Everyone loves Huo Qubing

Chang'an City is a besieged city, people outside want to come in, people inside want to get out.Weiyang Palace is a besieged city within a besieged city, and I really want to wander out of the city right now.

After returning from Mayi, my second uncle stayed with me in the greenhouse for ten days.In the past ten days, I practiced swordsmanship hard every day, swung around with the sheep's head sword that cut iron like mud, and chopped down the flowers and plants in the palace.

"Don't cut the beams, be careful that the beams collapse."

"Don't chop the stone bridge, you'll hurt the sword."

"Don't... hey..."

My second uncle had just finished speaking, and the chain that tied the dog was cut with a "click". As soon as the wolf dog sent by the dog supervisor to accompany me to relieve boredom was freed, he immediately wagged his tail and threw himself on me, licking wildly.

"Let him cut it, it's good to vent your emotions." The emperor poked his head secretly.I dare to swear, after His Majesty yelled that sentence that night, his intestines were full of regret, otherwise he would not have run away without waiting for the second uncle to reply.In the past ten days, he has been sending delicacies from all over the world to the Greenhouse Hall in different ways, and I ate them all over Qilu Ouyue.

One of the dishes is very special, called roasted tofu, which is said to be a new trick in the tribute palace of Huainan King Liu An.

"This dish can't be made by those masters in the palace who have clear soup and little water. It should be cooked by Da Jinniang with Guanzhong technique. She always puts a lot of spicy peppers." I suggested while stuffing those white things into my mouth.

"Don't like it? Chuntuo, remove this and ask the imperial kitchen to redo it." The emperor pointed to the plate of tofu and told the eunuch, "Remember to add more spicy peppers."

"promise."

"Hey, I haven't eaten enough." I watched the eunuch take the pot of roasted tofu away from me, and couldn't help complaining in a low voice, "Now I am so kind to us uncle and nephew, but I don't know who was angry at that time." Houhou yelled 'If you don't want to live in the palace, get out', and then ran away, fled?"

The emperor seemed to have listened to my words, he smiled, turned to his second uncle and said: "I see that your nephew is fine, take him out for a walk. I am also worried that if this continues, the roof of the greenhouse hall All the tiles will be dismantled by him."

It seems that this person has very good hearing, His Highness is so noisy with silk, bamboo and drum music, yet he can still hear me complaining.But his judgment is correct, of course I have to put the unhappy things to the back of my mind as soon as possible.

***

This year's Shangsi Festival has a hazy drizzle, and the fresh green of the wicker covers the chill of early spring.Shangsi is not only a festival for young people in Chang'an, but also a day for our Wei family to go out together every year.

Along the stream, my second uncle and I walked side by side.Since holding me and weeping that night, the second uncle seems to have not been able to recover from the melancholy mood. Even though I have been completely convinced by the emperor's humble attitude, the second uncle is still obviously much more silent than before.

When I was in the Wei Mansion, I saw my second uncle hurt for His Majesty, but I never saw him shed tears.He fought against his uncle for so long, but he couldn't get His Majesty's trust.

A person who doesn't like to express usually, when he really accumulates emotions, he often gets stuck in his heart and doesn't know how to relieve it. The so-called man doesn't flick his tears easily, this time the emperor really poked the second uncle's sore spot.And the whole thing started because I was instigated by Cao Xiang and Su Wu to sneak out of the palace and attend a party that I didn't expect.

"Uncle, I'm sorry." I stopped and looked at the tall and handsome figure in front of me, "Qu Bing wants to know, how can I make up for it to make uncle happy?"

The clear spring in March is gurgling, and the swaying bamboo forest is rustling; the raindrops melt into his hair, and the light blue clothes flutter with the spring breeze.The second uncle turned around and smiled at me: "Qu Bing doesn't need to do anything, as long as Qu Bing is safe, Uncle will be happy."

"Brother Qing, you came early." He met Su Jia who was holding an oilcloth umbrella head on.Today, she wears a jasper hairpin of the same color as her second uncle's. She is wearing a pink skirt, with two blobs of rouge on her cheeks, and a touch of bright red on her lips. Even I can tell that she has carefully dressed before going out.

"My little nephew is here too." Su Jia said, reaching out her hand to rub my head, but when I dodged back, she missed it.

"Yeah, I've been covered at home for too long, so I took Qu Bing out to relax." The second uncle replied to her.

"Is the little nephew's illness better?" Su Jia asked with concern.

"I'm not sick." You're the only one who's sick, and I made faces at her.

A carriage was parked not far away, and a man in plain clothes was discussing with his aunt where to set up camp.As they approached, Wei Zhang and Yang Shi happily jumped out of the car, followed by the nanny who embraced Zhu Yi's cousin, Xun Yu, the captain of the chariot, and two Wei Young servants who were leading the horses.

"Your Majesty, madam." The second uncle and Su Jia greeted each other.Everyone in the capital knows that Cao Xiang attacked the Marquis. The emperor can no longer pretend to be the 15-year-old Marquis of Pingyang.She was pretended to be her husband before, but now she is pretended to be her fiancé. Princess Pingyang must have owed her imperial brother a lot of favor in her previous life.

Seeing his second uncle and Su Jia walking side by side under the same umbrella, "Marquis of Ru Yin" was a little annoyed, opened his mouth, but swallowed the words back.

Unexpectedly, the second uncle took the initiative to speak to the emperor today.

"Why did Captain Xun send you here? Where's your brother-in-law?" He asked with a frown.

"Back to General Xiaowei, Young Master Wei was motion sick and vomited in the carriage. General David's family temporarily transferred to His Majesty's side carriage, presumably on the way with His Majesty's Servant." Xun Yi cupped his hands and spit out a large string that made people faint A hazy title.

"Brother Qubing, here it is for you." Chief Wei opened his palm and held a two-inch square gold-plated bronze horse under my nose, "I know my brother likes these gadgets, and I still keep the ones my brother gave me. .”

"It's rare that the princess's cousin is so caring, thank you." I took the little golden horse and looked at it. The servants in the court were so meticulously crafted that you can almost see the horse's distinct eyelashes, which are really lifelike.

"Father said you are sick, you need to get better soon." My cousin patted me on the shoulder like a grown-up.

"I'm fine, my cousin doesn't have to worry about me." I smiled at her.

There was a lot of traffic on the other side, and my aunt and mother led Gongsun Jingsheng and Chen Yan to join us.

"Jingsheng, are you ready to come to the palace for school?" The emperor picked up Jingsheng's cousin and rubbed his curly hair.

"Back to Junhou, Jingsheng wants to study in the newly established private school in Maoling Town." The aunt said.

"Oh?" The emperor raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Isn't it good to learn too much?"

The aunt sighed: "Jing Sheng was spoiled by me, a mother, so I can't run a long way. Let's send him when he is older."

Seeing that the husband was displeased, the aunt smiled and persuaded: "Yes, sir, we have to cross the Weishui River from Maoling Township, and it's hard work for children to cross the bridge all day long."

After setting up the camp, Chief Wei and Chen Yan had already started a water fight.

"The children are all here, except for our little nephew."

"Next month will be Xuanchun's [-]-day banquet, how will your family plan to celebrate?"

"Hey, just as I was talking, someone came—"

***

At the end of the road there was a sound of galloping hooves.After a while, a low-key and luxurious carriage came into view.

The bamboo forest swayed with the wind, like emerald green waves.The horses are running happily, but there is no driver on the throne.

"Something happened!" The emperor and the aunt exclaimed at the same time.

The carriage didn't show any intention of slowing down, and rushed straight towards us.

"Protect Your Majesty!" At the very moment, the second uncle pushed Xun Zhi, who was still in a daze, in front of the emperor and his aunt, and galloped towards the carriage.

Smoke and dust rose everywhere, almost drowning me. After a long series of ear-splitting neighing, the carriage barely stopped a foot away from me.

A strong smell of blood rushed to my face, and the blood from my whole body rushed from my limbs to the soles of my feet.When the curtain of the car was raised, there was a tragedy in front of him.

The uncle covered Da Jinniang's body, and three cocks shot into his back, penetrating straight through his ribs.His eyes were closed, blood was seeping from the corner of his lips.

The second uncle reached out his hand to feel his breath, and his fingers stayed under the nose for a long time.The second uncle's eyes gradually turned from hope to despair, he lowered his head, buried his face on the uncle's chest, and let out several small whimpers.

Da Jinniang, a new mother who has only been born for a short time, is protected by her uncle on the car seat below her.She was shot in the waist by an arrow, and where the arrow penetrated, blood spewed out unstoppably.

In the small space, I helped Su Jia lift Jinniang up, leaned on the car seat, and pressed her wound.

When she was turned over, at the bottom of the car seat, a candle package that was hidden by her appeared in front of my eyes.Maybe it was because he had vomited for a long time before, maybe it was because the carriage was bumpy, but the drastic changes in the outside world did not affect the sleeping cousin Xuanchun.However, the infant cousin didn't know that his life had been turned upside down at the moment he was sleeping soundly.

"Sister, hold on!" Su Jia's delicate makeup was already covered with water marks.

"Your brother's last words are also my wish as a sister-in-law," the dying Dajiniang held the bloody hand of her younger sister Su Jia and handed it to her second uncle with the last of her strength, "Xuanchun—entrust it to the you guys."

The sound of galloping horseshoes brought up a cloud of dust and smoke, only to hear Gongsun Ao's voice from outside the carriage.

"The minister waited for the rescue to come late, please punish him, Your Majesty!"

"Send the wives and children back to the palace quickly, and strictly protect them." The emperor ordered.

"We were ambushed on the road. There were four assassins in total, all of whom were skilled practitioners." The uncle finally woke up. At an inflection point, he was thrown off by the inertia of the carriage, his forehead fell on a boulder, blood was all over his face, and a crossbow bolt was embedded in his shoulder blade.He gritted his teeth and pulled out the arrow forcefully, pulling the injured muscle, his face convulsed.

"Your Majesty, a suspect has been caught." A Qimen army soldier dragged a man in a gray cloak and strange clothes approached, and laid out the guns and arrows found on him on the ground.

"Liu Che! I can't kill you today, my companion will kill you sooner or later!" Under the cloak, the assassin's knife-like eyes were very familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.However, the assassin's voice was more familiar, and when he spoke, I almost jumped out of my seat.

"Take it back and ask Tingwei to interrogate it severely." The emperor's words squeezed out through his teeth.

"Hahaha, you want to interrogate me, in your next life!" The assassin raised his head, and his wild laughter shocked the birds in the forest.

The laughter stopped abruptly.

"Your Majesty, the prisoner has swallowed medicine and committed suicide."

***

"What is Suzaku Sirius, what does Tai Shiling think of the sky? Now that it is like this, how do I send troops?"

Martial law was imposed in Chang'an City, and the Weiyang Palace was sealed off; one general of the Qimen army was killed and one injured; the emperor was furious.

The second uncle and the younger uncle were accompanied by Uncle Su and Chen Zhang back to the house to prepare for the funeral. I, the "boy in the way", couldn't live in Yongxiang with a lot of women and children, so I had to stay in the greenhouse hall with the emperor.

The Confucian Sima Tan knelt in front of the hall and shivered, the cups and letters in front of him were in a mess.This is the first time I have seen the violent emperor with my own eyes.

"Your Majesty, both General Wei and his wife died from short-range arrow wounds." The censor Zhang Tang hurried over, holding the memorial made by Wu, "In addition, the guns we seized were all engraved with a cross pattern. According to sources from People of the Qiang nationality recognized that the pattern on the arrow originated from the inscriptions of the Hu people in the Western Regions, which means blood curse."

"What is a blood curse?" It sounded weird.

"The blood curse is a kind of witchcraft, which can cause the wound of the person hit by the arrow to burst, and if he is not treated in time, he will bleed to death." After Zhang Tang explained my question, he continued to turn to the emperor, "Your Majesty, the traitor must be familiar with the palace I know that General Gongsun is His Majesty's chariot on weekdays, and I also know His Majesty's habit of going on tour in modest clothes on the Shangsi Festival. On that day, General Gongsun and Lieutenant Xun exchanged cars because of the car sickness of Young Master Wei. Although General Wei and his wife sacrificed innocently, But it also avoided a nightmare for me in the big man world."

Zhang Tang implied that the target of the assassination that day was the emperor who was sitting next to me.The Son of Heaven has no princes so far. If the system of Emperor Xiaowen is followed, the new emperor will take over the East Palace and the princes and kings designated by the feudal states, which will surely cause a bloody storm in the southeast and fierce battles between dragons and tigers.

What makes me shudder even more is that if the emperor is really assassinated, no matter who takes the throne, the current China and North Korea will definitely be replaced.As for the Wei family, the head of China and North Korea, there is only one way - to be swallowed back by the princes and crushed to death like an ant. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to describe it as a "nightmare".

"Try to keep a low profile when thoroughly investigating this matter. If the mastermind thinks he has already succeeded, he will get carried away and show his feet." The emperor ordered.

It's night, I've been dreaming.The first half of the night was chaotic, but the second half of the night gradually became clear.

I dreamed that the carriage that my uncle and Da Jinniang were riding in was driven into Shanglin Garden by a man in a cloak with dark eyes.Da Jinniang leaned out the window and called for help. A deer jumped out of the road and hit the side of the carriage, and the deer fell to the ground.

The man in the cloak fell off the car seat, and the young Han Yan, dressed in red, sped up. His neck was as smooth as a swan, without any scars.

Han Yan jumped off the horse lightly, knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, this person should be executed as a warning to others."

As soon as the scenery changed, I was walking outside the high wall on the north side of Changle Palace at night, and my thoughts were filled with the kiss on the grass in the shooting range just now.In the distance, the East Qingming Gate was dimly lit, and that gloomy look came towards him wearing the armor of the imperial guards, and asked, "Is that Mr. Huo?"

The scenery in front of me gradually blurred, and someone whispered:

"This bow is not bad, it can be sold for a good price."

"Your Majesty has told you to let the horse go back and report the letter."

I woke up suddenly, got up quickly, pushed open the door of the bedroom, and went straight to the emperor's bedroom.The coolness of the bluestone ground on a spring night penetrated into the soles of my feet, but I didn't want to stop running at all; the servant who was awakened by the noise caught up with me and wrapped the cloak around my shoulders.