marquis Weiming, may I marry you?' No one would dare to say anything..."

The Queen Mother paused for a moment, then gave Zhao Wumian a sly smile, "Of course, if you really did that, the Emperor would be angry, and I would be angry too. I am a beauty, and as the Marquis just said, when a beauty cries, the country loses its luster... The Marquis had better not make me cry, otherwise the country will be too pitiful."

Zhao Wumian burst out laughing.

After the convoy walked for some distance, the pedestrians on the street gradually returned to normal, some were hawking their wares, some were going out for travel.

Xiao Yuanmu still had her eyes closed, as if countless poisonous insects were crawling around in her heart and the nerves on her face seemed to be throbbing. She clenched her hands tightly, squeezing harder and harder, and the light blue veins on the back of her slender hands were faintly visible.

She had the urge to go on a killing spree in the capital and kill anyone she saw.

The Taixuan Palace disciple beside her seemed to be calling her, but she could not hear anything.

Xiao Yuanmu had imagined many scenes of meeting Zhao Wumian, but no matter what, it would not be like this.

Zhao Wumian is Jiuer's adopted son. Jiuer has been working hard to overthrow Li Fuchen all her life. However, Zhao Wumian not only did not inherit her will, but instead he got involved with the Dali royal family.

Endless anger surged in Xiao Yuanmu's heart, but then this anger was replaced by shame, because she suddenly realized that she was more sad than angry.

Why did Zhao Wumian look at her as if she were a stranger?
Because he felt more sad than angry, Xiao Yuanmu felt ashamed and realized that deep down in his heart, Fan Li Fuchen's career seemed not as important as the look Zhao Wumian gave a stranger.

Until a crisp knocking sound was heard from the outside of the car.

Tap tap tap————

Xiao Yuanmu closed her eyes, and in a trance, she seemed to remember the past. One year, she was sitting in the house, holding the "Legend of Sword and Fairy" given to her by Zhao Wumian in both hands, reading it with relish. Then someone knocked on her window. When she opened the window, she saw that the man was Zhao Wumian, who was leading a horse and walking into the yard.

Now this tapping sound is so familiar.

Xiao Yuanmu's heart began to beat.

She opened her eyes and looked sideways. A few breezes blew by, and the curtains of the car swayed slightly in the wind. Through the small hole she tore, she could vaguely see the person standing outside the car.

Her heart almost stopped beating again.

A hand reached in from outside the car window and gently pulled the curtain, revealing a person outside the car.

Zhao Wumian got off the horse, led the white horse, and walked to the outside of the carriage. He looked at Xiao Yuanmu sitting inside and smiled.

"I originally wanted to ask Lian Xue to come and pass on the message, but when the Queen Mother knew that I wanted to come to see you, she immediately got angry... Although I am the Marquis of Weiming, I really don't have many servants in the capital, so I have to do everything myself, so I came here by myself."

Xiao Yuanmu stared at Zhao Wumian without blinking, without saying a word, but there was no joy in his heart, only endless sadness, because Zhao Wumian's eyes were still looking at him as if he were a stranger.

Some people on the street recognized Zhao Wumian's identity and looked over here with surprised expressions.

Zhao Wumian noticed the gazes of passers-by, so he raised his hand and took out a token from his waist. The word "Unknown" was engraved on the token. It was his identity badge, which was made recently.

"For some reason, I seem to know you. With my martial arts skills, my intuition is usually very accurate... But I really don't have time to chat right now. Her Majesty is still waiting for me. If I'm a little slower, she'll be angry." He handed the token into the carriage and continued:

"Take this token and use it to find me on the boat in Zhuwu Lake. Let's talk."

Xiao Yuanmu subconsciously raised his hand to take the badge of Marquis Weiming.

Zhao Wumian held the horse with one hand and gently knocked on the carriage with the other hand, and asked, "I was injured and can't remember what happened before... Do you know me, girl?"

Xiao Yuanmu stared at Zhao Wumian without answering. Then she glanced to the far side of the street. Xu Ran and Chief Constable Su were riding their horses and looking over here with their brows slightly furrowed. It was unclear whether they doubted Xiao Yuanmu's identity or thought it was inappropriate for Zhao Wumian to hook up with a decent woman in such an occasion.

Xiao Yuanmu remained silent and did not rashly kidnap Zhao Wumian. To Zhao Wumian now, she might just be a traitor who should be captured alive upon sight.

At this moment, revealing her identity in front of so many people would cause trouble for Zhao Wumian.

Seeing that Xiao Yuanmu did not answer, Zhao Wumian shook his head slightly, jumped on the horse, pulled the reins, turned the horse's head, and prepared to leave.

"Young master stay."

Xiao Yuanmu leaned her hands on the window sill of the carriage and leaned half of her body out from inside. Her hair danced in the wind along the trajectory of the curtain.

Zhao Wumian was riding on his horse and looked back at her.

Xiao Yuanmu raised the badge in his hand and asked, "What if you are just being sentimental... and we don't actually know each other?"

Zhao Wumian thought about it, and then smiled carefreely, "If you don't know me, then I don't know you. Meeting in the martial arts world is fate. You can keep the plaque for yourself, just as a belated New Year's gift... Today happens to be the end of the first lunar month, so you can catch up with the end of the year."

After he finished speaking, Zhao Wumian said nothing more and rode away on his horse.

Xiao Yuanmu pressed her hands on the window sill, staring at Zhao Wumian's back on horseback for a long time in silence. In a trance, she seemed to have returned to the Lin'an City of her childhood, standing in front of the door again, looking at Zhao Wumian riding away on horseback.

Only after Zhao Wumian's back disappeared into the depths of the alley did Xiao Yuanmu sit back in the carriage. He lowered his eyes and looked at the badge in his hand. For some reason, tears began to fall.

Things are people and nothing is done, and tears shed first.

In Zhuwu Lake, sunlight is scattered, the light is golden, and hazy mist is spreading on the lake. The light golden sunlight shines through the masts of the ships, hanging down in wisps, dyeing the mist into large golden particles.

The magnificent ship was moored at the lake shore and would not sail to the center of the lake until everyone was on board.

Ever since he knew that Zhao Wumian just lost his memory and not anything else, Xiao Yuanmu has come out of his emotions. Now sitting in the carriage, heading towards Zhuwu Lake, his mind is full of thoughts about why Zhao Wumian lost his memory, who hurt him, and whether he can recover?
And who is the Miss Shen, Miss Su, and the nun from Xiaoxitian mentioned by the Queen Mother?

Not to mention these four women, just the Queen Mother and the Emperor... You, Zhao Wumian, you didn't forget to flirt with women even after losing your memory, you are quite a romantic.

Do you have the leisure time to come to Jiangnan to find me? Don't you know that the martial arts you learned is Wan Yue Xian?

Xiao Yuanmu's inner emotions were replaced by waves of anger.

When they arrived at Zhuwu Lake, Xiao Yuanmu lifted the curtain and looked out. Many people entered the boat holding their identity documents, and the guards strictly checked the identities of those coming and going.

Those who could board the ship were all wealthy families, high-ranking officials of the imperial court, or foreign envoys. If there was any abnormality on the ship, Dali would fall apart on the spot, so the ship was strictly inspected.

But since Xiao Yuanmu was holding the badge of Marquis Weiming, not only no one dared to stop her, but even the guards treated her with a hint of respect.

As the number one traitor against Li Fuchen, Xiao Yuanmu probably never thought in his entire life that he would end up in such a place in this way.

If Xiao Yuanmu started a massacre on this ship, not only would Dali die on the spot, but the country's fortune would at least decline by a hundred years.

From this perspective, Zhao Wumian's actions were actually very successful and did not violate Jiuer's last wishes at all.

While thinking, Xiao Yuanmu also saw many familiar faces on the boat.

From Xiao Xitian, the Sword Sect, and Wugong Mountain... Soon, the boat was full and it sailed to the center of the lake.

------

The original name of this book was "Young Master, Please Stay", and it was actually written to describe this scene.

(End of this chapter)