I'm not Murong Chong

These few words were poured down like a basin of ice and snow water, which made Ren Zhen shudder, and he woke up completely, so ashamed that he almost felt ashamed.

Xie Xuan looked normal.He withdrew his hand, pulled Ren Zhen up again, jumped into the boat, put several times the boat price and the unsheathed Mo Yang sword in front of the frightened boatman, and said calmly: "Send us both across the river."

The boatman thought that these two were strong figures, so he dared to say no, so he had to go out of the cabin to take the helm with a sullen face.

In the huge cabin, there were only two people sitting silently facing each other.Leaning against the bulkhead, Ren Zhen heard the whimpering sound of the river tide in his ears, but he didn't dare to look at Xie Xuan, his guts felt so annoyed that he regretted it.

No matter how affectionate he is, he knows how to measure it. No matter from his status or personal feelings, Xie Xuan is someone he should never provoke. Arrogant and arrogant, his confession is really humiliating to him.Some things are hazy and vague, but once the layer of paper between them is broken, there is nothing to hide and no escape.

He was in a turmoil in his heart, and unexpectedly the boat swayed in the middle of the river, and the hull shook violently, almost throwing him off the ground.Xie Xuan grabbed his arm quickly with sharp eyes, raised his eyebrows and said, "Do you think the hole in your stomach isn't big enough?" Ren Zhen straightened up awkwardly, and sat a little further away, seeing Xie Xuan as if With a calm expression, as if nothing happened, he could only laugh miserably, and laughed at himself: "We have thick skin and thick flesh, and we have been beaten a lot."

Xie Xuan was speechless, and continued to turn his head, looking out from the porthole at the Yangtze River, where the water and the sky were in one color, and after a long time, his voice seemed to come from afar: "Ren Zhen, can we always be friends? "

Ren Zhen was taken aback for a moment, then understood, and said with a wry smile: "It is a great honor to be your friend." So, it is better than meeting strangers forever. .

The two have reached an agreement so far, and the relationship at that time can't help but be exposed, and they will never be mentioned again.

I crossed the river without any risk, but the ferry was still more than a hundred miles away from Xuancheng. If I rode a horse, I would have arrived in half a day, but the horse landed on the other side, and Ren Zhen was injured, so it was impossible anyway. Go on foot on two feet.

Xie Xuan looked back and forth, and saw that the road was long and long, so he frowned slightly in distress—now he was covered in mud and dirt, and he didn't care about it when he was running for his life. Now that he was out of danger, he wished he could take a bath and wash himself off immediately The filth on his body - since he was born, he was born with bells and lanterns, gold and jade, why has he ever encountered such an embarrassing situation when he was alone?

Ren Zhen took a look at Xie Xuan, suddenly hung on him, sighed exaggeratedly, and began to burst into tears: "Brother, why are you so angry—isn't it because Panchuan was robbed by road bandits? We are still useful bodies!" Xie Xuan twisted his neck and turned around, staring at him like a ghost.

People on the road in twos and threes naturally followed their reputation, and it was rare to have an audience. Ren Zhen even put on a performance, insisting that the two brothers were going to cross the river to visit relatives, but they were robbed by bandits on the way, and the two managed to escape alive , his "brother" was seriously injured in order to protect his "younger brother". Unexpectedly, his younger brother was young and energetic, because he felt that he was in a mess, so he refused to go to the relatives' house in Xuancheng to lose face...

Xie Xuan was stunned at first and then dizzy. As more and more people watched, his complexion became darker and darker, almost the same color as the bottom of the pot. Finally, he saw that the well-intentioned "brother" had already made a familiar face. The felt cloth donkey cart driven by a young Han man sat on the wooden shaft and waved at his "ignorant younger brother": "Youdu! Get in the cart! This kind brother is going to Xuancheng to handle goods, so you can drop us off on the way." In the past~"

Xie Xuan was speechless. After a moment of battle between heaven and man, he could only drag his heavy steps. As soon as the rag curtain was lifted, a smell of sweat and rot came to his face. pumped, and stepped up expressionlessly.

Ren Zhen then also entered the carriage, took off his coat, spread it on the seat backwards, put away the sundries on the floor, opened half of the window to diffuse the smell, and finally turned his head to let Xie Xuan sit down , whispered: "Be patient."

After finishing speaking, he glanced at him again, then turned around and went out, and sat on the shaft of the car again, making friends with the middle-aged man who drove the car, chatting about the year, the harvest, and the troubled world in the past ten years.

Xie Xuan was sitting in the bumpy, dilapidated car with his legs crossed. He couldn't tell that Ren Zhen was avoiding him on purpose, and his mood was inexplicably complicated. Feeling a little stuffy and uncomfortable?

The speed of the old donkey pulling the wrecked cart can be imagined. It was only twenty or thirty miles away at dusk. That night, we had to stop at the carriage and horse shop where travelers usually live by the roadside, and continue on the road tomorrow morning.

Ren Zhen thanked the peddler a thousand times, and after eating some rough tea and light meals, he rented a small room from the shopkeeper—this was no different from a firewood house in Xie Xuan's view.Seeing Ren Zhen rushing in and out, giving orders, he wanted to tell him to stop, but the words rolled around his lips, but he swallowed them.

Not long after, two guys came in with a big steaming wooden barrel. In the cold winter months, Ren Zhen raised his hand to wipe off his thin sweat, and said to Xie Xuan: "I just saw that the water they boiled is not dirty. .You...be patient."

This sentence again.Xie Xuan suddenly became angry: "It doesn't have to be like this. I'm not too precious to be human."

Ren Zhen was taken aback for a moment, not knowing why he was so upset because he was clearly kind and considerate. After thinking about it, could it be that Xie Xuan still couldn't let go of his shameless words before, and felt that he had ulterior motives?Hastily explained: "After a few days, our body is very soaked, and I must feel uncomfortable~ If it wasn't for my injury, the water would have been burned for me to wash myself~" As he spoke, he backed up: "Hurry up! Wash, at this time, the dripping water turns into ice, and it will be a waste of my efforts when it gets cold." As soon as he finished speaking, he hastily locked the door, leaned his back against the door, and stood silently for a moment, until he heard the noise coming from inside the room. With the sound of water, he lifted his feet and left with peace of mind.

Ren Zhen had asked the kitchen for some local herbs that were good for dispelling blood stasis and healing wounds, boiled a pot of bitter medicine, and now he slipped to the stable with the medicine, sat on the haystack by the door, and drank it all at once.Then he gritted his teeth, wiped his mouth with a slumped face, and took off his shirt again to check the injury under the dim yellow light—how could the wound not re-open even after running away in shock for a day?He held on all the way again, although it wasn't a serious injury with gut piercing, it looked horribly tight.

Ren Zhen gritted his teeth and took off the dirty bandage. First, he smeared a little silver ring medicinal powder on the wound, fearing that the hemostasis would not be strong enough, and then applied a thick layer of grass ash on it—this is also a folk treatment for knife wounds and sores. of the earth.

Just when Ren Zhen was trying to make himself an African native, there was a whisper of anger not far away: "Are you changing your medicine here to heal your wounds?!"

Ren Zhen didn't expect that Xie Xuan would finish his bath so soon, so he instinctively dragged his shirt in front of him, waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Don't come, go back to the house!" He saw his appearance like a mud monkey, so he drove him back; Xie Xuan thought that Ren Zhen remembered his refusal earlier, so he refused him more and more along the way, preferring to lie next to this dirty stable to change his medicine He also didn't want to be in the same room with him, so he felt very annoyed, so he stepped forward with his long legs, pulled off his top, and said with a straight face: "I just don't want to go back to the house, What are you doing to me?"

Xie Jiabaoshu, who is the most elegant, is playing a rascal.Ren Zhen opened his mouth a little unable to react, and had to admit defeat again, obediently giving up the initiative.

Xie Xuan looked down, and was frowned by the smell of grass: "Is this black mud effective?" Ren Zhen grinned and said: "This earthen prescription can stop bleeding, of course you have never seen it before."

Xie Xuan's question was questionable, and his subordinates did not slow down at all. After finishing the finishing work, he lowered his head and concentrated on rubbing away the black mud between his fingers, then stood up and said, "Don't make a big move, it shouldn't crack again—— "While speaking, he didn't pay attention to his feet, and suddenly hooked the latch of the stable, and fell into the smelly stable.

The old donkey who had brought them here walked over with a bang, and lowered its neck curiously to look at the unexpected visitor.

Xie Dudu stared at the donkey's head slowly approaching in horror, and opened a stinking "big bloody mouth". Finally, a large ball of saliva overflowed from the gap between the teeth, and slapped A sound was falling on his lapel—Xie Xuan froze completely, and then he looked up to the sky and yelled loudly like a collapse!

Ren Zhen hurriedly jumped in with hands and feet, untied the winking donkey, squatted down beside Xie Xuan, and just wanted to express his concern and sympathy, but the ever-changing expression on Xie Xuan's face was too wonderful and vivid Yes, he couldn't help bursting out laughing as soon as he opened his mouth.

Xie Xuan stared at him like a cannibal, and countless sharp arrows flew out of his eyes and shot him badly.

"I... I told you to go back to the house just now~" Ren Zhen couldn't stop laughing, avoiding Xie Xuanfei's approaching kick, "I promise not to publicize Xie Du's close contact with the old donkey... Ouch, don't stop , I, I, I can help you do the laundry!"

Xie Xuan's face was sullen, but he couldn't hold it back, and laughed out loud.

Early the next morning, Mr. Xie went out like a jade tree in the wind, and only when he lowered his head and smelled the smell of his clothes did he pick up his face bitterly.The instigator, Ren Zhen, followed behind with a tired face, pulling on his shoes, and took the initiative to say hello to the driver who took them yesterday: "I will trouble you to send our brothers into the city today." Xie Xuan sometimes really can't understand , as Ren Zhen, how did he manage to get along with the three religions and nine streams without any pretense - at least he himself would never be able to do it.

Fortunately, after last night's commotion, the two of them on the road today were not as embarrassed as yesterday. Ren Zhen did not get out of the car, but sat and chatted with him, as if they had returned to the year when they first met in the suburbs of Chang'an, and the two of them were as good as ever.

Xie Xuan thought to himself, at that time, he never imagined that there would be people in this world who could make him happy, angry, sunny, and rainy. It's good to be a couple, at least he doesn't want to suffer from the burning fire and worrying about gains and losses.

It was already dusk when they arrived in Xuancheng, Ren Zhen thanked the man driving the car, and stood side by side with Xie Xuan at the gate of the city—Xuancheng is not big, and the gray-black city walls are even lower than those of Jiankang and Jingkou. There are many, but the pedestrians on the road all behave elegantly, and the folk customs are good at Confucianism, which is not inferior to the prosperous and prosperous Jiangdong counties.Ren Zhen turned his head and said, "Xuancheng is still the territory of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in name, have you never been here?"

Xie Xuan shook his head and said: "Xuancheng regained our territory because of the Battle of Feishui more than ten years ago. The Eastern Jin Dynasty did not have enough troops and never stationed troops here - the Beifu Army also mainly garrisoned in the Jingkou area. I have been in the army for many years. It's the first time I've come here." Ren Zhen smiled and said, "Then this small city is a little lucky, the forces between the North and the South have been fighting for many years, and the flames of war have rarely affected this place."

"I'm afraid it will be hard to tell after a few years." Xie Xuan blurted out, then paused, and subconsciously glanced at Ren Zhen, but Ren Zhen didn't want to destroy the rare peace between the two, pretending not to know, and talking and laughing Open the topic.

Since Xuancheng is not big, it is easy to find people. Ren Zhen asked around, but he said that he could not see Wu Lie's convoy——Ren Zhen was not worried about danger——Sima Yuanxian's pursuit was to search for Fu Hong. Fu Hong was not seen among them, and Sima Yuanxian's teacher was unknown, so he never dared to turn against Xiyan openly, Wu Lie and his party were probably delayed because of many dealings with Wuyiying.

In fact, Xie Xuan sent here to the utmost of benevolence and righteousness, so he can turn around.Although Sima Yuanxian ordered the poisoning, he obviously didn't want to take the life of Emperor An at the moment, but just wanted to take the opportunity to deal with the Xie family. It is conceivable that the situation in Jiankang City at this time must be dark and turbulent.But Xie Xuan didn't mention it, and Ren Zhen didn't mention it either. It was rare for the two of them to have a tacit understanding.

After entering the city, there is no need to pretend to be poor. Ren Zhen rented a small clean courtyard to live in, and rushed to buy a few clothes made of Qiluo silk for washing - of course not for himself, he is a rough man, wearing dragon robes and common clothes All can be worn.Unexpectedly, as soon as he came back, he saw Xie Xuan leading a traveling doctor who specializes in treating sword wounds, and he had been waiting for a long time.

Ren Zhen was taken aback for a moment, frowned, and said with a smile, "Thank you for remembering."

Xie Xuan took the clothes with a slightly unnatural expression, curled his lips and said: "I think your grass ash is too unreliable to stop bleeding, and it looks dirty even if you wipe it with black mud."

Who made you look?I didn't take off my clothes and ran around naked again.Ren Zhen slandered secretly, but somehow managed to control his own scum and did not say it out loud.

The two stayed here in peace, waiting for others while healing their wounds.No one would have thought that the two people laughing and cursing in this quiet courtyard in an ordinary alley, one is the Emperor of Xiyan and the other is the governor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

For several days like this, Ren Zhen walked into the house with a hanging hanging of raw meat and an iron pot in his right hand at around dusk, and said to the people behind him: "You don't understand, don't you say that mutton is stinky, then you can't understand it." It’s because you Jiangnan people don’t know how to cook it, follow my method to make hot pot and eat it raw, it’s absolutely delicious, and it’s the most suitable for tonic in winter.”

Xie Xuan put his hands on his sleeves and did not work with peace of mind, and said disapprovingly: "What kind of hot pot, I have never heard of it, I don't know which tribe of barbarians invented it."

Ren Zhen smiled angrily, turned his head and pointed at him: "Okay, don't be tempted to compete with me when the pot is boiled~"

Xie Xuan hurriedly hid to the side, afraid of being swept away by the piece of raw meat that was still frozen with icy scum, he mocked: "Who is like a foodie like you." He opened the door first, but suddenly froze, unable to move any further Take half a step.

Ren Zhen was blocked by him at the door and couldn't move forward, so he pushed him lightly, and said with a smile, "Why, don't you know the family?"

The moment their eyes crossed, Ren Zhen was stunned, and the rest of the words were immediately frozen in the ice and snow.

Xiyan Shangshu ordered Yao Song to sit in the courtyard, wearing a snow fox cloak, with long black hair, his eyebrows were still picturesque, his lips were smeared but they looked like a jade man.

As soon as Ren Zhen stepped into the gate of the courtyard, Yao Song stood up slowly, and the dozens of followers who followed him knelt on one knee and saluted silently.Yao Song's eyes swept over the two of them, his pupils shrank slightly, and then he smiled like a spring breeze, and first bowed his hands to Xie Xuan to greet him: "Young Master Yan, are you all right after a long separation?"

With so many subordinates present, Yao Song naturally couldn't reveal Xie Xuan's identity, otherwise it would be even more difficult to explain the reason.

Only then did Xie Xuan come to his senses, and he bowed his hands in reply: "Take care of me."

Ren Zhen scratched his head, and asked in a low voice, "You...why came all this way in person?"

Yao Song glanced at the things in his man's hands, then turned his eyes sideways to signal his subordinates to take them, and just now he opened a black fox cloak and put it on for Ren Zhen with his own hands, and said slowly: "Jiankang mutiny, Wu Lie reported , I will immediately come from Chang’an to take you back to the palace.” The two stood and talked facing each other, both of them were tall and tall, one black and the other white standing proudly in the wind and snow, they looked like a pair of jadeites.

Ren Zhen smiled sheepishly: "I'm fine, you don't have to worry."

"All right?" Yao Song raised his eyebrows, stretched out his hand and pressed lightly on his stomach, "Such a large knife wound can be called all right?"

Ren Zhen didn't expect Yao Song to find out so quickly, so he could only smile wryly: "It's just a flesh injury."

"Kimou, big or small, can damage a body of ten thousand gold." Yao Song suddenly shouted loudly, "Wu Lie!"

Wu Lie, who had just got rid of the Jin army and came to Xuancheng, heard the sound, knelt down on his knees, and kowtowed his head to apologize: "It's not good for the minister to protect the lord, and he deserves death!"

Ren Zhenyi waved his hand and said, "He followed the order and did not neglect his duties."

Yao Song refused: "Shang Li should not have done so. If the emperor is safe and sound, then it's fine. Now that he is injured, if it wasn't for the great fortune and even almost falling into the enemy's hands, how can I forgive him lightly?" All the guards in the palace were flogged with ten sticks, demoted to three ranks, and left for use in their original positions.

All the people in the courtyard stood silently listening to the blunt sound of slapping flesh, but no one screamed in pain, and they couldn't help feeling terrified.

In fact, in the past when Ren Zhen and Yao Song were under the control, they often sang together like this. You make a bad face and I sing a red face. In addition, most of the civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty were secretly afraid of this minister who had the color of spring flowers on his face and the sharpness of sword and axe in his heart.

Yao Song ordered people to serve hot tea amidst the sound of execution, and first offered it to Xie Xuan: "Mr. Yan is a guest from afar, and he saved my master. Yao served tea with wine, and toasted you— —a chivalrous heart."

Xie Xuan accepted the last sentence with a hidden mystery, every word was heartbreaking, with a secretive smile, but there was a hint of obscurity between his brows - he knew that as a minister of Jin, he helped outsiders, even if it was because the two had an appointment first. High-five as an oath, but in any case it has nothing to do with the word chivalry.

Ren Zhen hurriedly said: "That's enough. Zijun, Wu Lie's crime doesn't end there."

Only then did Yao Song turn his head, offer the second cup of tea to Ren Zhen, and said lightly: "The emperor has ordered them to be spared. Next time, if there is a dereliction of duty, they will be punished severely."

The sound of the cane beating stopped immediately, and Wu Lie and others limped over to thank En - he didn't feel any pain because of his thick skin, but he felt that the beating was a bit inexplicable. The expressions of the three people in front of them, no matter how dull they are, can feel a little bit - dare you use him to knock the mountain to shake the tiger or kill the chicken to make an example to the monkey? !

Xie Xuan wanted to bid farewell and return to Beijing, but Yao Song stayed again and again, saying that it was getting late and the city gates were closed early, so it would be better to stay one more night until they prepared their horses and panchuan the next day before they could go on the road.

In the evening, everyone logically enjoyed a luxurious meal to congratulate the emperor on his "escape from danger".During the banquet, Shang Shuling presided over the overall situation just like the night banquet in the palace. It's just that everyone has eyes.Yao Song raised his chopsticks and pointed at the steaming cauldron with a smile: "You should be lucky today. This 'hot pot' was invented by the emperor. Back then, he and the king of heaven, Fu Jian, used wine to settle their grievances in the military camp. It is by throwing stones to ask for directions..."

Ren Zhen ate hard, wishing he could jump into the pot and cook it up.

In just one meal, Yao Song has tidied up the small courtyard and looked like a brand new one.Ren Zhen sat alone on the brocade mattress—maybe he ate too much at the banquet, which made him dizzy and uncomfortable.

Yao Song opened the door and came in, this time holding a cup of Xiaoshi tea in his hand, and thoughtfully handed it to Ren Zhen's mouth.Ren Zhen raised his head and looked into his clear eyes, feeling a bit shy in his heart, he couldn't help standing up and hugging him tightly in his arms.

Yao Song broke free, glanced outside the door, pursed his lips and smiled, and whispered: "Do you think this is the palace? Beware of others seeing it."

Ren Zhen refused to let go of his hand. He knew that Yao Song's heart was clear, but he didn't say anything. Not saying anything was more painful than saying it: "Zijun, I—"

Yao Song interrupted him: "It's very good that you win over Xie Xuan like this. For a person like him, being a friend is much better than being an enemy. What's more, the two countries will discuss the plan for a future successor. Xie Xuan is from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The best handsome talent."

"I never had such considerations when I was with him." Ren Zhen smiled wryly, "If I were the kind of person who used emotions to play tricks, I wouldn't have fallen out with Tuoba Gui back then."

He spoke so frankly that Yao Song listened calmly, waiting for his next words—or confession.

Ren Zhen plucked up his courage and finally said: "I have been friends with him all my life, but that's all there is to it."

Yao Song was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Who are you friends with, why are you telling me?" He stretched out his hand to caress Ren Zhen's chin, feeling the toughness of a chiseled knife, and asked stupidly: "So long? Yes, do you miss me?"

Ren Zhen's eyes were slightly wet, and he couldn't help hugging him, bowed his head and kissed his cloud-like black hair, and said in a hoarse voice, "En."

In the early hours of the morning, Ren Zhen knocked on the door of Xie Xuan's room, and saw that he had already bathed and changed clothes, and was ready to go, exuding a cool and clean moisture all over his body.

Xie Xuan was sitting by the desk, with the Mo Yang sword out of its sheath in his hand, reflecting a sharp cold light, he looked sideways at the famous ancient sword in admiration, until Ren Zhen came to his side, he raised his head and looked sideways, and swung the sword into it. Sheath, twitching the corner of her mouth: "Come to see me?"

Ren Zhen had mixed feelings in his heart, but he didn't know where to start the thousands of words, and finally he could only say softly: "Youdu, you will be in danger when you go back to Jiangdong. If Sima Yuanxian refuses to let it go, I will not stand by in Chang'an." .”

This is a promise to put all the power of the country to put pressure on Sima Yuanxian.Xie Xuan got up from his clothes and smiled casually: "Thank you very much then."

Ren Zhen stared at him blankly, his eyes met, completely speechless.In the end, it was Xie Xuan who raised the Mo Yang sword and walked out, wrapped his arms around Ren Zhen's shoulders, and patted: "Since you are a hero, how can you be a son and daughter? You said that day, green mountains are not old, green water Changliu, see you and me on the battlefield."

Ren Zhen looked at Xie Xuan's back as he walked away, and suddenly stopped him: "Youdu, every word I say these days is from the bottom of my heart. If I am lucky in this life, I will be able to release Ma Nanshan with you one day, and share the truth with you—I How lucky is Ren Zhenxing!"

Xie Xuan stopped, but didn't look back, just clasped his fists over his shoulders, cupped his hands in a precious and important way, and said loudly: "Your Majesty is willing to be Boya, and I will be my son - high mountains and flowing waters, I will not change in this life."

In the mist of the morning light, Yao Song slowly stepped out of the dark corner and looked at the two people who were running in opposite directions. For the first time, the perfect mask loosened a bit—you know, I have never been a magnanimous person?Do you know that I have no retreat and no way out?Yao Song suddenly covered his lips, bent down and coughed violently silently, after a while, he took his hand away, and a small pool of bright red fainted in the palm of his hand.

Seeing that he had relapsed without warning, the cronies who were following him were about to shout out in shock, but were stopped by Yao Song's sharp eye blade. In a tone, he ordered coldly: "Immediately follow Xie Xuan, and from now on he will report to me every move he does in Jiankang—no word about what happened today!"