long friend

Prime Minister Xie Ke was bedridden for more than a year, but after all, he didn't last long. He died suddenly on a summer night in the 33rd year of Tongning at the age of 72.He walked simply, painlessly and without disaster, which can be regarded as happy and mourning.

Xie Hui organized his funeral and endured these days with a pale face. The adults who saw him praised him in private, saying that he is usually unreliable, but he is very filial.Xiao Yan remembered Xie Ke's achievements and hard work since the three dynasties, and bestowed the posthumous title "Wending" and pursued the title of knighthood, but Xie Hui did not let Xie Hui inherit it.

The position of prime minister was vacant, and Xiao Yan specially approved the recommendation of the ministers.

The interests of the officials and family were complicated, and Xiao Yan's temper had changed unprecedentedly in the past year or so, and the few adults who held the right to speak collectively lost their voices.In the end, under the joint recommendation of Xiao Qichen and Xiao Qiyu, Shang Shucheng, who could only run errands, was forced to grind on a donkey, and his face grew bitter, wishing he could die from the world.

This turn of summer and autumn is destined to be a highlight of the Tongning period.

After Xie Ke passed away, nearly half of the ministers in the court became Zhao Wang's party, and even Xiao Qichen, who never expressed his position, seemed to quietly stand on Zhao Wang's side.

Xiao Qiyu became impossible to ignore again.He is the eldest son of the emperor, over thirty years old, he has both sons and daughters, his wife and concubines live in harmony, and the fiefdom is properly managed.Zhao Wang's uncle's family is not considered prominent but is also among the public officials, and Xiao Qiyu himself, except for the conflicts with Xiao Qiping that year, it seems that he can't find any faults.

For a while, Xiao Yan forgot about his young son-in-law, and began to discuss politics with Xiao Qiyu frequently.After all, Xiao Qiyu has been immersed in government affairs for many years, and he got started quickly. His idea of ​​taking back the military power and hoping to expand the territory also coincides with Xiao Yan.Some good people said that King Zhao may not be allowed to enter the East Palace all the way.

In the north, there are still two battles from time to time. Su Yan routinely sends out a battle report every month, and Liang Jun often wins.He had requested to go to the expedition, but Xiao Yan denied it on the grounds that "the time is not ripe".

The water thieves in the southeast suddenly became rampant during the autumn harvest this year. The governor of Minzhou foreign army suppressed it several times but failed.Water pirates and bandits are rampant, which is even more dangerous to the people than the Turkic army.

General Yan of the Xiaoqi Guards invited Ying, crossed the whole territory of Liang State from north to south, and rushed to Minzhou to rehabilitate without hesitation.

In Jinling City, Xiao Qichen was still worried about one thing - Li Rong had been weak since giving birth. At first Mrs. Cao thought it was the cold winter, so she entrusted the child to the nurse to take care of her, and asked Li Rong to continue taking medicine according to her old habits However, Li Rong still couldn't get off the ground when the next year's spring was warm and the flowers bloomed.

After Xiao Qichen heard about it, he specially invited an imperial doctor from the palace, and together with the doctor who had checked Li Rong's pulse since she was a child, the two gray-bearded old men finally came to the conclusion: Li Rong's physique was originally not suitable for pregnancy and childbirth. Although the first child seemed peaceful, it actually had a great impact on her, aggravating the original heart and lung disease.

The doctor's words were very euphemistic, but Xiao Qichen heard a hint of ominousness from them.

Mrs. Cao wrote two letters to Su Yan asking him to return to Jinling, but there was either no reply or a message saying that he could not come back.Li Rong's natal family was no longer "quite critical" about this, and Li Xufeng said that his parents had misjudged him, thinking that he was looking for Mr. Ruyi for his sister, but unexpectedly he was a cold-blooded liar!

Only Xiao Qichen knew that Su Yan didn't intend to refuse. In the northern border, there was a small fight in three days, and a big battle in seven days. In addition, the capable lieutenant general was transferred away. Su Yan led three thousand soldiers to garrison Yanmen Pass alone. The pressure can be imagined.

But he is an outsider after all, so it is not easy to intervene casually and speak for Su Yan.

After such procrastination, after the summer, Li Rong was bedridden almost all day long.

When the court was over that day, Xiao Qichen rushed to the Hou's mansion, with his hands full of medicinal materials for Li Rong.He really felt distressed, from which he just felt that Su Yan was indeed a little unreasonable, and seeing Li Rong's current state, it was inevitable that the rabbit would die and the fox would be sad.

When entering the door, Xiao Qichen happened to meet the old doctor who treated Li Rong since he was a child and was about to leave.

He often came to Hou's mansion recently, the doctor didn't know Su Yan, maybe he regarded him as Li Rong's husband, and he sighed when he saw him.Xiao Qichen gave Tianhui the medicinal materials in hand, sat with the old doctor in the hall, and asked the maidservant, "Where's Mrs. Hou?"

"The madam is praying for the young madam in the Buddhist hall." The servant girl recognized him and answered obediently.

Hearing this, the old doctor sighed again, and Xiao Qichen asked in a daze: "Doctor Zhang, what's the matter? You come here as usual to ask for pulse today, is it Rongniang's illness...?"

"Girl Li Rong, I watched her grow up." The old doctor said with a sad face, "You also know her disease, the root of her mother's womb, it is difficult to cure completely... It is impossible to die young, but she will not live long I originally told Mr. Li that Rong Niang has a special constitution. If she stays in the mansion safely and recuperates in this life, maybe there will be a turnaround. Unexpectedly, Mr. Li actually let her get married and didn't tell her husband's family about her. It's best not to get pregnant! This delivery has done a lot of damage to Li Rong's body, and even the young master is weaker than a normal baby. You see, it's getting worse and worse..."

"I know." Xiao Qichen said softly, "but there is always a solution, right?"

The old doctor gave him a strange look, then shook his head after a while, in Xiao Qichen's astonishment, he said slowly: "It's only 19 years old, it's such a pity——Master, why don't you ask Rong Niang what other wishes you have, Let her do it for her. If things go on like this, it's unknown whether she can survive the winter..."

Xiao Qichen stood up abruptly, before he had time to refute that he was not Li Rong's husband: "How could that be!"

"Rong Niang has a lack of qi, blood stasis, dyspnea syndrome, and fainting. In the past, I prescribed some medicines to help yang and unblock the veins to relieve the symptoms. Now I take the medicine, but there is no improvement. If fainting, The symptom of coughing up blood, even if the genius doctor is still alive, he can’t be cured. The young master should appease Rong Niang’s emotions as soon as possible, so that she can leave without regrets, right?”

Xiao Qichen frowned: "Then, what about increasing the dose? Doctor, she is still young..."

The old doctor remained silent, just stood up and walked slowly towards the door, ignoring Xiao Qichen's questioning.

Tianhui heard their words over and over again, Xiao Qichen froze on the spot in a daze, Tianhui stepped forward and tugged him, and said softly: "Your Highness, do you still want to see the Young Madam?"

"Didn't you hear what the doctor said?" Xiao Qichen glared at him, "I want to write a letter to Su Yan, no matter what, he must come back this time."

As an insider, Tianhui felt that His Royal Highness was too gentle and out of place, so she couldn't help but say, "Young Master's feelings for Madam...Your Highness, you know, do you have to let him come back?"

His words touched Xiao Qichen's secret, and after glancing at Tianhui, Xiao Qichen finally nodded: "He is Rongniang's husband after all, even if he doesn't like Rongniang, that's his own business."

Li Rong didn't live in the east wing after he got sick, but moved to a wing in Xiangyang.That place was originally a guest room, but it was cozy and warm after some decoration.

Her illness was unbearable, when Xiao Qichen entered, the room was warm, and it was even more stuffy in summer.

The bed was still covered with a spring quilt. Li Rong was bedridden and coughed from time to time. For the convenience of lying down, her long hair was loosely tied in a bun, and her complexion was much better than before.

The maidservant next to her was brought by her from her natal family, and she was serving on the left and right.Seeing Xiao Qichen, she saluted first, and then said to Li Rong: "Miss, Your Highness is here to see you again."

Li Rong didn't have much strength, so she smiled reluctantly at Xiao Qichen.

Before she could speak, Xiao Qichen said: "Rong Niang, talk less and rest more, I understand."

The maid poured ginseng tea for Xiao Qichen, Xiao Qichen was not used to the taste, so he still took it with a smile, he held it in his palm, as if it was hot.He left all the pressure from the court outside, and the two of them had a wonderful tacit understanding, just as they both love sweets, Xiao Qichen began to pick up some funny things and tell Li Rong.

Li Rong likes to listen to interesting stories from all corners of the country. When Xiao Qichen was sorting out ancient books in the Imperial College, he read a lot of legends and legends that have been handed down.A god with a human head and a snake body, a monster with eight eyes, an emperor who dreamed of a colorful phoenix, and an ordinary girl who designed to kill a big snake. The stories he told were short but fascinating, which often made Li Rong envious.

"Rong Niang, what else do you want to hear?" Xiao Qichen took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.

When Li Rong smiled, her almond eyes were very beautiful, and her face was flushed with a rare blush, which was a bit healthy, and she said softly: "Did the Kunpeng that His Highness mentioned last time go to Beiming? "

Xiao Qichen thought for a while, and said: "Beyond Beiming, there may be a great wilderness. Although the roc is big, it is still too small in front of the world. But you know that a tiny bird like yourself has great wishes in his heart, and he refuses to give up lightly. .The book doesn’t say where it went, but I think its ambition should not only be Beiming.”

Li Rong was thoughtful, smiled and said, "Does Your Highness want me not to give up?"

Xiao Qichen was at a loss for words for a moment, and was thinking about his words when Li Rong sighed: "But I already knew, whether I give up or not, what I think doesn't matter at all—it's been like this since I was a child."

There was something in her words, Xiao Qichen suddenly forgot to comfort her, and followed Li Rong's tone to say "um".His ending sound is slightly raised, showing a special sense of clarity in the stuffy room.

Beiming and Kunpeng sparked other topics. When Li Rong looked at him, his eyes were bright, and his voice was soft, full of girlish yearning: "Your Highness, do you have a sweetheart?"

Xiao Qichen's hand covering the teacup trembled imperceptibly.

Of course there is a sweetheart.

I can't see it when I want to see it, I dare not say it, I dare not listen to it.It is a sin to keep him in the heart, and anyone who knows it will find it ridiculous and ridiculous, so they can only pretend that nothing happened, and even hesitate to break it off.

But every time I think about it, my heart hurts, and it spreads to my limbs and bones.So with indescribable selfishness, he was still a close friend in the eyes of others. He was willing to mention anything, trusted him wholeheartedly, and knew nothing about those hidden feelings.

Xiao Qichen has never discovered that a sweetheart is so miserable, there is no rock, no turning, no wish for the southwest wind, he is not like a woman who suffers from lovesickness, shed pear blossom tears all day long, but he also tosses and turns, and is full of pain when he is free.

It's better not to, but I don't want to.

He remained silent for a long time, and finally chose to avoid Li Rong's ambiguous gaze.

Seeing that Xiao Qichen was unwilling to say it, Li Rongji smiled plainly: "Your Highness, I will tell you a secret, which I have never told anyone else."

Xiao Qichen was stunned, when he vaguely guessed what Li Rong wanted to say, he was actually a little comforted.

"When I was young, I was in poor health. I couldn't run or jump, so I just sat in the backyard of my house all day in a daze. At that time, there was a carpenter who lived next door, and there was a poor boy in his family who was about my age. That boy often climbed up the fence. On—the walls of our two families are close together, so I can see him. After a long time, even though we haven’t spoken to each other, we know each other. Then one day, he brought me a bouquet from the suburbs Little yellow flowers, they should be wild flowers, my brother said there are many under Qixia Mountain..."

For no reason, Xiao Qichen remembered that Su Yan pinned a flower beside her hair, and couldn't help laughing: "I should know that kind of flower, it's small, and it blooms all over the mountains and plains every spring."

"Really?" Li Rong burst into a smile, "I really want to see it."

Xiao Qichen asked: "What happened to the poor boy?"

Li Rongdao: "Later, he often brought me some small flowers, climbed over the wall and entered the yard of my house, and asked me why I didn't go out to play. Occasionally, he also made some small animals carved from bamboo strips and wood scraps, which looked rough, but It was so vivid... I was ignorant at the time, and thought it was very interesting, so I looked forward to seeing him all day long. The two of us didn't talk about family affairs, and after a few years, from one day on, he stopped coming."

"I heard from a servant at home that the son of the carpenter's family next door was seriously ill. They had no money to treat him, and he was so pitiful that he could only wait to die. I...so I went to ask my father if he could help the carpenter's son to find a doctor. Secretly asked Dr. Zhang to see him. My father got angry when he found out, probably because he was afraid that I would be like what was written in the story book, Miss Qianjin fell in love with the poor boy, and then eloped with him to the end of the world, right?" Li Rong said At this point, he looked at Xiao Qichen as if he felt it was very funny.

His expression was still patient and gentle, and he said softly, "It's Rong Niang who is kind, Master Li is thinking too much."

Li Rong said: "I have never seen that boy again. I don't know if he is dead or gone. After more than a year, my father and Lord Hou made an appointment with Ayan. My elder brother objected to my marriage, and I married Ayan." He quarreled—he said that Ayan has no feelings for me, but I understand that it's not his fault."

When she said this, she coughed suddenly, Xiao Qichen quickly moved the cushion behind her, and handed the cold ginseng tea to Li Rong: "Drink some water, don't worry."

After finally calming down his cough, Li Rong's eye circles were red, as if he was about to cry.

She suddenly said with a bit of resentment: "The parents on both sides have made an appointment, and asked me to meet Ayan, and we became married not long after... They never asked me, and they didn't even listen to Ayan's opinion, why? Forcing us to like each other?"

The poor boy in the story became a microcosm, Xiao Qichen asked: "Does Rong Niang like that person?"

Those few words were simple, but they made Li Rong tremble all over.

She drooped her eyelashes, then shook her head: "... I don't know what 'like' is, so I asked His Highness if he has a sweetheart. I have a crush on you, and I remember it for a long time, only because Ayan and him, as well as His Highness, both loved you." Have traveled far and know many other things."

Xiao Qichen suddenly understood.

Not everyone in the world regards "wanting to be alone forever" as the most important thing in life. Some people have their homeland and the world in their hearts, some people only want to travel to famous mountains and rivers, some people like to be alone in the middle of the night, and some people yearn for the moon and moon Manxishan.

For Li Rong, she doesn't care about marrying a good husband and being a good wife and mother. She is rebellious in her bones, because if she can't go or get it, she will regret it for the rest of her life.

Xiao Qichen suddenly felt that it was meaningless to ask Li Rongxi if he liked Su Yan.

That day he chatted with Li Rong to the end, and promised: "When I return to the palace later, I will write to A Yan and ask him to come home before the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is not fun outside in winter, so Rong Niang hastened to take care of her body. In the spring of next year, Ayan and I will accompany you to go to Kuaiji first, then go boating on Taihu Lake, all the way up the river...and finally go to Luoyang to enjoy the flowers, how about it?"

Li Rong smiled happily, she nodded desperately, and even when she rested, she felt much more comfortable than usual.

He came out of the wing room, and the bright summer sun was pouring down on the grass and trees in the courtyard.The spring flowers were in full bloom, and the petals of the newly planted roses in the Pingyuan Hou Mansion fell to the ground and turned red.

The author has something to say: Warm up the bento for Rong Niang... (Hide face.

If there is no update tomorrow, it means that it is too late to go out... I bow to everyone.