The years I was in the human world

After Xie Yang and Xie Xian died in battle, the emperor issued an edict posthumously conferring the title of marquis on them. The banished Concubine Xie Shu was promoted to lady again and was given power over the harem. Countless gold and silver rewards were bestowed as compensation. At first glance, the Xie family seemed to be in great prosperity and were even showing signs of surpassing the Du family.

But those who can see clearly know that the Xie family is now on the decline. The two most outstanding talents of the younger generation have both died in the desert. Once Xie Ling dies, the status of the Xie family will no longer be maintained.

But no matter what people speculated, Xie simply closed the door, handled the funeral quietly, and lived her life as usual.

Chu Zhaoli went there during the days when Xie Yang's body was kept. Although he was a very energetic person during his lifetime, his funeral after his death was not lively at all, but rather a bit deserted.

Perhaps they had noticed that Xie's days were numbered, so the officials who used to patronize the Xie family no longer came. That's how human nature is. Everyone comes for profit. Everyone comes for profit. Chu Zhaoli seemed like an outlier.

He lit a stick of incense for Xie Yang, with no expression on his face, looking like he came here reluctantly out of courtesy, without much sincerity. But in fact, Chu Zhaoli was sad.

He was like a rootless duckweed in Yiyang City, unloved by his king and father, and disrespected by the people. Xie Yang was his only connection with this extravagant capital, and now, he was dead.

Life and death have always been a matter of excitement for the living. When his mother committed suicide, Chu Zhaoli also thought seriously about what death was. Was it a punishment for the living? Otherwise, why would he be in so much pain?

But now, he didn't understand again.

Xie Yang died, and the entire Xie family was in mourning. However, the king, court officials, and even the people of the city, who had enjoyed the victory that he had fought for with his life, seemed to have forgotten about it. They were immersed in the joy of victory and congratulated the prince on his marriage to the prime minister's youngest daughter.

Chu Zhaoli had never been so disgusted with the emperor's so-called imperial skills as he was at this moment. He was just sad that his father weighed the pros and cons and chose to lightly expose the fact that someone had poisoned him.

At this moment, he felt a kind of anger. Soldiers sacrificed their lives and shed their blood on the frontier, but they still had to guard against conspiracies and plots behind them? It was too sad and ridiculous.

Chu Zhaoli looked up at the mourning hall decorated with simple silk, and the faint and miserable green smoke in front of the coffin. He couldn't help but hold on to Xie Yang's coffin - this was a reward from the emperor.

The best golden nanmu wood is priceless, but it is even more ironic because Xie Fu is not yet 20, Xie Yang is just about to reach 20, and Xie Xian is older but not yet 30. What is the use of giving them more dead things? They can't save their lives.

"Your Highness." Xie Ling was a little surprised to see Chu Zhaoli, but he just greeted him and said nothing more. He just quietly replaced the offerings with fresh ones.

"Master, what is the Xie family planning to do from now on? Will they continue to stay in the court, or will they retire quietly as others think?" Xie Ling did not speak, but Chu Zhaoli took the initiative to speak.

"Your Highness, what do you think of the Xie family?" Xie Ling asked. Although he was extremely disappointed with the Chu family, he would not vent his anger on Chu Zhaoli. If one were to discuss it in detail, they were both victims of power struggle.

"The Xie family has always been upright and self-disciplined, and has always been a retired family. The youngest son of the Xie family has been living in seclusion in the East Mountain, and has always had a high reputation. However, no matter how high the reputation is, without real power, the prosperity of the family is like a mirage." Chu Zhaoli said softly. He had a vague premonition that he must fight for it.

"Now that the military power of Bingzhou has fallen into the hands of the Du family, does the Xie family also not want the position in Yuzhou?"

……

When Chu Zhaoli came back from Xie's house, Lu Zhouxue was waiting for him at the palace gate. When she saw him coming back, she stepped forward to help him get off the carriage and asked, "How is it?"

"Xie Xian died in battle, and the post of Yuzhou governor is vacant. Xie Ling is not a man of power, so the only person who can take over as Yuzhou governor is Xie Yi." Chu Zhaoli said, "But Xie Yi has been staying in seclusion in the mountains and has no intention of being in the world. It is unclear whether he will be appointed as governor of Yuzhou."

Facts have proved that Xie Yi was not a pedantic celebrity who was indifferent to worldly affairs and obsessed with metaphysics. Not only did he send an assassin to Yuzhou, he also used a series of thundering means to consolidate the Xie family's voice in the court.

Because he had been in seclusion in the East Mountain before, he had a high reputation. Now he has entered the court and has become very popular. He is even as famous as Du. However, Xie Yi is very shrewd at a young age. After consolidating the status of Xie's family, he went into seclusion again, not competing for power or seeking what is not his due.

As Xie's business in Yuzhou prospered, Chu Zhaoli finally raised an army with the secret help of Xie Ling. This army was none other than the 3,000-man dowry that Xie Fu had given him.

However, war broke out suddenly later, and this group of soldiers had not yet been fully trained, so Xie Yang hurriedly went into battle. The military power passed around several times and was finally handed over to Chu Zhaoli.

"Little Li is so brave to raise private soldiers." Lu Zhouxue couldn't help whispering to Chu Zhaoli when he followed him on the inspection.

"Doesn't the emperor always say that I have evil intentions? How can I live up to his high regard if I don't do something real?" Chu Zhaoli quietly grabbed Lu Zhouxue's hand under the cover of his sleeve, and the two held hands tightly.

"Why do you suddenly want to fight? Don't you want to go out?" Lu Zhouxue let him hold her hand, but her eyes were looking at the soldiers who were training below. There were not many of them, only five thousand, but they were all elite. If they were well trained, it would not be a problem to fight ten with one.

"I just suddenly wondered if I could do whatever I want when I sit in that supreme position." Chu Zhaoli said calmly. He didn't care in the past because he had to leave eventually, but the proton incident made him realize that

As long as Chu's blood flows in his body, he can't leave. Even if he is at the ends of the earth, if there is a need, he will be captured and used as a sacrifice.

"It must be difficult to support these five thousand soldiers. Where do you get the money?" Lu Zhouxue asked again. He saw Chu Zhaoli wearing the same patched clothes for three days and he really couldn't imagine where the latter got the money to support the soldiers. Not to mention Xie Fu's three thousand dowry, that little bit should have been spent long ago.

"Mianmian, don't just look at me because I'm poor and destitute." Chu Zhaoli couldn't help laughing and casually stuffed the military token to Lu Zhouxue to play with. "Did I forget to tell you that I have a fiefdom?"

Lu Zhouxue widened his eyes slightly. He only remembered that when they first met, the young man was handsome and elegant, distant and cautious. Later, when he saw that he was alone and suffering, he only felt sorry for him. How could he remember to ask him these questions?

"I have a fiefdom, the title is 'Yong', in the southwest. Although it is poor and barren, they don't know that the southwest produces miraculous medicines. I have made quite a bit of gold and silver over the years." Chu Zhaoli said as he blinked at Lu Zhouxue, looking quite proud.

"You kid, I was wondering why you wanted to go to the southwest, it turns out your old nest is there." Lu Zhouxue scolded with a smile on his face, but he couldn't stop feeling sad in his heart. In fact, Xiao Fengzhuo had also told him about these things on the night when the old king told the story of the Immortal Country.

"But the child was born with great fanfare, but his talent is mediocre. He is not outstanding in any of his literary and military skills, poetry and songs. The king does not like him in the first place, let alone his mediocre talent and learning."

"The prince was dull and ignorant of the ways of the world. He sent a gift to the king on his birthday to curry his favor, but it backfired and made the king think he was plotting a rebellion. That night, he was deposed as the prince and confined to the palace."

"So not long after, the deposed prince was thrown into the southwest wilderness by his father on a pretext. He was given the title 'Yong', which means mediocre. It's a pity that the former prosperous capital of the Undead Kingdom is no longer there. Instead, the fiefdom of King Yong, which is backed by Cangwu Mountain, has become bustling under the management of the demon clan."

"The Yong King, Chu Zhaoli."

Lu Zhouxue didn't know what Xiao Fengzhuo was thinking when he brought up the old things in a joking manner, but he was probably still feeling aggrieved, otherwise why wouldn't his tone be so sarcastic.

Chu Zhaoli was not mediocre, Lu Zhouxue thought, it was just because his emperor and father disliked him that rumors spread all over the city.

In the blink of an eye, spring went and autumn came. The leaves in Yiyang City turned yellow again, and the wedding of Du Qiao and Chu Zhaoyun was held with great fanfare. The prince's wedding procession walked through the long street with banging and banging, and the lively sound of stringed instruments could be heard in Changle Palace.

"The Crown Prince is getting married, what are you thinking, Xiao Li'er?" Lu Zhouxue was afraid that Chu Zhaoli would be sad, so she stayed close to him and put her head on his shoulder.

"If I marry you in the future, the three thousand miles of red wedding will definitely be more lively than theirs." Chu Zhaoli replied with a smile, but his sincere words made Lu Zhouxue's eyes suddenly red.

He suddenly thought of the hastily ended wedding at Mount Buzhou. At that time, Xiao Fengzhuo was also wearing a bright red wedding dress, but he abandoned her because he was pursuing the Way of Heaven.

Lu Zhouxue suddenly felt the pain again. The more he knew about Xiao Fengzhuo's past, the more he realized that he had hurt him. He once felt sorry for Yu Zhao for not being loved by others, so how good could Xiao Fengzhuo be?

Lu Zhouxue didn't dare to think about it. Xiao Fengzhuo had waited for so many years and finally got married, but what he encountered was betrayal again. How sad must he be?

"Mianmian, why are you crying?" Chu Zhaoli felt his shoulders suddenly wet, and he hurriedly wiped Lu Zhouxue's tears while trying to comfort her helplessly, "Did I say something wrong?"

But even so, Lu Zhouxue became even more sad. How could such a gentle and sincere person not be loved? How could someone not love him? Lu Zhouxue hugged Chu Zhaoli tightly and whispered in his ear: "I love you."

Chu Zhaoli was stunned, but hugged him even tighter, as if he was hugging his lifelong obsession.

"Mianmian, will you leave?" Chu Zhaoli asked. His world was too desolate. He tried to accommodate many people, but they all left without mercy, leaving him with only a devastated ruin. Now Lu Zhouxue rebuilt a high-rise building on the ruin. If one day he left, Chu Zhaoli would be left with nothing.

He once had evil thoughts in his heart, wanting to break the immortal's limbs and bones so that he would never be able to leave, but he could not be such a despicable person. He should climb out of the quagmire instead of dragging his loved one into the abyss. The night was too painful, and he was reluctant to let him sink with him.