Chang'an Youth Tour

Yan Junyu did not return to the East Palace immediately.

The East Palace lifted the ban, and the Crown Princess was about to go back. Ye Linglong even came to urge him, but he didn't move after two urges, and went to complain to the Crown Princess: "Look, Yan Junyu has started to lose his temper again."

"Xiaoyan is thinking about something." Ye Xuanji said with a smile.

Yan Junyu practiced his gun outside, and walked around a couple of times, seeing that it was getting dark.It's not that he doesn't want to go back, but he really does hold grudges. He still remembers clearly when Xiao Jingyan tricked him out of the East Palace.Besides, Ao Zhong didn't invest in the East Palace as he thought, so he really lost face, so he might as well take this time to grit his teeth and read through the four styles of warfare, so as to understand what General Ao really wants. .

Yan Junyu continued to stay in the small palace. Seeing that it was getting dark, he started to eat slowly. He didn't have anything to collect, so he took Ao Ji's gun and walked towards the East Palace.

He has long been used to the appearance of the palace with lights on. This light can't light up the numerous palaces. The palaces are like huge dormant monsters in the dark, as if they want to swallow everyone in them.Even for people who are used to living in it, there is a sense of strangeness when walking through it.

Maybe Rong Hao will come to find him or not.

Thinking like this, he walked around a section of the palace wall and could already see the cornices of the East Palace. In the long palace alley, a tall figure stood quietly.

At first he thought it was Nie Biao or Yan Long. Rong Hao didn't practice martial arts, so his figure was not so beautiful and tall, but Nie Biao didn't know how to wear such clothes. Even in the dark, he could vaguely feel the texture of the gold brocade. It's a golden light in the dark.

Yan Junyu stood still, didn't speak, just looked at him.

No one would have guessed that His Highness the Crown Prince would be waiting here alone, without a chariot or entourage, just standing quietly, waiting for him.

Yan Junyu didn't speak, neither did he, they just stood.The twilight is all around, and only the sound of bells and drums from the towering pavilion praying for the Holy One can be heard in the distance.

He suddenly took a step forward.

Yan Junyu immediately took two steps back, looking like he was about to run away. Even if Nie Biao wanted to catch him now, it would be difficult for him.At the second gate back then, it took Annan's army to form an formation to stop them.

Xiao Jingyan sighed in his heart, and called out, "Xiaoyan."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince seldom used this kind of gentle tone in his life, and he was a little helpless. The only times he used it on Yan Junyu, Yan Junyu was really stupid, he always used this kind of tone, hearing him like He looked so tired that he couldn't lose his temper.

"Why?" Yan Junyu just stared at him.

Xiao Yan is no longer "little" Yan, and his stature can afford to wear an old shirt. Before, he was a wild deer at most, but now he is as unruly as a little wolf, and he is a tall and handsome young man.

His Royal Highness was sentimental, but his tone was still gentle: "Xiaoyan follow me back to the East Palace."

"Now that I know I'm being told to go back, why didn't I even let me in before?" Yan Junyu didn't let him go so easily,

"It was me who was wrong."

The way he stood there was really soft-hearted, and his tone was so sincere.Even though it was early spring, it was still cold, and he didn't even have a cloak, so he didn't know how he got here.Although the eyes can't see clearly, I know it's an extremely gentle look: "I just want Xiaoyan to be safe."

Yan Junyu is really not promising, and it is because Xiao Jingyan is too deceitful. He is usually a high-ranking prince, not angry and majestic, so occasionally such gentleness is particularly lethal.Although Yan Junyu was still standing still, his tone softened.

"How did you know I was coming from here?"

"I came back from the Privy Council, thinking that Xiaoyan might come over, so I set up an ambush here."

He must have come here to block himself because he knew he would not go back to the East Palace.Yan Junyu also knew that he was taking time out of the urgent military situation, so he specially used the Privy Council to lure himself into the bait.But his eyes lit up when he heard those three words, and he thought that he was not a small-minded person, and he had to know the military situation first.

With this hesitation, he couldn't help but took two steps towards him.His Royal Highness has been hunting since he was a child, and he is very good at catching prey.He didn't move a step before, so as not to startle the snake, but when he saw Yan Junyu moved, he smiled and strode over, stretched out his hand to grab Yan Junyu's arm, and hugged him.Yan Junyu could smell the coldness of ice and snow on his body, but he also carried the fragrance of the Privy Council's literature and ink.

No wonder Rong Hao is always confused with those Xirong people. People like them are too dangerous, they can't show their emotions, they always wait patiently, no matter how hard the city wall is, it will crumble little by little.

"The peach blossoms are about to bloom."

What he was talking about was not peach blossoms, but Mengcang's wild words. Youzhou is in the capital, just like Yanzhou is in Youzhou. It is a solid line of defense. After the fall of Youzhou, it is no longer impossible for Mengcang's army to reach the capital. thing.

Perhaps no one in the palace knew the meaning of this sentence better than herself, Yan Junyu did not resist, but said softly: "I know."

"The battle in the frontier is raging, Xiaoyan." He said softly again, obviously in such a calm tone, it caused shocking waves in people's hearts.No wonder the Crown Princess taught Ye Linglong, the more high-ranking you are, the more you have to keep your emotions and anger hidden, because your emotions will cause uproar and thunderstorms to the people below, so you have to be more cautious.

If someone changed, even Rong Hao would feel worried when he heard him speak like this, but Yan Junyu knew what he meant.

The peach blossoms are about to bloom, which means that there is not much time.The battle is like fire, it is talking about You Yan's current tragedy, the flame will burn things.Countless soldiers died in the frontier every moment, needless to say in the battle, there were also those wounded soldiers, those who were trampled by horses, chopped up, and captured. The climate in Youyan was several times colder than this.While they were talking here, in the cold night of Youyan, soldiers died in pain one by one, never able to see the hometown they missed.

Every decision he made in the Privy Council determined where and how thousands of soldiers died.War is a millstone, and tens of millions of lives are put into it, and it will be ground to pieces, leaving no dross.This is something my father taught me a long time ago. When they were marching, they passed the ancient battlefield of the previous dynasty. The weeds grew and the yellow flowers bloomed all over the valley.

This is the battlefield. Human life is worth less than weeds. The weeds will have at least another spring, but the soldiers will not even leave a tombstone with their names written on them. Once the river rushes away, they will be buried in the sand and rot quietly. into ashes.

"I know." Yan Junyu answered him like this, his black eyes lit up like flames in the darkness: "But they won't die worthless."

War is cruel, and only the winners can say it.What I have to do now is to guard their battlefield. The reason why the [-] soldiers in Youzhou cannot retreat is because every inch of their back is their own land, and every common people are their parents and relatives.The only purpose of this war is to defend this land and these people.Of course, it would be even better if you could have enough time to counterattack after defending and push forward a certain distance as a buffer for Youyan.

The young man who didn't know what scheming was in Sihongtang back then, now has a tall and straight figure, and even told him seriously: "I won't let Meng Cang have the opportunity to see the peach blossoms in Kyoto, I promise you .”

He no longer looked like he was waiting for Xiao Jingyan to hug him, but he himself dared to hug His Highness the Crown Prince himself, like a menacing little wolf, although he was not very proficient, he still looked eager to take on something.

But he didn't last long like this, because when he turned the corner, he saw the imperial chariot stopped, with a group of people kneeling beside him.Obviously, His Royal Highness wanted to walk around on a whim, and the palace servants could only wait here.No wonder he said "set an ambush here", Yan Junyu stared at him, Xiao Jingyan just smiled.

It's not that Yan Junyu is afraid of being watched, he is still not used to being served by others, it feels very unnatural in the palace, he can't just put everything aside like Rong Hao and others, and someone will pick it up.What you want is just a stretch of your hand, it is as natural as you were born with.Rong Hao, as the little heir of King Pingxi who was pampered since childhood, even taught him, saying: "Just treat them as decorations, don't you feel uncomfortable with a bookshelf and a lamp next to you?"

But Yan Junyu can't get used to it. In his opinion, people are just people, so how can it be considered a display.Wei Ru was also born as a domestic slave of the Hou Mansion, but he was no worse than Yan Long at all, and the predicament like Luo Heng was completely unnecessary.

Maybe Xiao Jingyan can change the rules of this world in the future. Luo Heng loves to remember the pre-Qin masters most. As long as one generation.

It's just that no matter how talented and ambitious His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is, it will still take time to integrate the mess left by Emperor Qingde and subdue the Qin and Jin factions.Da Zhou's financial resources are sufficient. There are large tracts of fertile land in the north, as well as the rich hinterland of the south of the Yangtze River. Maritime exchanges, as a steady stream of support, what is lacking is people.The hidden danger in the frontier is the biggest. King Yanbei is old and has not delegated power to his eldest son. Even Yan Junyu has no idea about the strength of Prince Yanbei's son. After the old prince of Yanbei of the previous generation passed away, Emperor Qingde sent Yu Yanran's father, Yu Yinghao, to guard Yanbei, in fact, to assist this generation of King Yanbei.The palace of Yanbei, an important frontier defense town, is hereditary and sometimes just like the royal family. Even if the descendants are mediocre, they can only support them as much as possible, and have no choice.

In contrast, Marquis of Jingbei is much better, young and talented, he is Ao Zhong's disciple, and he inherited his father's career, but his personality is too aggressive. If the prince of Yanbei has his talent, it would be easy to say.

Although Youzhou is broken, it is not fatal. As long as Ao Zhong is on the top, it will still be an iron frontier. Even if Youzhou cannot be taken back, at least it can give Da Zhou a few years to breathe.The most fearful thing is that King Yanbei is old and has experienced the pain of bereavement, unable to hold on.Yanbei must not have an accident now, otherwise there will be no second Ao Zhong now.

When Emperor Qingde was in his prime, he was too grandiose, and many young and middle-aged generals were lost in the frontier. It happened to be Yan Long's father's generation, and Yan Junyu's father was also lost at that time.Originally, it was enough for the princes in the Lingyan Pavilion of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but after he weighed the factions of the court, he made a lot of it, and now it is completely not enough.It is also troublesome.

Ordinary officials would not dare to say these things, but the Privy Council is all members of the royal family, and what they talk about is family affairs.In fact, Yan Junyu knew very well what conclusions Xiao Jingyan could draw in the Privy Council today.

Now it is time to send Ao Zhong's army out first, to block the gap in Youzhou, and rebuild the Great Wall of Youyan.Then, relying on the wealth of the national treasury, heavily armored and heavily armed, they went layer by layer to the Youyan pile, fighting a protracted war of attrition.Although there has never been such a battle in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty, because the martial virtues have always been abundant, even the southern border took the initiative to fight.But there are many precedents to follow in the history books, Ao Zhong is calm, it is not difficult to guard Youyan.

"I know what Xiaoyan is thinking." In the imperial chariot, Xiao Jingyan suddenly smiled.

Yan Junyu glanced at him.

"I know you know what I'm thinking." He responded quickly.

Both laughed.

Yan Junyu now knows why he wanted to follow him all the time. He used to think that Xiao Jingyan was teaching him something, but later he found that as long as he followed him and watched how he used people and how he handled things, he would naturally understand.Just like his marksmanship, it was finally completed by Xiao Jingyan. Now he is gradually getting used to the perspective of flying up and looking down from higher and farther places.The war between Da Zhou and Xi Rong was a duel between the peaceful Central Plains Dynasty and the brave and plundering grassland.According to history books, the Qin Dynasty began to fight against the Xiongnu. There were victories in sealing the wolf and living in Xuxu, and there were also tragedies in the later chaos.

Yan Junyu doesn't even have the dream of sealing a wolf and living in Xile Shi Yanran now, that is the ambition of a young man who is not familiar with the world. The Han Dynasty only had the outbreak of Wei Huo after Wen Jing, but the Great Zhou was under Emperor Qingde With more than thirty years in his hands, he looks more like an obese but dull old man.Of course, it has a strong foundation. The ancient tree has fallen and sprouted, and it will take a while for it to grow into a new towering tree.

This is an inevitable war, and Da Zhou has to endure this test to have a future for He Qing Haiyan, and he will not hesitate to pay any price for it.Just like Helian's story about the black wolf king and the white wolf king, only the strongest wolf king can survive this battle.

Xiao Jingyan didn't speak anymore, but stretched out his hand to hold Yan Junyu's hand, his hand was very beautiful, thin and slender.Yan Junyu used to always want to have such hands, and his own hands have thin calluses, which is even more unavoidable after practicing spears.But he held his hand with lowered eyes, as if there was no more beautiful hand in the world than his own.

No wonder Luo Heng and the others are willing to work hard for his temporary favor, he has this kind of thing, when those cloudy eyes look at you, it will make you feel that you are the best person in the world.

His Royal Highness just played with Yan Junyu's hands for a long time with his eyes downcast, touching his fingertips one by one. In the dark of the imperial chariot, Yan Junyu instinctively knew that he was sad.

"Is there a new battle situation?" Yan Junyu asked him, "That's why the Holy Majesty let you out."

Although the fall of Youzhou was terrifying, Emperor Qingde was so cruel that Helian was able to let him go, and Ao Zhong never attached himself to the East Palace. As long as he was determined not to let go of the East Palace, he could directly let Ao Zhong go to support Youzhou. of.Yan Junyu already had some understanding of Emperor Qingde's mind, and the fall of Youzhou alone would not make him like this.Although Xuan Tongfu has turned his back, there is still hope in the court, and there must be other things behind it.

"Father vomited blood, not coughing up blood, and it has been three days." Xiao Jingyan said softly.

No wonder.

"Is that why he let you out?" Yan Junyu asked.

"No. He let me out because the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Households all voted for me. Counting Xuan Tongfu, two-thirds of the officials have signed the memorial. He has no choice."

Although it is not a step to force the palace, but the officials have turned their backs so far, there is no suspense.Now that Yan Junyu has grown up, he will no longer feel that what he sees in the Eastern Palace like a rampaging calf is all the power of the Eastern Palace. At least those small scrolls in the middle of the night never know where they come from. Where, just a Suzaku obviously cannot have such well-informed news.

Just as the princess said, Lao Ye Xiangjiao's strategy is like a huge net, which is tightened little by little. Before you have time to react, the chessboard is already covered with his hidden pieces.Perhaps from the very beginning, the outcome of this power struggle has been doomed.

But Yan Junyu knew that it was not because of this that he was sad. The close relatives who once admired the plum blossoms together, and Emperor Qingde who vowed to be a good father, finally handed over power not because he recognized his son's excellence, but because of his physical condition. , this is a very cruel fact.But Xiao Jingyan has a mind like a dragon, so he doesn't care about it.

He was sad that his father was going to die.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have defended him like this.

"There is still a little sincerity." He told Yan Junyu softly, "Even if there is only a little bit, that is all the sincerity he can give."

Emperor Qingde had never been favored by the late emperor, but he had truly doted on his crown prince, giving him the best master and the best east palace. The young prince must have had a happy childhood like ordinary children.Otherwise, he would not be so arrogant and naive in the future, dare to challenge the imperial power at the age of 16, almost forgetting that Emperor Qingde is not only his father, but also the supreme emperor.

Yan Junyu was thinking, but heard Xiao Jingyan suddenly whispered: "Xiaoyan understands."

He was so startled that he almost thought he heard his heart.After reacting, it occurred to him that what he said might be the matter of the emperor's eccentricity. After all, Xiao Xu had just told himself that it could be regarded as the secret of the palace.

Sure enough, Xiao Jingyan said: "Because of Concubine Yugui's matter, the empress mother and emperor father had a very tense fight..."

Yan Junyu was relieved a little, and was about to speak when he heard him say: "At that time, my mother had been away for a long time, she had been praying at Sumeru Temple, she returned to the palace to save me."

Even with all the words, Yan Junyu couldn't describe the shock in Yan Junyu's heart at that moment.It was so dim in the imperial chariot that he couldn't see the expression on Xiao Jingyan's face, but even if he didn't look, he knew it must be extremely complicated.For the moon-like East Palace, there is nothing more humiliating than this.

Cizhen is a taboo term in the palace. Only concubines who are no longer beautiful and are not favored will use the word "cizhen" tabooly.Empress Ming Yi is still gorgeous today. Needless to say, six years ago, she was so arrogant. Sumeru Temple is a royal Buddhist temple. She even asked her to go out of the palace to practice, and she even abandoned the middle palace queen position.

Xiao Jingyan's character is like Empress Ji Mingyi, what happened six years ago must have been a great humiliation to them.

"At that time, I was entrusted to the Changchun Palace to contemplate my mistakes behind closed doors. At night, whole camellia flowers would often fall, and there was a sound of heartbreak."

The Changchun Palace does not grow flowers now, only Yan Junyu used to look at the ants' crabapple trees, and he can still see traces of the prosperity of the year.It was winter when the camellias bloomed. From spring to winter, he must have been in a stalemate with Emperor Qingde for a long time. It was also winter when Ao Ji broke into the palace gate. Perhaps it was in that winter that the Eastern Palace had the idea of ​​seizing power for the first time.

Even with the best teacher, the pampered prince of the Eastern Palace cannot understand the cruelty of power, just like a person who has never seen blood does not know what a real wound is.Only when he was also stabbed with a sword and the blood flow stopped, did he realize that power is such a ferocious monster that can subdue even the proudest bones.Ye Xuanji said that he was arrogant, this arrogance was fleeting ice and snow, destined to be held down by the imperial power, and taught him what true cruelty was.

In the winter of six years ago, in the inner hall of the Changchun Palace, a young man named Xiao Lu was meditating behind closed doors. He listened to the sound of camellias falling on the snow all night. What was he thinking?His waywardness ended up in catastrophe, the person he liked betrayed him, and the father he trusted, the father who had promised not to let his children go through embarrassing situations, gave him a crueler winter.In order to save him, his mother returned to the palace she loathed, and served the king with all kinds of tricks.

For the first time, he saw the cruelty of power, so dirty, so bloody, enough to make even the most proud person bow his head, just to save his own son.And his respected father became a vague black shadow on the dragon chair, so strange that he couldn't recognize it.

Having endured such humiliation, how could he still have such hazy eyes? Yan Junyu felt as if his heart was being pierced, but he couldn't say a word.He just reached out and hugged him, maybe because he had been waiting for him in the cold wind for too long, Xiao Jingyan didn't respond for a long time.

He knew the weight of those words.

I have been waiting for him to say it to myself, but I didn't expect these words to be so heavy.How did Xiao Jingyan survive six years ago?The most proud boy in the world was broken like this, and grew into the appearance he knew today.He may have started to build today's East Palace since then, just to prevent power from harming those he cares about.

In contrast, being given up by Ye Liangyu became the smallest of all humiliations.

Everyone said that Emperor Qingde was cunning, and the Crown Princess said that what he wanted was something Empress Mingyi couldn't afford. Yan Junyu just thought it was strange, how could he not afford it if they were in love with each other?

It turned out that he never took it seriously.He is an emperor who grew up in the darkness of the palace, fighting for favor, winning the heir, and being unfavored when he was young. Those dark things have already infiltrated him, just like how he destroyed Concubine Yugui, he will not be lenient in the slightest.He can't express his love anymore. When the empress is in a good relationship, there is still a little warmth to be found. After Empress Mingyi leaves the palace to practice Taoism, how can he speak well?

How did the Empress survive these many years?The person she likes gives her the greatest humiliation, and she can't give up easily, because she still has to protect her own child. Yan Junyu finally understands where the impending state of her body came from, maybe as early as six Years ago, she was completely heartbroken.

How did his Xiao Zhu spend these six years? He must want to grow up quickly, worrying like a torment, day and night.He will probably never be happy again, like the tree that Yun Lan said was struck by lightning, under the seemingly complete skin, the flame is constantly burning.Those humiliations, those mothers who couldn't protect him, but because of their own mistakes implicated her in the pain of humiliation, must have tormented him day and night.No wonder his smile never reached his eyes, no wonder Ao Ji never blamed him.

Yan Junyu couldn't say anything, but hugged him even tighter. In the darkness, the young man's tears were scorching like flames, dripping on his face, no matter how hard his heart was, it would burst open.

"I'm sorry..." Yan Junyu didn't know why he had to apologize, because he had been waiting for his confession, or because he figured it out too late.

"I should have entered the palace earlier," he told Xiao Jingyan eagerly, "If I hadn't been hanging around all day, if I had told my grandma earlier that I was going to enter the palace..."

If he could enter the palace earlier and see Xiao Jingyan earlier, even one day earlier would make him happy earlier.He had always thought his gentleness came from a good upbringing, not knowing that it came from a deep heartbreak.

Xiao Jingyan couldn't help laughing.

"it does not matter."

Being passionately loved turns out to be such a burning feeling that even those lost moments have to be made up for.Compared with the ease he showed, he is not as strong as Xiaoyan thought. Regarding love, he has a kind of passivity inherited from Empress Mingyi, like a huge tree, watching wildfires gradually burning around him.

"As I said, when I saw Xiaoyan for the first time, I knew I would like Xiaoyan."

The hot, bright young man jumped in front of him like a small sun, and it was only a matter of time before he fell. He was like a person who has been in the dark for a long time. Waiting quietly like a tree, without showing any panic.

"I will never forgive the Holy One again." Yan Junyu told him seriously: "I will never regret him again."

Emperor Qingde's talent when he was young is probably true, as is the evilness in his character. When Yan Junyu's father went to the frontier, he wanted to serve the king. Even if he died on the battlefield, the Yan family never resented the king because of it.Mrs. Yan taught Yan Junyu since she was a child to be the most loyal prince, and the position of a prince is like a contract between a monarch and his ministers. He will sacrifice his life to face national disasters without hesitation.

Xiao Jingyan hugged him quietly like a flame, he was still half a head taller than Yan Junyu, and the gesture of kissing his forehead was also very natural, like hugging a little wolf that belonged to him, because he was so rare She is so docile, even putting away her claws and fangs, and allowing herself to kiss her makes her look extra cute.

"There are many things in the world that cannot be compelled by humans. Even a king can't do anything about it. I think my father just doesn't want to accept this..."

It was like this six years ago, and it's like this now, like a wounded person who, under rage, just wants to destroy everything.Only because he is the king of a country, this madness is particularly destructive.In fact, why didn't he know that doing that would only make Empress Ming Yi alienate him even more, he just couldn't help it.Like a drowning man catching the last driftwood, even if you tell him what to do to save it, how can he do it?

Yan Junyu sensed the meaning behind his words.

"Is there anything you're afraid of, too?"

The power struggle has been settled, and the young man who embraces him is not only the subordinate of the East Palace, but also will soon become the master of the entire Great Zhou. With his ability, the problems in the frontier are not unsolvable.But he didn't feel proud of being in power, instead he seemed a little sad.

After he asked this sentence, Xiao Jingyan didn't speak for a long time, and the imperial chariot walked slowly, holding his arms warm and firm, just when Yan Junyu felt that it would be fine even if he didn't answer, he heard him whisper: " I am afraid that Xiaoyan will die. If Xiaoyan dies, there will be no more Xiao Lu in this world."

Yan Junyu was overwhelmed and fell silent.Going to the Annan Army to ask Ao Zhong to offer advice can be said to be a manifestation of his willingness to only provide strategies, but it also just shows his enthusiasm for the art of war.He really wanted to guarantee that even if he went to the battlefield, he would definitely return safely.But that's a lie, who else in Youyan has a higher status than Youzhou Mu?Even if he can be beheaded and hung on the city tower, where is there a safe place for You Yan?Even if you follow Ao Zhong as a staff officer, who can guarantee that you won't be in danger?

Back then in Sihongtang, Yan Junyu said that he could go to the border for him.He now wants Yan Junyu to stay for him.

Luo Heng said that the true dragon emperor is nothing more than a trick to fool the people, and he must not believe that there is any real dragon to protect him. In the face of life and death, what can an emperor do?

"But Yan Long and the others..."

"I know."

Xiao Jingyan didn't let him continue, but hugged him tightly.He knows the meaning of the people better than himself, how could he not know that this is not what a king should have.The same goes for Yan Long and the others. How could he stay when he was going to the most dangerous place?

"The teacher practiced Buddhism in his later years. He said that if he wants to be a wise king, he must have a Buddha heart, avoid greed, hatred and ignorance, and be compassionate to the world. The most important thing is not to be discriminatory. But I have at least [-]% of what the teacher said in other areas. Can I do it in Xiaoyan? , how about being a not-so-good king?" He asked softly.

It was so dark in the imperial chariot, but Yan Junyu knew that his eyes must have that calm, cloud-like expression.

He said: "Small words are my distinguishing mind."