Those years when I climbed the wall

Before midnight, the Jinliang Bridge was crowded with crowds of people.It was difficult to move forward, in order not to be scattered by the crowd, Guo Kai decided to take a detour and cross the Banyue Bridge in the south to send King Jia back to his residence.

It was already half a mile away from the bridge, but Guo Kai looked back from time to time. There were too many times, and he quoted King Jia as curious: "What is Brother Guo looking for?"

"It's not—" Guo Kai was in a daze, subconsciously answered, and then remembered: "But speaking of this, I recall that His Highness has never seen a cat or dog in his house. Is it because he doesn't like it? Then he was happy to be there just now, so it's disturbing." To Your Highness?"

King Jia shook his head: "It's not about likes and dislikes. If a beast goes mad and hurts people, isn't it the breeder's fault? So I don't allow cats and dogs in the mansion, just to avoid harming innocent people."

"Your Highness is kind." Guo Kai applauded.

"Brother Guo, what were you looking at?" King Jia returned to the original topic.

Guo Kai said in embarrassment: "Without him, I just want to know where the official family will be at this moment?"

Startled slightly, Jia Wang revealed his shame: "Xiao Wang just made a slip of the tongue and provoked the curiosity of the officials. It is really wrong to embarrass Brother Guo. Since this place is not far from my residence, Brother Guo might as well just leave it at that. Zhuma, go back and find the official family."

Guo Kai smiled: "That's not necessary. I was ordered to send His Highness back to the mansion safely. How can I return halfway? Besides, at least tonight, there are nearly ten thousand people watching the moon and lanterns together on the Golden Girder Bridge. Finding people is like finding a needle in a haystack. It's a waste of time. Fortunately, there are a lot of guards accompanying the Imperial City Division tonight, so it should be no problem." After a short pause, his tone changed: "Besides, I know that the only ones going out tonight, apart from you and me, are Zhao Yude and the palace. Serve two or three people close by." Looking at the crowds that are still coming in like a tide, "Even if some of us have bad intentions, there are so many noisy people here that the chances of assassination are extremely low. It is also easy to expose his identity, thinking that the culprit of the treason has been cautious and cautious since the Guiyungu case, and he failed in the previous assassination, so he dare not act hastily."

King Jia thought about it.After a while, he rode his horse and leaned inwards, and said softly, "Speaking of the past... so far, the official family is still sluggish, showing hidden secrets, and my cousin..." Sighed, his voice revealed worry: "If If King Qin really had meritorious service, how could he be sent to the northern border the next day? Besides, he led tens of thousands of relatives to the north, enough to occupy the next half of Qinfeng Road, and separate one side! According to this, how can the northern border be peaceful in the future? I can't figure it out, how unfavorable the situation is, the officials will make this concession?"

After finally crossing the bridge, Guo Kai drove his horse and walked quickly, and said calmly, "Your Highness Ruoyi, what should I do?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Yeah, what can I do?" After a hopeless sigh, the speaker mumbled to himself: "The official family is depressed...so I will agree to go out for a night tour tonight. , it’s better to come up with a good plan early..."

At this moment, on the cross bridge two miles north of Jinliang Bridge.

"Ah-choo!" Mu Yunqi raised his sleeve and waved it in front of his nose, but unfortunately he still couldn't dispel the annoying smoke: "No wonder, most of the night markets are in the south of the city, and there are many people tonight. Blow, can't you send all these strange smells here?But fortunately, compared with the Jinliang Bridge, the flow of people here is less, and it can be regarded as moving.

Walking up to the center of the bridge, you can see the river lamps coming from afar in the distance, clustered in clusters, as bright as stars.On the shallow bank under the bridge, there are also dots of shimmering light flowing out, which means that someone is facing the water and setting off lights.The corners of the mouth were slightly raised, but the joy that jumped into the eyes seemed to be fleeting and fleeting.Just as he was in a trance, his sleeves were suddenly pulled.Turning around, I saw a huge red lotus——

"I bought it for you!" The child who was pulling at the skirt of his shirt was all smiles.

"Send me?" Mu Yunqi was stunned, "Why?"

The child poked his forehead with his hand, obviously dissatisfied with his poor memory: "Didn't you say that if you come back here in the future, you can get a river lantern for nothing?"

That's it!It's hard for her to remember... Touching the lotus lantern, which was not really well-made but had rough corners, Mu Yunqi was speechless for a moment.

Thinking he didn't like it, the girl pouted: "I know this lamp is ugly, but there are very few lamps left in the market now, and I don't have much money..."

Knowing that she misunderstood his intentions, Mu Yunqi felt a little guilty. He took the lantern, but his tone was cold: "Since you know that there is not much money, why are you still spending it on unimportant things?"

"It doesn't matter!" The little boy raised his head, solemnly saying, "If it weren't for you tonight, I would be pushed down from the Golden Girder Bridge by those people, and I would even be trampled to death! , you saved me twice, I deserve to thank you, but the last time you sent me back, you were humiliated by the senior sister. The lady said that she shouldn't have punished the senior sister. You haven't shown up these days, I know you must be unhappy, So today, this lamp is just to express my gratitude, my wife said, if you have time, you must go to sit at home again, this time I will ask my senior sister to make amends in person, and my wife will serve the banquet in person to thank you for your great kindness."

"This... just don't need it." When the old matter was brought up again, Mu Yunqi's ears were slightly warmed, "It was a misunderstanding that day, but I actually..."

"I know, you are not poor!" Grinning her teeth, the girl turned her head and pointed at the guards behind her: "Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many servants!" Arms folded, she said, "That day, it was your friend who saw how senior sister treated you. Deliberately, because you feel dissatisfied, you slander him." Snorting, he seemed to be dissatisfied with him: "This kind of narrow-minded people, you'd better break off relations with them early!"

Mu Yunqi's complexion darkened, and he turned his eyes away: "He is not narrow-minded, but..." The words stopped, and suddenly he felt funny: Strange, why are you saying this to a little boy?He took the lamp and turned around: "Let's go, put the lamp on, and I'll take you back."

Looking for a river beach with few people, Mu Yunqi personally lit the lamp and put it into the water.Seeing a star of light floating on the water, going around with the waves, it seems to be stranded several times, but fortunately, the wind pushes it, and the danger is saved every time.On the calm river, groups of lights and shadows pass by in an orderly manner.That remnant lamp drifted with the wind, and finally returned to the path of light, heading towards an unknown realm.

The chimes of the midnight chime sounded in the distance.

Yawning, the boy tugged on his clothes: "Let's go back."

The crowds on the road still have no intention of subsiding.Going up the bridge again, on the water in the south, a huge light and shadow that has never been seen before floats here. It must be the grand scene of "Thousands of Lanterns Crossing the Border" in Jiawang's mouth!The little man who had been shouting about being sleepy just now suddenly regained his energy and ran forward quickly, climbing on tiptoe to look forward to the bridge railing.

Mu Yunqi walked forward, and suddenly saw a starlight floating towards him, subconsciously turned sideways, and saw the red light rising from a few feet in front of him - it was a sky lantern.

"Who put the lights on? You put them on the bridge, don't you know it's easy to cause trouble?" There was a scolding sound from the crowd, and someone echoed: "Exactly! How is this different from arson?"

The voice under the bridge hurriedly apologized: "I was negligent in the next moment, everyone forgive me. If I hurt someone, I will definitely bear it!"

Fortunately, no one was injured, and the lamp had already flown up, so the matter was let go.The vague figure under the bridge turned and walked towards the shore.Mu Yunqi still stopped, whispered a few words to the guard, and the latter left immediately.After a while, he led a young man back. At first glance, he looked strong and strong, but there was a slight look of fatigue between his brows, and his whole body seemed to be dusty.

Seeing Mu Yunqi, the visitor clapped his palms and smiled: "There is no place to find when you step on the iron shoes, and it takes no effort to get here! Brother Mu, do you think this is God's will? When I arrived in Beijing, it was already dark, and I thought I would not be able to see him tonight." , so I wandered around the city, thinking about trying to spread the news tomorrow, but I don’t want this lamp, it will save me a lot of trouble.”

Eyebrows relaxed, Mu Yunqi nodded: "It's a good night for the festive season, and it's a pleasant surprise to meet an old friend again! But you have a heavy responsibility, so how can you come here? You didn't report in advance, could it be a temporary idea?"

"Isn't it?" The man smiled bitterly, "Huo (1) has been trapped in the western frontier for half a year, and it's miserable. This time I'm going south, I'm counting the days, and I'm here to celebrate the festival!" Eyebrows lightly raised, "Speaking of which, the moon has already been rewarded, and the lights have been let go, so the only thing left is the beauty of Qing Ge to accompany Yu Xiao. I think it's up to Brother Mu to make the decision. Find a place where there are songs and wine, and you and I will have fun together." How is the night?"

After thinking about it, Mu Yunqi turned to the little man who was still lying on the bridge railing, sipping candy with relish: "A Pan, is your house still welcoming guests at this moment?"

An hour later.

The pavilion is near the water, and the moon is in the sky.

The sheng reeds are noisy, the singing and dancing are light and graceful, let's have another song, and the wine is earlier than three rounds.

Although Mu Yunqi only drank two cups lightly, the night was already dark, besides, he had not recovered from his injury recently, his energy was low, and he was already feeling drunk.He lowered his head and rubbed his brows, finally heard that the person sitting opposite him dismissed the singing girl, he knew it, and also dismissed the guards.

The man poured himself a cup and said: "The night is getting dark, it seems that His Majesty is tired, so I'll cut to the chase and explain my future intentions."

Sipping tea, Mu Yunqi pretended to be listening attentively.

"Presumably, Your Majesty has heard about my situation in the past half a year." After drinking the wine in the glass, Huo Lan's apparent frivolity and cynicism seemed to have been completely washed away, and he actually expressed his resentment: "Although I am famous for once Prince Chu, he was suspected at the top, slandered at the bottom, and now he is exiled to the frontier, his every move is under surveillance, if he is not careful, he will be in trouble! However, this is not the worst. Recently, my lord's illness has worsened, If things go on like this, but something unexpected happens, my second elder brother will stop at nothing to prevent me from returning to Beijing to take the throne. Therefore, I am going back to the south to ask His Majesty face to face, and send troops to help me."

The result is——!With a dark sigh, Mu Yun prayed for his forehead: "After all, brothers and sisters, how can fire and water be incompatible? You and Huo Lankun should have a good relationship and be open and honest. What if he is moved by you? After all, a war disaster will be saved. , isn’t it great luck?”

"On love?" Huo Lanxian burst out laughing, "Did your Majesty forget the words of the ancient sages, the most ruthless emperor's family? For my second brother, family, brotherhood, human relations and morality are nothing compared to the throne." Anyone who stands in his way should be damned! To be honest, why didn’t I promise to face to face, but he didn’t disagree. After I ascended the throne, his power and status were only thicker than they are now! But what he got in return was He has repeatedly swindled and assassinated! Then how can I back down?" The person who saw the other was silent, his brows tightened, and he was obviously disappointed: "Your Majesty has no intention of helping me?"

Mu Yunqi sighed: "If I have no intention of helping you, then why bother to go through all the troubles before, just now..." Pressing his brows and showing fatigue: "Recently, the Northwest Imperial Army has been reorganized in a new calendar, and there are not many dispatches in a short period of time. People and horses, so I'm just afraid that things will be rushed and I won't be able to deal with them."

"Rectify..." Huo Lanxian's eyes flickered: "I heard that Shao Jingheng recently went north and took control of Qinfeng Road. Could it be...?"

Mu Yun prayed for nothing, and interrupted: "Although he doesn't agree with me sending troops to interfere in your internal affairs, if there is a reason for the incident and it is beneficial to me, I don't think he will object." After a while, he finally let go: "You To make this request, I must have considered the situation and weighed the pros and cons, so if it is really a last resort, if you need me to help you, you might as well tell me first, so that I can consider whether it is possible or not."

The sorrow dissipated, Huo Lanxian got up and paced, while making plans in detail.

"Huo Lankun is currently stationed in the southern border. If anything happens to my lord, I will be intercepted and killed when I return to Beijing! So I plan to go back to the east of Wudu in a light car, so as to avoid his sphere of influence. It's just a good time. I'm afraid that he will lead the army back to the capital before me and take the throne on his own. So I implore your majesty, once you hear the sad news of my lord's death, immediately send troops to the north and attack Lintai city! This is my south The fortress of the Guan army formation is also where Huo Lankun's main camp is. When the army situation breaks out, he will be thrown into disarray, and His Majesty does not have to fight with him. As long as the city is besieged for a few days, I will dispatch my own troops to attack him at the same time. This situation will make him dare not act rashly, as long as he can't lead the army back to Beijing to seize the throne before me, that's fine."

Mu Yunqi pondered for a moment, then expressed doubts: "Your trip is unpredictable, if something happens, then I send troops, wouldn't it be inviting disaster for myself?"

The man had already prepared a draft: "Your Majesty, don't worry, even if something happens to me, Huo Lankun's violence has already aroused public anger among the clan and courtiers. There are more than a hundred thousand people who are dissatisfied with him? And if he kills me, he is pretending to be a thief. Once Self-reliance will lead to disasters and chaos everywhere!" Sighing, seven points helpless, three points self-deprecating: "Then Your Majesty didn't say that retreating troops will be safe, or you can sit back and enjoy the benefits of being a fisherman!"

Without comment, Mu Yun prayed with another meaning in his eyes: "What if your wish comes true?"

Seeing him swearing: "Then I will never forget your majesty's grace!" The smile on the corner of his mouth is embedded in mystery: "Although the Qiang Hu is destroyed, the remnants of evil still remain, and they have been invading the northern border of Daxi for a long time. He has hundreds or thousands of people, and he comes here every now and then. Without a trace, without a trace, it can be said that it is impossible to guard against. Your Majesty is not curious, where do these remnant soldiers of the evil party usually hide? And where do the food, grass and military equipment come from?"

Mu Yunqi's eyes flickered slightly: "As you said, can you cut the roots for me and prevent future troubles?"

The man who was confident in his heart smiled recklessly: "Your Majesty only needs to know, but when I ascend the throne, the northern border will be greatly restored, and there will be no worries from now on!"

After all, it's five watch.Huo Lanxian didn't intend to stay in the post house, but he was afraid that the news would spread back to the north and cause trouble, so he stayed at Li Xinsu's house to rest. At most one or two hours later, at dawn, he would set off for the north.

The waning moon shines, and the night road is cool.Night after month, the Royal Street is full of people returning home at night.

Returning from meditation, Mu Yun asked suddenly, "What time is it?"

Back and forth: "Fang is ugly and upright."

The man pondered for a while: "So, the palace gate will take another hour to open?"

The left and right say, "The official family enters through the Xihua gate, so the movement can be smaller."

Looking around eagerly, Mu Yun prayed and said three words: "Go to the west courtyard!" (2)

The walls are high and the courtyard is deep, and the silence is even worse than before - from the north of the owner, no one comes to this courtyard except for sweeping on weekdays, even the old man who looks after the courtyard is gone, it is really deserted.

Walking through it, among the branches of crows, the sound of insects remains the same.Heartstrings moved suddenly, Mu Yunqi stopped and turned around, pushed open the door of the house that had been sealed for a long time, lit a lamp and looked around, a sense of desolation emerged spontaneously.

Tables, chairs, desks, cabinets, beds, and even pens, inks and inkstones are all in their original places, spotless.At first glance, it seems that the owner was still here a moment ago, reading at night by candlelight, meditating on the moon...

Sitting in the Linxuan, smelling the sweet-scented osmanthus quietly, I am all in shambles.

He closed his eyes lightly, and suddenly saw that face that was so silent as if the wind had passed through the clouds, the pupils that could not disturb the slightest wave even by throwing a stone in, and the voice that was so calm and shocking: "Your Majesty, I heard Recently, the northern border is restless, so please lead the revitalization army to go north to pacify the invaders in Anjiang!"

If it wasn't for Zhao Yude's swearing, Mu Yunqi would not have believed it until he died: that day and night, the person who had always been on the top of Mount Tai without changing his face showed such a cruel look, which made the whole city search, and was arrested and kept by the daughter of the Tang family. Those involved will go through the trial one by one, and only one question will be asked: what is the formula of the poison produced by the Tang family, and how can it be cured!

"Your Majesty, it will be dawn." A voice came from outside the window.

Standing up to support the case, his eyes glanced at the empty table again, and a trace of sarcasm rose from the corner of his mouth: since he was a child, he still can't understand his mind...