Purple must

The snow has not stopped, and the distant Lishan Mountain is looming in the misty snow and mist.

Feng Qi sat hugging the quilt on the soft couch by the window, coughing softly from time to time.The sound of the flute from somewhere is still faintly lingering in the snowy sky.

The old lady-in-waiting turned on the fire and looked up at him from time to time.After that day, this person could eat and sleep, but just like a withered flower, the former fragrance left its branches and leaves along with the snow.

Which one did not see, maybe it was so silent, the old maid thought anxiously.

A word came out lightly from behind the mask, "Qiu Niang, can you get me a Xun?"

The voice was soft and low, touching and inexplicably bewitching.The old maid had only heard Lu Changqing speak when he came these few days, and every time it was either a suppressed groan or a weak gasp, she never heard him say a word properly.As soon as this voice came to her ears at this moment, it made her feel drunk.

The old maid got up and hesitated, "...what are you going to do with the xun, do you still have the strength to blow the xun?"

Having said that, she still went out and fetched a Tao Xun from the palace.

Feng Qi took it and held it in his palm.The old maid couldn't help looking at those hands carefully. Although they were thin and bony and full of scars, their shape was slender and well-proportioned. One can imagine how beautiful they were in the past.

Feng Qi blew the Tao Xun, and the smooth and mellow sound floated out, as if echoing the sound of the flute.The old maid didn't know what tune he was playing, but suddenly a heavy sadness came over her heart.

Lu Changqing stopped the hand that was about to push the door, and stood outside the door, listening to the Xun song quietly.

Snowflakes gently fell on his hair and eyelashes, and gradually melted into water, dripping down the slightly drooping long eyelashes.

In the past, his elder brother used to blow the xun for the national teacher who came from Haojing. The morning light was twilight, the ancient road was thin and willows, the national teacher listened to the tune, drank a bowl of farewell wine, and rode away.

When Lu Changqing was a child, he used to rely on Lu Shutong to go to the farewell pavilion together. He always grabbed a handful of foxtails and a bunch of platycodon flowers, and while feeding them to the horse, he secretly glanced at the two from time to time. .

When the sun completely rose from the top of the mountain, and the national teacher from Haojing was dressed in the morning light and dressed in purple, shining brightly, this was Lu Changqing's happiest moment.He was also very proud at that time that his elder brother had such a godlike friend.

Lu Changqing was still young at that time, and could not understand what the two of them said.The national teacher always has a faint smile on his face, but his elder brother is sometimes happy and sometimes annoyed.In the end, his elder brother would not look away until the white horse of the national teacher disappeared into the dust of the ancient road.For many days after that, his elder brother would play the Xun song for parting, drink a few jars of old wine alone, and get drunk for several days.

Lu Changqing pushed open the door, and there was no glamorous national teacher in the hall, but only a prisoner wearing a bronze mask.

The sound of the xun disappeared the moment he came in, and Feng Qi lay powerlessly on the soft couch holding Tao Xun.Tiny crystal hexagonal snowflakes fell into his collar from the open window.

"It's hard for you to remember this Xun song," Lu Changqing said, "but there are a few sections that are in the wrong tune."

Feng Qi smiled and said: "I can't remember the songs I always listened to in the past. After all these years, I am already old and my memory is not good."

While speaking, the lingering sound of the flute disappeared as if drifting with the snow.

Lu Changqing looked at Feng Qi, and suddenly realized that he did show signs of aging.I didn't pay attention to him when I saw him before, but now I looked carefully, only to find that his blue hair was mixed with white hair.

Those white hairs are so glaring.

Lu Changqing seemed to realize at this moment that Feng Qi, like everyone else, will gradually grow old.

In fact, today's Feng Qi is no longer the domineering young national teacher of the past, and he is already over [-] years old.

Letting a man in his forties kneel and lick his boots, let him lie under him like a woman, is already an extremely humiliating thing for an ordinary man.

But he was still able to bear it, and he could still talk to himself in an amiable manner.Is this a form of tolerance, or... outright disregard?

Feng Qi started to cough, as long as he started to cough these days, he would definitely see blood.

That arrow almost killed him, and it took more than 20 years to recuperate.Whoever expects to get a Lu Aman, let it revive.

Lu Shutong, are you asking your brother to take revenge on me? Feng Qi coughed and smiled wryly from the bottom of his heart.

Blood overflowed from the cracks in the bronze mask, and Feng Qi was dejected.Lu Changqing knew that he had trampled the handsome man back then into such a state, suddenly his heart seemed to be pressed heavily by something, and he felt numb, followed by a sharp pain of suffocation.

"Take off the mask, I've seen enough of your ghostly appearance." He couldn't restrain himself anymore, so he let go.

After Feng Qi coughed, he just felt that he couldn't breathe. At this moment, he gasped violently and said hoarsely: "...don't take it off..."

Lu Changqing was startled, "Do you still like wearing it?"

Feng Qi's panting finally calmed down a bit, but his words became weaker: "...you have declared to everyone that I am dead, if I don't wear a mask, there will always be... someone in this palace who recognizes me..."

"...At that time, I'm afraid you won't be able to keep me..."

The voice under Feng Qi's mask was so calm and gentle that it disgusted Lu Changqing.It turned out that he was still afraid of death, but Lu Changqing's heart suddenly seemed to be poured with cold water, and his contempt for Feng Qi rushed to his heart again.

——Lu Changqing, do you see clearly, you love this kind of man, and your elder brother was killed by such a man.

Lu Changqing still remembers clearly that day he insisted on going to Haojing regardless of everyone's obstruction. Although he was worried, he did not dissuade him.

That was after Quanrong raided Haojing, Qinghou stood by and watched, and Jinghou sent troops to force Quanrong back.King Wen ordered to summon Qinghou, but Qinghou ignored the king's order and did not go to Beijing.Later, news came out from Haojing that the national teacher Feng Qi was dying.When Marquis Qing heard the news, he took 200 people to Haojing overnight, regardless of the obstruction of his ministers, and was ambushed and killed at Qiguan in Weishui on the way.

Lu Changqing never thought that the beautiful national teacher who always smiled faintly would cheat his brother together with King Zhou.

Before his elder brother left, he still wholeheartedly believed that the national teacher would help his elder brother regain the trust of the king, and he did not persuade him to stay... At that time, hatred, like a winding tree root, took root in him. bottom of my heart.

Lu Changqing grabbed the Tao Xun in Feng Qi's hand and threw it out of the window.Tao Xun rolled around in the snow a few times before disappearing.

"If you want to wear it, you can wear it until you die." Lu Changqing slammed down a sentence and walked away.

"...Why do you have to make His Royal Highness Qinghou angry..." Seeing that Lu Changqing had left, the old palace lady who had been afraid to speak, rebuked.

Feng Qi smiled lightly.

As the night darkened, Lu Changqing was still discussing the military situation with the ministers in the study.Zhuhou has united with the princes, and will soon besiege Haojing.Huang Sheng said: "Your Highness, we might as well assassinate Gong Zixu. Chuhou summoned the princes under the banner of helping Gong Zixu, and we will break his banner."

Comrade Dazai Shenshu said: "Zhuhou will definitely protect your son Xu thoroughly. Does General Huang have any experts to recommend?"

Huang Sheng said: "There is a quack in my house. I have been kind to him. He will definitely be able to assassinate son Xu."

Hong Peng said: "This time the Marquis of Chu only summoned Zhen Guo, Du Guo and Zong Guo. Jing Guo is allied with us, and Ji Guo is rich and powerful. Why don't we invite Ji Guo?"

Dazai sighed: "Marquis Ji Xiao Huaijin has always been alone in a corner, he lives in seclusion, his temperament is hard to guess, I don't know how to win him over..."

Hong Peng suddenly grabbed the candlestick and shot it out. The sword light flashed outside the window, and the candlestick was instantly split in two.

An assassin in black shot in like an arrow, straight for Lu Changqing!

Lu Changqing's posture remained unchanged, sitting on the futon with a slight frown between his brows.

Huang Sheng and Hong Peng had already blocked from left and right, fighting with the assassin.The assassin didn't know where he came from, but his body skills were extremely good, he could kill evenly with the two generals.

During the fight, the assassin was able to shake out a hidden weapon at Lu Changqing, and with a casual wave of Lu Changqing's sleeve, he swept away the hidden weapon.

Huang Sheng and Hong Peng hadn't taken down the assassin yet, Lu Changqing's expression became more and more worried.

He stood up abruptly, the edge of the dagger suddenly appeared from the long sleeves of the cyan sable fur, and he was standing in front of the assassin without seeing his movements.

The assassin was also obviously startled, and retreated in a hurry, but the swords of Huang Sheng and Hong Peng were approaching behind him.

Lu Changqing's dagger rested on the assassin's neck, his eyes were as cold as ice, "Who sent you here?"

The assassin didn't say a word, but his eyes froze for a moment.Huang Sheng yelled that it was not good, the assassin had committed suicide by biting the poison.

At the same time, in the side hall of Minghua Palace, a bright moon filled the pavilion bed.

Feng Qi sat in his cloak, looking at the lit candlestick on the bedside table.The bright firelight reflected in his deep black and blue eyes, making his eyes a little brighter.

After a while, he said to the drowsy old maid beside him: "Qiu Niang, I beg you for something."

The old maid rubbed her eyes and asked, "Amao, are you hungry? What do you want to eat?"

Feng Qi took out a golden hairpin from under the pillow, and handed it to the old maid, "Go to the eunuch's residence in the east for me, and give it to a little eunuch named Ah Hu."

The old maid took a closer look at the hairpin, and gasped, "This is not His Highness's hairpin... You, you used it to kill yourself, and it's still hidden by your side!"

Feng Qi explained to her slowly: "You told Ah Hu that if His Royal Highness Qinghou wants to kill him, show him this hairpin. If His Highness doesn't kill him, you can use this hairpin to exchange for money in the future. After all, it is gold and should be worth it. A lot of money."

The old maid shook her head and sighed, "Amao, why don't I understand what you do..."

Feng Qi smiled: "Qiu Niang, you go quickly, and when you come back, go to the imperial dining room and steal some wine for me."

The old maid clicked her tongue while picking up the hairpin and pushed the door out.

After she walked for a while, Feng Qi slowly sat up straight.

He was enveloped in the silver moonlight, like a statue.

He stretched out his hand to hold the candlestick, and leaned on the bed. The silk brocade quilt sizzled, and after a while, it burned blazingly...

"Aman, I'll show you to death..." Feng Qi said softly.

When the old maid came back, there were firefighting guards around the Minghua Palace, including the two generals Dazai Shen Shutong and Huang Shenghong Peng.

"Your Highness!" Uncle Shen shouted into the flames, but was held back by Huang Sheng to prevent him from rushing into the fire.Hong Peng poured water on his body, ready to enter the burning palace.

When Lu Changqing was thinking about the assassin, the palace servants came to report in a panic, and Minghua Palace caught fire.

At that moment, the blood all over his body turned to ice.

When he arrived, the fire was out of control, his ears were buzzing, and he rushed into the flames with a blank mind.

——You'd better burn yourself clean with a fire, or I will flog your body and hang it on the city wall for public display!

With a fire, burn yourself clean... burn yourself clean...

Lu Changqing stood beside the bed in a daze, the place was burned and deformed, the fire must have started from here.

Burnt wood and burning brocades fell beside Lu Changqing, but he was covered in cold sweat like a waterfall.

There was a tall and thin man lying on the attic bed. This man's body was also burning, but he didn't move or make a sound.

But he would no longer begrudgingly say: "Aman, please spare my life."

Lu Changqing walked over step by step and hugged his burning body.In a daze, he seemed to see him getting dressed slowly after being molested by Jinghou—first he stretched a slender arm into the sleeve, twisted his waist slightly, and then put it into the sleeve on the other side...

Onion-like fingertips protrude from the cuffs...

Lu Changqing's own clothes were also burning. He didn't realize it at all, but kept putting out the flames on the man with his hands.

The bronze mask was still locked on his face.

——If you want to wear it, wear it until you die!

Just wear it until you die... This is the last sentence I said to him.Lu Changqing stared dumbfounded at the bronze mask that had been slightly deformed by the heat.

When his fingers touched it, they were immediately blistered, but he didn't realize it.

He took out the key from his pocket and opened the lock.

The mask was already glued to the face due to the heat.

It can never be removed.

Lu Changqing sat in a daze for a while, then knelt up straight, staring at the mask intently.

There was a funny smiling face on the mask, but at the moment it was full of sarcasm.

With both hands, he lifted the mask a little, and heard the sticky sound of skin being peeled off.

This voice caused tears to burst in an instant.

The most beautiful person in my heart had already ceased to exist spiritually more than ten years ago, but today, he destroyed his body with his own hands.

From now on, there will be no such person in this world.

Lu Changqing let go of his hand and slowly closed his tearful eyes.

Even though he was fearless in thousands of troops, today he didn't have the courage to look directly at the man behind the mask.