The prince in the cold palace

The captain of the guard stretched his metal armor tightly with a belly that could not be subsided by drinking for many years. He walked towards the detainee with very melodic and consistent steps. There was no expression on his face. The eyes that were only hidden under the helmet looked at the young man in front of him calmly, the thick beard around his lips moved, and then a sentence seemed to be squeezed out from his throat, "Follow me as an official."

This is the first time I have a feeling of sudden tension in my heart, like the embarrassment of going to the podium to give a speech. I have not experienced this feeling for many years. It is called "tension". mood.

Sometimes, it suddenly doesn't feel like I'm alive.Living with the concubine and the mother in the cold palace, the occasional small fights in the palace, the boss is always an outsider, standing on the sidelines and watching everything happen, but never thinking of changing anything, deeply rooted in thinking that it is someone else In his life, all he can do is to stand at one point and watch these people slowly mature and grow up, and then what?Then, it seemed that he didn't think about it so much at all.

So when Yin Wuyao asked him what he was living for, he felt as if a basin of cold water was being poured on him without mercy.In fact, he knew that this was not enough.

Whether it is Mufei, Mu Ao, or even Yin Wuyao, they all protect him in different senses, let him live the life he wants, and have never suffered any serious grievances.The cold palace shouldn't be so warm and beautiful, and the imperial palace shouldn't be so peaceful. The turbulent waves below him can't be seen. He used to pretend that he couldn't see it, but now he has to face it.

It wasn't until he was out of the palace, after all this time, that he realized that, in fact, living, no matter whether it is meaningful or not, as long as you are willing, you can always find a lot of things you can do and you are willing to do.

No longer force yourself to be blind, no longer abide by the discomfort in your heart, no longer reject people thousands of miles away, no longer be in a state of panic.

Although wandering outside, I can personally feel that my heart is solid.

It feels like being called up by the teacher to answer questions before you are ready. Chang Xiangli also called Zhibai once a long time ago, with a slightly indifferent expression and classmates who may or may not be watching the show, Let Zhifei feel overwhelmed for a moment, but he will not feel "nervous".

Because, he never felt that even if he could answer Chang Xiangli's question, there would be any substantive rewards. That kind of reward might not be important in the eyes of others, and even Zhifei himself didn't think it was necessary, but he used to I longed for it so much.

When Yin Wuyao said "You are the prince of the Great Zhou", the throbbing may be related to Yin Wuyao's own charm, but he has to admit that the approval from the arrogant and indifferent emperor is so important. heavy.

So he couldn't refuse Yin Wuyao's warm hug, his occasional intimate gestures, and his gentler words than usual.

As he followed the captain of the guard and stepped up the steps step by step to the tower, Zhi Fei thought a lot, and the inexplicable tension in his heart also subsided a lot. He smiled, and found a clean seat under the command of the captain of the guard. sit down.

The guard pavilion on the top of the tower is spacious and bright, with a relatively large Eight Immortals table inside, and a bench on each side. When the military situation is urgent, most generals will gather on the tower to study the strategy of retreating the enemy. Choose this place.Looking down from the window guarding the pavilion, you can still see the deep and neat crenels on the city wall, and occasionally you can see patrols in teams of five or six.

The captain of the guard, surnamed Ma, took off his helmet and carried a kind of arrogance that only border generals can have. They have military achievements and real skills, so naturally they don't take ordinary people seriously. He is even a person with bad intentions who publishes notices for the bounty of the palace.

He was labeled as soon as he met. If Zhifei knew it, he would smile wryly, but he could tell from the look of the captain of the guard that the general didn't like him very much. Willingness to reveal.

The captain of the horse guard narrowed his eyes slightly, his round eyes were still big and black, looking a little scary up close.The eyes of the guards are mostly indifferent and fierce, which has something to do with the habit they have developed from fighting with foreign enemies for many years, but Zhi Bao, who has little contact with such people, can't help shrinking to the side, which makes the guard chief look Even more disdainful.

"This notice is not to be revealed if you want to, and if you don't want to, then you won't."

When he spoke, his beard moved, his voice was full of menace, and his cold eyes were mixed with contempt, which made it difficult for people to have a good impression.

"But...the wind was too strong at the time. The scholarly family" Zhi Fei tried his best to be calm. He is not good at dealing with this kind of people. Yin Wuyao is not by his side, so there is a kind of uncertain fear in his heart, and he has no purpose in negotiating with others. Zhifei still can't speak freely, and can still behave calmly in front of strangers.

The captain of the horse guard stared at him and said, "This notice just happened to blow on your hand? Don't do it, you don't have the fucking guts, you are afraid!"

Zhi Fei struggled to frown, and for a moment there was such a surge of anger, since that was the case, then why not go to the palace to have a look.

However, he can't.He couldn't rush to agree to this matter. Yin Wuyao's secret letters were all to avoid alarming the king and the local government. If he did something else rashly at this time, it might bring risks to the emperor's plan.

"Then it's a deal. At noon tomorrow, people from the palace will come to take you in from the tower."

Zhi Fei wanted to say something more, but was stared back impatiently by the captain of the guard.

Smiled wryly, there are some things like this, where there is obviously room for rejection, but people kill the rules, and everything should be done according to the path prescribed by others, and this is the only way to do it.

Zhi Fei thought maliciously, would he be arrested by the whole city if he didn't obediently wait under the tower at noon tomorrow?

Thinking of this, Zhi Fei felt a little tired, tired, groggy, and when he returned to the inn, it was already the beginning of the night, and the aroma of food was overflowing.

He vaguely remembered that the captain of the guard asked him some unimportant questions, and he couldn’t remember how he answered them. The hot tea simmering on the small clay stove had a nostalgic fragrance. At night, even through the clothes, you can feel the coolness, seeping into the skin without trace.

Zhi Fei pushed open the door, just wanting to bury his head in the quilt and organize his thoughts.Such as the tyrannical guard captain, such as the eccentric prince, such as the reason for coming to this city.

He knew that Yin Wuyao would no longer use him as a pawn, would take care of his emotions, and would personally save himself in critical moments.I can't say I'm not moved. For the sake of this, my father still grew up in Tian's family. As an ordinary person, he should really be laughing while covering the quilt.And sometimes, facing Yin Wuyao, Zhi Fei felt that it meant more than just his father, and he hadn't had time to think about it.

It can be felt that it is more or less accidental to meet such an event in the city tower.

Zhi Fei, who was always in his own emotions, didn't notice that there was a person sitting at the table waiting for him to come back. He narrowed his eyes dangerously until the boy directly crossed the table and jumped into the bed in a daze. The slightly slack eyes made his heart tighten suddenly.

"Xiaoqi, what's wrong with you?"

Zhi Fei raised his head, focused for a while, and then slowly saw that there was another person in the room that had not been lit. One can clearly see the gorgeous but simple patterns embroidered on his robe, and the figure exudes a faint evil spirit, that kind of evil spirit coupled with the man's sharp eyes often pierces the human body.

After looking at it for a long time, Zhi Fei muttered something, then slowly buried his head in the quilt again, and closed his eyes wearily.

Yin Wuyao thought that Zhi Fei was thinking about something, so he walked over gently, but just when he got close to the boy, he heard the sound of even breathing, and when he lifted the quilt, he found that Zhi Fei had fallen asleep completely, with a sweet fragrance sweet.

The emperor laughed and cursed angrily, "It's hard to come back, but the first sentence I heard was 'Call me after eating', Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi..."

The shadow guard's report listed in detail what Zhifei had done during the day, who he had met, and even what he had said. The emperor was in the suburbs of Xindu at that time, and after hearing these words, he only made a few remarks. After pondering, he rushed back quickly.

It's not without reason that Yin Wuyao feels distressed. I don't know if this child is born. He will always fall into inexplicable dead ends, and he is very distracted. He is more stubborn than anyone else, more indifferent than anyone else, more defensive than anyone else Qiang, finally opened the door in his heart a little, but found that he was also stuck in it.

Until the guests downstairs in the inn were almost finished eating, there was a sound of clearing up the dishes downstairs, and it was estimated that the shop was about to close, so Yin Wuyao asked someone to make some side dishes and delivered them to the guest room.

Zhi Fei was still sleeping, his breathing was long and peaceful, as if he had sunk to the bottom of the sea, his lips curved slightly, which made people unable to bear to disturb the boy's clear dream.

However, the emperor still reluctantly lifted the quilt covering Zhifei's body, and the coldness hit him, making Zhifei frowned, but his eyes were still stubbornly closed, and Yin Wuyao's deep voice rang in his ears, "Wake up, time to eat."

As if smelling the aroma of rice, he reluctantly opened his eyes and looked at Yin Wuyao in a daze. Those dark and deep eyes were slightly moist, obviously not fully awake yet, like Like a small animal, let people lead you around, and look at you innocently.

Yin Wuyao's throat tightened, and he coughed, "If you don't get up again, the food will be cold, and Father hasn't eaten yet."

Zhi Fei followed the emperor's line of sight to look at the three or four dishes that were still steaming on the table, nodded, crawled out of the bed, tied his hair with his hands, and tied it behind his head with a hair tie, long The long black hair dangled comically like weeds on the back of Zhibai's head, which did not match the boy's usual handsome and tidy image.

However, Zhifei like this is pretty cute anyway, Yin Wuyao hooked the corners of his lips, while pouring warm tea for Zhifei, he said to the young man who was gradually waking up, "Did Xiaoqi encounter something and his face is not good?" Great."

Zhi Fei raised his eyes to look at Yin Wuyao, and stopped the chopsticks in his hand, "I have to ask my father, does my father know anything?"

Somewhat surprised, he unceremoniously questioned the other party's Zhibao. It was the first time the emperor saw him, and his smile deepened. The emperor responded to Zhibao's gaze, "Father knows that Xiaoqi has revealed the notice of Xinwangfu..."

Zhi Fei nodded, not surprised, the emperor's shadow guards are haunted, not to mention that many people have seen what happened downstairs in the city, one spread ten, ten spread hundreds, I am afraid that tomorrow the topic of the common people will be partly about a fool The notice of the palace was revealed again.

"I didn't think about posting the notice. What a coincidence, I let Erchen run into..." I don't know if he stayed in Batianzhai for a while, and Zhi Fei's words and actions are not as well-considered as before. Just go with the most direct feeling.

While Yin Wuyao smiled, he also noticed the subtle changes in Zhifei, "Then, is Xiaoqi going?"

"Father, do you want your ministers to trust the palace?"

"hope."

The emperor looked straight at Zhi Fei and said.

The answer seemed to be too succinct, and when he met Zhi Fei's suspicious eyes, the emperor added: "For public and private purposes, I want you to take a look."

It was a memory full of gray, black and white were not very clear, the air was often filled with the rusty smell of blood, even if the air in the chest was exhaled, the mouth was still full of salty taste.

When Yin Wuyao was still a prince, the intrigues in the palace were far more terrifying than Zhifei imagined. One or two maids disappeared overnight in the palace for no reason. Time is panic.The emperor was fatuous, obsessed with wine and sex, and the ministers in the court formed cliques for personal gain and corrupted the government. Even the imperial capital was full of luxury and money.

Today's young emperor was just a dispensable prince at that time, and the position of crown prince had been established long ago, and he was the fifth prince, the direct son of the empress.The fifth prince has been pampered since he was a child. Just like his fatuous father, he has no talent for governing the country, and he will only run out of the treasury and spend extravagantly.Yin Wuyao's mother concubine is just a pretty concubine with no backing or solid background, and is often bullied by other concubines. Watching these life-and-death court struggles since childhood, the young prince made up his mind to escape. Get out of the palace, to a place without filthy laws and filthy hearts.

Yin Wuyao had indeed lived outside the palace for a few years, during which time he traveled all over the country, met many people and learned a lot.Until returning to the court, the news of the old emperor's death came from the imperial capital. Suddenly, the entire imperial capital was filled with blood and blood. The prince was domineering and unpopular. Precarious loot.

Why did the emperor live outside the palace, how did he come back, and what happened during the period? Yin Wuyao didn't go into detail. He only knew that the young mother and concubine had been buried with the late emperor, and the corrupt system made Yin Wuyao Only then did the resentful, grief-stricken prince embark on the road of bloody reform.

"Isn't it a little boring? I don't know. I was supposed to tell you about the Sixth Brother, but I ended up talking about this past. The scholarly family." Yin Wuyao poured himself a glass of wine as if nothing had happened. Although the dusty memory is far away , but it is still clear that the man who ascended the throne at the age of 15 had an unknown past before he became emperor.

Zhi Fei shook his head, he had never heard Yin Wuyao talk about himself, or tell the story of the past. The ripples, round by round, are softer and more vivid.

Yin Wuyao smiled, "Actually, the Sixth Brother was nothing more than helping me when I needed it the most. In terms of talent, the Sixth Brother was not bad back then, but it's a pity..."

His eyes dimmed, the emperor didn't speak any more, but picked up a mouthful of food with his chopsticks, chewed slowly, and didn't know what he was thinking, his eyes seemed to penetrate time and space, and go back to the past.

Zhi Fei doesn't know much about the matter of King Xin. Except for meeting him once at a state banquet, his memories of Prince Xin are only fragments of words like "Prince", "Puppet", and "Emperor's Brother". Cheng's King Xin is very different from the King Xin in Yin Wuyao's whim. Is the prince who was talented and gentle in the past really the same person as the living dead?

However, when he wanted to ask why King Xin became like this, Yin Wuyao also said he didn't know.

Time will change a person. After experiencing important things in life, it may go for the better, or it may become worse. Sometimes it does not depend entirely on the mentality. The surrounding environment is also important, but no matter what, Mentality is still the most important.

Hearing different people talk about their different faith kings, whether it's the regret in the eyes of the waiter, Zhao Muxiao's almost admiration, or Yin Wuyao's extremely complicated emotions, Zhi Fei suddenly felt that he was not the same as that prince. Getting closer, they are similar, but also fundamentally different.

They are also people who have been severely injured by what they have experienced, and they have not been able to stand up, and they all isolate themselves; while Zhi Fei chooses to build a wall in his heart, and Xin Wang hides in the house in his life. Go out and never see the light of day.The difference is that Zhifei feels that he can stand up now, at least when recalling the past and facing the reality, he is no longer resigned, and he doesn't take his own life seriously at all.

Although similar, Zhifei never regarded Xinwang as his former self. People who were injured and fell did not need sympathy and comfort, but let him see a way to go and hope for life.

"Xiao Qi, have you lost your mind again?" Yin Wuyao looked at Zhi Po with a funny face, and he didn't know which glass of wine it was.

Zhi Fei frowned, looked at the barely touched food on the table, "Father was the first to be distracted..."

Will talk back, the emperor felt a little warmth in his heart, seeing that Zhifei didn't touch wine and only drank tea, knowing that since that time when he lost his mind and accidentally drank wine, Zhifei would not touch wine easily, thinking of the two getting along Bit by bit, there was another burst of distraction.

Zhi Fei, who didn't know what Yin Wuyao was thinking at all, turned his thoughts back to the time before he lost his mind, and looked at the emperor with some doubts, "Why do you want my son to go and see it, both public and private?"

"Well, Xiao Qi will know when the time comes..." Yin Wuyao smiled charmingly.