Xijing Chronicle

After leaving Pingguo, Gu Huaisheng and Jin Xuenian returned to Daliang Xijing, seeing that the weather was getting hot and it was not suitable to travel far. Although they resigned from their official positions, their titles and mansions were still there.

Before he knew it, it was midsummer, and Gu Huaisheng remembered that it was at this time that he met Jin Xuenian. In the blink of an eye, several years passed by.

After breakfast, Jin Xuenian suddenly asked, "Do you still remember what day it is?"

Gu Huaisheng looked at him in a daze, and shook his head after thinking for a long time: "What?"

"You..." Jin Xuenian looked at him with helplessness. She remembered it better than anyone else back then, but now she completely forgot it. "It was the day when 'He Rui' passed away."

After a pause, he continued to ask slowly: "You...do you want to go into the palace to have a look?"

Gu Huaisheng followed the palace people who led the way to the outside of the Laiyi Hall, stood under the magnificent cornice, stopped in his tracks, looked up, and felt mixed feelings in his heart, and he was quite emotional.

He grew up here since he was a child. At that time, Empress Wenci was still alive. The empress was kind and gentle, and treated all princes equally, and the brothers were still in harmony.

I remember one time, the third younger brother He Yue took the lead in Cuju. Not counting the younger brothers who were too young, only five participated. It was thanks to the elder brother He Ze who put on airs and snorted coldly. At such a young age, he already had the majesty of a superior, and those palace people stood up in fright.

The teams were divided by lottery. Unfortunately, He Ze, fifth brother He Yi, and himself were in the first team, and He Yue and fourth brother He Qi were in the same team.Although He Ze felt a little displeased with himself at that time, it was not to the point where fire and water could not be tolerated. Because of the young man's competitive spirit, he played very hard in the games.

I remember one time when He Ze grabbed the ball but was stuck in the middle, he suddenly called out to himself for some reason.

"Second brother!"

He raised his head in a daze, and saw the ball flying towards him, with He Ze's smiling eyes as bright as the scorching sun.

In my impression, it was a long-lost, somewhat crazy play, and it was also the last time I saw He Ze show such a carefree smile to himself.

"My lord, what's the matter with you? The emperor is still waiting for you."

The palace man suddenly made a sound, and Gu Huaisheng suddenly came back to his senses, suppressing the slightest untimely sadness in his heart, he lifted his clothes and stepped into the door.

The Hall of Laiyi is not too big, but there are three side halls, with a small and exquisite garden in the middle. There are shelves in the garden, and wisterias are planted along the way. Every late spring and early summer, it is full of flowers, layer upon layer. The folds spread out like a purple mist.Outsiders all know that the second prince has been studying hard since he was a child, but they don't know that he also has naughty moments.In the past, whenever I was tired from studying, I would drive away the palace people around me, and then rest on the bamboo chair under the rattan, cover my face with the book, listen to the breeze in my ears, and smell the faint scent of books at the tip of my nose, and fall asleep soon Go, and get a good night's sleep.

Now the wisteria has withered, and there is a layer of soft mud-like petals on the ground. I don't know if it was ordered, but the garden seems to have been neglected for a long time, and it looks very decadent.

Gu Huaisheng walked around the rattan trellis, and saw He Huan standing there alone with his arms behind his hands, next to him was the bamboo chair he used to sleep on lazily. When the wind blows, it trembles lightly.

The child back then has grown into a majestic emperor, but the back in front of him at this moment seems to be slowly overlapping with the child back then, just as lonely and pitiful, helpless.

He Huan heard footsteps in his ear, but He Huan didn't turn his head. Gu Huaisheng bowed and said softly, "Does Your Majesty still miss His Highness the Second Prince?"

He Huan sighed slowly: "Do you know what day it is today?"

"It's the anniversary of the death of His Royal Highness the Second Prince."

"It's this day," He Huan raised his head, and what he said seemed to mean something, and seemed to be just stating a fact, "So you're here."

Gu Huaisheng watched his back: "Your Majesty."

"Outsiders say that the second brother is hardworking and studious, but in fact he also has lazy moments. I sneaked into him when I was a child. He was lying on this bamboo chair with the book covering his face, sleeping soundly. There was a palace that followed me in. People wanted to wake him up, but I stopped him."

"After that, I kept this matter as a secret in my heart, thinking that I was the only one who knew. It turned out that my second brother was not as perfect as they said. He was just an ordinary person, who could laugh, get angry, and get tired... But No matter what, the second elder brother is my second elder brother and the only relative I have in this world. At that time, I always wanted to grow up quickly so that I could help him. No matter what he wanted, even the throne, I I am also willing to help him grab it."

At first he was still using "zhen", but later became "I".

Gu Huaisheng mourned in his heart, and couldn't help taking a step forward: "Your Majesty..."

"But I didn't expect that when I grew up, he would not be here. If I had known this, I would rather not grow up." Just as the voice fell, before Gu Huaisheng could react, He Huan changed his voice, "I know why today? It’s the anniversary of my second brother’s death, but why don’t I burn paper money to commemorate it?”

He finally turned around and looked deeply at Gu Huaisheng. Gu Huaisheng's heart trembled, and he stared closely at his lips, afraid that something earth-shattering would come out of him.

Time seemed to freeze during the confrontation between the two. After a long time, Gu Huaisheng finally lowered his head first, and said slowly: "Your Majesty, don't make fun of your ministers. The ancestor Lie once clearly stipulated that sacrifices are prohibited in the palace. knew."

He Huan pursed his lips tightly, still looking at him without saying a word, the atmosphere became more and more heavy, but Gu Huaisheng still stood there with his head slightly lowered as if nothing had happened.After a long time, and I don't know how long it took, He Huan finally opened his mouth in a low voice: "Gu Aiqing is right... I just dare not disobey the precepts of my ancestors."

It's not that there is no need for sacrifices because there are still people alive, it's just that they don't dare to violate the precepts of the ancestors.

He Huan sighed, and suddenly paused, as if all the energy in his body was sighed in this breath, "You go down first."

Gu Huaisheng did not move. After a moment of silence, he said softly, "Your Majesty, although His Highness the Second Prince is gone, I will always be with you."

"... I know that I love you so much."

He Huan's voice was as usual, but Gu Huaisheng's heart moved, and he suddenly looked up. He Huan's face was sunk in the shadows and he couldn't see clearly, but he still seemed to see the lustrous water. When I looked again, the glint of water was gone, as if it was just an illusion.

When Gu Huaisheng returned to the mansion, Jin Xuenian put down the book in his hand and came up to meet him. Seeing that his face was not looking good, he couldn't help asking worriedly: "What happened?"

"The emperor knows."

"Why—" Jin Xuenian was startled, "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine," Gu Huaisheng pulled him to sit down by the table, stared at a corner of the table for a while, and then said softly, "He didn't recognize me."

Jin Xuenian was slightly taken aback, and immediately said: "That's the best..."

Gu Huaisheng was stunned, held his hand, but his tone was slightly relieved: "Yes, you're right, that's the best way, now that the country is settled, there can be no further twists and turns, besides, I'm with you now... ...How can a family member of a country violate Changlun and do such a rebellious thing, you know it, I know it, and he knows it too."

"I just don't know how he found out."

"It's normal to find some clues when we get along for so long. He is the emperor now. If he is willing to investigate, there are a few things in the world that can be hidden from him... These are not important anymore, they are all in the past."