Chiwuxing

Chapter Eighty-Fourth - The long journey to the return guest at night, shadows and mist are deep and the dawn is still cold

The cold light of the moonlit night makes people sleepless.

The sound of footsteps outside the court approached.

The depth and speed of ordinary people's steps are not only related to the body size, but also related to their emotional state.Experts can discern people's hearts, and they can penetrate most of them just by the sound of their steps.

There are three reasons for the heavy footsteps of the visitor, either because he has no foundation of force, or because he is tired and sleepy, or because he is fat and fat, and his limbs are not working.

The man looked at the clear silhouette projected on the paper window, wishing to be a third party in his heart.

"I saw you," Zong Zhengxi said with a voice as the shadow remained motionless outside, "Come in."

The young man pushed open the door and entered, and bumped into the eyes of the people in the room. Xu Shi didn't know how to speak, so he smiled lightly: "...I know you must not be asleep."

"Then why don't you go in?"

Fu Chen was speechless, he kept silent and took two steps closer, trying to find some teasing in his deep eyes that matched the voice, but he never thought about it, he was disturbed by this overly focused stare The flag was overwhelmed, so he had no choice but to give up.

Zong Zhengxi showed some faint smile lines the moment he lowered his head, and didn't want to joke to the depths, so he let him go for now: "It came very quickly."

It took more than a day to cut and deliver letters during the journey of hundreds of miles, not to mention the need to cross the Jinhe River from Jiangbei in the middle.The rush is enough to imagine.

"It should have come a long time ago." Fu Chen didn't take it seriously, "It's time to use it now."

Zong Zhengxi noticed some puns and asked, "Is everything going well?"

"The garrison is scattered, and we took a long detour along the way to avoid the barbarian stronghold, and the personnel affairs are much smoother than I expected before." Fu Chen was informal, pulled a chair and sat opposite the man, and now looked at the man from a head-to-head angle. , and even brought his eyes closer, he repeated in a low voice, "I should have come earlier."

Tigers and wolves surrounded the imperial capital, and most of the dignitaries knew the face of King Yu. Even if they were hidden in this back alley post house, they should not be taken lightly.

The resurrection of the dead and terrorizing the ministers is a minor matter, but it is a major matter to take the opportunity to punish the felony of deceiving the emperor and speculate on stigmatization and conspiracy.Every step is in danger, let alone worrying about the man hiding in the house for a long time, it is like confinement.He knows best what it's like to be single and have no relatives.It's just that men are not ignorant children and need no pity.

"There are more constant changes than constant ones, so we should respond to all changes with the same," Zong Zhengxi said, "There is chaos in Beijing, but don't be in a hurry. You should focus on what is in front of you, and don't be impatient and lose sight of others."

As soon as Fu Chen woke up, he said cautiously: "This time... did I make you angry again?"

"No." Zong Zhengxi's expression softened a little, "You just need to know how to measure it, and I will take what I said before."

Fu Chen was silent.

He came here in a hurry, at this moment, in the bottom of his heart, he wanted to temporarily hide from those disturbing military affairs.But on the one hand, apart from those things, he can only say some meaningless empty talk.

He raised his head slowly, without saying a word.

The young man's eyes must have weakened a bit, and Zong Zhengxi could see from his expression that he was a bit dazed through the mist, like a baby who needs to be fed urgently, with a naive heart under the aggressive skin.

"Now that we're gone," Zong Zhengxi asked, "were there any injuries during the battle?"

"Bones and tendons have been broken, and the rest are minor injuries." Fu Chen said lightly, "From now on, only those who are instructed by me can hurt me... I want you to remember."

Zong Zhengxi was used to his guilty conscience but pretending to be calm, so he did not expose him as usual: "I will remember it, and you will remember it too."

The two were speechless.

The silence of the night slipped into the corner of the house from the empty streets and alleys, and even the extremely light wind was blocked out.

Only the shallow breathing and movement between each other can be heard and cleared.

At this moment of extreme stillness, the young man's stomach made a series of "gurgling" noises, which was very unpleasant.

Zong Zhengxi sighed silently: "There is a small kitchen in front of the South Chamber, go and make some food."

Fu Chen's expression was not natural, he just let his belly growl strangely and it was not a long-term plan, so he left the room as he said.

The man's expression changed slightly after he left.He originally thought that when the young man came from a long journey, he should put the most important matters first, but he didn't expect to feel exhausted all of a sudden at this moment.Maybe now that he is getting older, he has been worrying for days, and now he can't hold on anymore, so he needs to find a time to rest?

Before half an hour, the young man knocked on the door and entered the house.At this time, he has regained his state, sat back on the chair, and finally said: "This time I was specially called back, there must be something important."

Zong Zhengxi didn't answer immediately, and after a long time, he gave him a wink like an old man who couldn't see, and said, "Go to sleep first, and I'll talk to you when I wake up tomorrow morning."

Fu Chen followed his gaze to glance at the carved partition in the inner room, and said with restraint: "...Okay."

Fang wanted to take a step forward, then turned around and added: "During this battle, I have clearly sensed the exhaustion of my internal energy... I thought, there is not much time left, and there is no need to waste Your Highness's internal energy to recuperate... ... There are still a few hours before dawn, Your Highness should rest well."

After all, he fled behind the old curtain like an escape.

The man snorted softly, lowered his head slowly, closed his eyes and rested.

When the sky brightened, Hu Qiang's cronies from Hu Qiang brought soup and cakes to eat as usual.

Originally, Hu people did not have a long-standing habit of distinguishing between superiors and inferiors, but before leaving, Hu Xuhong had specifically explained it, and because of his status as a man, his legs and feet were restricted, so he had to help with many trivial matters.However, most Hu people are broad-minded and don't stick to these trivial matters.

Zong Zhengxi handed over a piece of paper and said, "Please go to the pharmacy for Qiu and grab these herbs."

The two Hu men quickly led the order to go out, and Zong Zhengxi also left the house afterward.

When he returned to the house an hour later, the young man had already got up and put on his clothes, and was sitting at the round table staring at the cake on it, with pale cheeks and a dull expression, as if he was still asleep.

After hearing the sound of him entering the door, she gradually came back to her senses, but she was the first to cast her eyes on the thing in his hand.

"This is……"

Zong Zhengxi took out the hot sand jar from the food basket, lifted the lid, and the thick scent of bitter grass radiated out one by one.

The young man froze all over, and when he met the man's faint gaze, he said in a hoarse voice, "It's useless..."

Zongzheng Xi didn't listen, and poured another bowl from another hand, the steam was rising upwards.

"Okay, I won't tell you to drink," Zong Zhengxi said to him, "Hand over here."

Fu Chen lost his focus, turned his head to one side, and stretched out his hand as he said.

Zong Zhengxi took the pulse, and as soon as his fingertips touched the skin between his wrists, he felt the young man's right hand tremble suddenly, and then returned to the original place without moving.

Fu Chen didn't turn his head, he just said: "...it's nothing."

Zong Zhengxi remembered that he had just held a pot of boiling sand in his hand, and the outer layer of the glove was still hot.Without saying a word, he took off the holster and placed two fingers on his wrist.

Fu Chen felt the flesh on his wrist covered with warm two fingers, and it was itchy if they were separated.

The pulse condition is exactly as the young man said, the residual poison invades the body, and it will only become more serious as time accumulates.Compared with the situation a few months ago, there is no sign of turning around. If it goes on like this for a long time, it will only gradually run out of oil and the lamp will dry up.

The man withdrew his hand, looked down, put on the black leather gloves little by little, and moved slowly.

When he looked up at the young man again, he found that he was still maintaining the previous posture, motionless, the blood on his face had faded, like a cold jade carving.

As far as the pulse is concerned, the flesh and blood wounds he has suffered are not serious. Presumably, he will act better than usual according to the young people now, and he will not let himself risk his life as he did when he first met.

Zong Zhengxi couldn't help frowning, not knowing the reason for his appearance: "Did you have a nightmare at night?"

"Your Highness...do you always feel that I am like a child?"

The young man spoke bitterly.

"If you are talking about teaching me to play this gambling game with you, then what you said is true," Zong Zhengxi looked at him pointedly, and said seriously, "As for the others... the world has to meet a few pure Good hearted, blameless."

Fu Chen didn't know whether to be flattered or to smile wryly at himself, he took a deep breath and said, "Your Highness must have done better than me in front of my father."

"It's you who say there's no comparison, but now you're the one who makes comparisons," the man rarely held back his smile, and sighed softly, "It's all about you, don't you think you're a child?"

It's a pity that in this bustling Beijing, in the end, there is only such an idiot who is occasionally stupid.

In the morning, the sound of birds chirping is crisp and melodious, bringing the refreshing breath from the tips of new leaves into the house.

The young man smiled happily, and raised his hand to pick up the bowl of medicinal soup.Holding it in his hand, Shang Ke could see his own deep eyebrows from the dark cloud of black water, he stopped smiling, and said again: "I used to be afraid of suffering, but death. So at the beginning, every time I looked at this potion , I just hoped that there would be a glimmer of life and it would come from here... Tang Lang must have seen the greed and cowardice in me, so I put voodoo in the medicine on purpose."

The man's face turned cold.

Holding the bowl in his hands, Fu Chen was warm, and continued: "...Sometimes it's no fault of others, and it's not the coercion of others putting a knife on their neck. Before death, there is a chance for self-reflection and self-determination to change."

"Now I'm not afraid of death, but rather suffering..." Fu Chen lowered his head, pursed his lips and forced a smile, and cursed again, "What a fucking spineless..."

The room suddenly became a place for birds to sing.

"Afraid of suffering?"

"……Um."

Hearing the sound, the young man turned his head halfway, and the sadness swept across the heart with a moving pathos, and he touched his heart with just one glance.

The man thought, where is this lonely red-eyed wild wolf? It's just a homeless lamb.

"Give it to me," he said, without waiting for his answer, he stretched out his arm, grabbed the bowl and drank it down, and said in a deep voice, "Just say it, there is still a chance for self-determination. I don't like bitterness, Just let others bear it for you, why bother to look back."

The man has deep eye sockets, and when he is serious and serious, he always has an awe-inspiring air. Even people who have just met him will be a little shocked by this face and dare not speak.But in his eyes, he is the mighty Lin Song who is unstoppable in the storm and wind. From the very beginning, he has stood alone among the people.So far, it's not so much that the previous encounters caused him to walk on this steep road of no return with him at this time, it's better that he made a bet from the beginning with partial belief, Fu Chen's heart Dao, maybe he was out of tune with the world at first, so even now his preferences are different from everyone else.

"I won't look back," Fu Chen stood up, bowed and held the medicine pot, a few strands of snow fell down in front of him, his eyes were a little brighter than usual due to the sunlight, "Your Highness... I just In other words, you are different from him and from them.”

The bitter hot liquid poured into the throat, tasted carefully, but it tasted completely different from before.

Raising his sleeve to wipe off the medicine juice running down his chin, Fu Chen lowered his head to see the man's expression, then sat back to his original position.

The bitterness of the medicinal herbs lingered around the two of them.

"I got a piece of news the day before yesterday," Zong Zhengxi lowered his eyes to stabilize his emotions, and said, "Ni Congwen had colluded with Jiang Hua early on, and he was trying to persuade the government and the opposition to move the capital to Fenying."

Fu Chen was quiet for a moment, then smiled and said, "...I should have thought of it earlier."

Ni Congwen can trick him into making an enemy-slaying sword, so why did kindness come before profit?This time, it can be regarded as completely dead heart.

"When are you going to leave?" Fu Chen asked.

"It's just an excuse for the emperor to bring his family members into the palace to recuperate," Zong Zhengxi replied, "If it is really necessary to move the capital, it will happen in the near future."

"Fortunately, there is still time," Fu Chen read, "...If Ni Congwen has colluded with Jiang Hua, then wouldn't he—"

Zong Zhengxi raised his eyes, stroked the young man's eyes with surprise: "That's right, Bandit Jiang was defeated. Based on the past, it has long since lost its value for Ni Congwen to use. If it is said that the only bargaining chip he has in hand now is the same The barbarian line."

"Jiang Hua is also at the end of his luck. If it weren't for the foreign aggression, he might live on for another two years. Now he is digging his own grave," Fu Chen said with a sneer, "It's just that Ni Congwen used Jiang Hua as a shield to do evil. He is also carrying great power, and the soldiers will come to the city in the future, will he really be able to turn himself around?"

Zongzheng Xidao: "He is now only short of a good name. In terms of etiquette, if there is no serious mistake, the crown prince will not be able to abdicate in front of the world. Dare to play such a risky game, for the supreme position , he has enough guts."

"...I have a way to break it. The more dangerous moves he makes, the more loopholes he will have." Fu Chen squinted his eyes, thinking endlessly in his mind. Plan to attack ahead. Here, people are still needed to help."

Just as they were thinking, there was another call from a barbarian outside the door, interrupting their thoughts: "Chasa, the princess has arrived with the person you are looking for."

Fu Chen raised his eyebrows and looked at Zong Zhengxi, and the man signaled him not to move.

"Please come in."

Immediately afterwards, He Xujun and Yuming entered the room, the latter dressed up as an eunuch with official feathers on his head, obviously coming in private.

Zong Zhengxi pointed to Yuming's seat, and said directly: "Should Zen Master not mind others listening here?"

"Naturally," Monk Yuming slowly took off his hat, clasped his hands together, and acted calmly, "Speaking freely, there is no privacy."

Fu Chen was originally aroused by this new customer, and when he took off his hat and showed his face, his whole body seemed to be shaken by thunder, and he immediately jumped up: "It's you!"

All the people in the seat were shocked by his noise, it was the first time that Huxun had seen this normally indifferent young man lose his composure like this.

"What's wrong?" Zong Zhengxi turned his head and asked in a deep voice.

Regardless of the situation, Fu Chen took a few steps forward, stared at the monk and said, "You...it's you, you are the person from Wuming Mountain!"

Yuming looked back lightly, and said: "Amitabha, 'No Name' is the treasure land behind the Jinguang Temple. There are several old Buddhist relics in it, which can be seen by ordinary people. Is it a Tanyue illusion?"

"……impossible."

Fu Chen looked at his indifferent attitude, even if all the monks in the world were ordinary and refined, this person would have to show his inhumanity.How many times have I dreamed back to the old memories, this person's white clothes are like a cobweb prison that cannot be erased, covering all the light, heat, and green branches into wild mist, and there is no more to wake him up. room.

That person is the source of all troubles.

The young man's forehead was deeply wrinkled, and he repeatedly murmured "impossible" in a low voice, as if he was in a daze.

Yuming looked at it indifferently and didn't say anything more.

Zong Zhengxi turned the chair forward, reached out and clasped the young man's hesitant wrist, bowed and called in a steady voice, "...Jia Sheng."

Fu Chen turned his head, grabbed the man's arm with his backhand, and said, "It's him...it's him...Dian—"

"Chasa!" He Xuyun interrupted, got up and said, "I'll take him to the next room first."

"...Okay, thank you, princess." Before letting go, Zong Zhengxi grabbed the young man's palm vigorously, frowned slightly and watched He Xuyun half-drag and half-drag him out of the house.

The little turmoil in the room subsided, and it became quiet again, the man's gaze inevitably became more scrutinizing.

Yuming's expression was as usual, and he said, "I don't know why Tanyue called the poor monk again this time?"

"The Chan Master is thorough, so he must be able to guess the purpose of this person," Zong Zhengxi said directly without much concealment, "I am stupid, how dare I ask what the Zen Master said earlier?"

Yuming raised his eyes, and the eyes of the two met silently.

"What happened to you just now?" He Xujun blamed slightly, "The monk is the person next to the imperial concubine, so you are too careless with your words."

Fu Chen came to his senses gradually, and knew that he lost his composure just now, and his spine felt a chill: "I was the one who was reckless just now, thank you princess for speaking out in time."

"You'll talk to Qiu Ri about this later," He Xuyun asked suspiciously again, "Do you know that monk Yuming?"

"...Yu Ming, his name is Yu Ming?" Fu Chen was suddenly struck by the name.

He remembered this name, he had seen Fu Yanxunyi monk in Jinguang Temple before, and it was called this name.That way, maybe everything will work out.

"It's him," the young man said firmly in a deep voice, "it must be him."

"The Zen master is covering up so deliberately, but I am even more convinced that the Zen master knows the inside story," the man said, "Since the Zen master intends to help, why don't you explain it clearly?"

"Tan Yue misunderstood," Yuming said, "The poor monk is a monk, and he was invited by the distinguished guests of the Central Palace to enter this world of mortals. All kinds of things here are not my original intention, and there is no way to help."

"... Zen master is not an ordinary monk," Zong Zhengxi pointed out.

"Dare to ask Tanyue, what is the explanation for 'normal'?" Yuming asked.

"Monks don't lie." Zong Zhengxi said aggressively.

"……Amitabha."

Yuming lowered his eyes and clapped his hands together, as if he didn't want to get entangled in this topic any longer, which caused the man beside him to lower his eyes.

"Princess said he was the one who saved Qiu Ri?" Fu Chen was even more suspicious. How could there be such a chance of coincidence?

"I heard what Chou Ri said when this monk came last time," He Xuyun replied, "When he came to Hudi, he also said that he occasionally got help from the monks in Jinguang Temple."

"He has a deep friendship with Qiu Ri?"

"I don't know... I can't understand what the monk said."

Fu Chen asked: "Then why did he come here before?"

Huxun glanced at him and said, "...he came to see a doctor."

Fu Chen stared: "Chou Ri is sick? When did it happen?"

"No, it's not him." He Xujun paused, looked at him in the blink of an eye, and said seriously, "Chou Ri said that one of his younger brothers was suffering from dementia, and he had a residual poison in his body, and his vital energy was blocked. This monk once detoxified him , I don’t know if there is a cure for it at this time.”

"The Zen Master really doesn't know that young man who just left?" The man stared at him closely.

Monk Yuming didn't give in either: "That one just now is the 'brother' Tanyue mentioned earlier?"

Zong Zhengxi didn't answer, but asked instead: "Where did the Chan master decide?"

Monk Yuming did not speak, and continued to remain silent.

Zong Zhengxi saw that he had been deliberately concealing the truth, he was a little impatient, and said sarcastically: "Did Chan Master ever know that sometimes not answering is also an answer."

"Since Tan Yue has already made up his mind, no matter what the poor monk says, it will become a lie," Yuming said, "Why does Tan Yue need to force him?"

"Okay," Zong Zhengxi said, pulling his lips, "Zen Master has a thorough understanding of things. It's just that he hasn't answered a word yet, so why did you come here today at the invitation at the risk of concealing things?"

Fu Chen couldn't bear his doubts, so he came out of the side room and blocked the door.

"Squeak" the door rang, and monk Yuming put on his plume hat again, and walked out of the room slowly.

As soon as Fu Chen moved, he subconsciously looked over his shoulder at the man sitting in the room. At this time, it was cloudy and sunny on the chair.

"Zen Master," Fu Chen stopped the predecessors, his voice calmed down, and said, "May I ask if you know someone who called 'Fu Zhaoheng'?"

"I don't know." Yu Ming lowered his eyebrows.

"What about 'Fu Zan'?" Fu Chen said unwillingly.

"...The poor monks are so old," Yuming looked at him coldly, and said, "What exactly does Tanyue mean?"

"I don't understand the rules of Buddhism in my late life, but I see that people often pray to the Bodhisattva Buddha for health and sincerely do good things, so I think that people who follow the Buddha should be merciful and broad-minded, and they will not behave like cunning and treacherous people. They deliberately dodge their words "" Fu Chen pressed, "but what the Zen master said, he refused to admit what he did. Why?"

Yuming said: "The poor monk is just an ordinary person among the many disciples of the Buddhist family. He thinks that he does not have the ability of comprehensive observation, and he still needs to practice carefully."

"Zen Master doesn't want to explain it, so that's all." Fu Chen gritted his teeth secretly, "It's just that people look at it, and one day, the truth will be revealed."

"……Amitabha."

Fu Chen turned sideways to make way for him, watched him pace away, then turned and entered the door.

"The princess just checked the time and said to take a step to deal with the group of people in the palace," Fu Chen said, "What did you just say, it took so long?"

"He refused to tell the truth," the young man closed the door, and the shadow of the door frame just covered the rare frustration in the man's eyes, "I thought that since he came over, he had already shown his frankness. But he didn't Thinking of him coming here alone to play some pointless maneuvers with me, heh... what did you mean by that at first?"

"He is the white-clothed man I saw in the mountains. There is no mistake," Fu Chen said, "Your Highness fought against the barbarians for many years, but I have heard that there is a man named 'Fu Zhaoheng' among the barbarians." people?"

"A member of the royal family?" Zong Zhengxi frowned, "...I have no impression."

Fu Chen briefly explained the several encounters with Fu Yan, and then said: "Fu Yan is young and arrogant, and he doesn't bother to tell lies."

"If it's a barbarian, then his intentions need to be reassessed." Zong Zhengxi pondered.

"I feel that since he is in Yandi, and he had a friendship with the endangered people before, he may not be our enemy," Fu Chen said, "If he really has something to do with the barbarians, at least he doesn't. You'll miss what's in front of you."

"That's the case," Zong Zhengxi closed his eyes, and said again, "The top priority is, since Ni Congwen is preparing to move, Fenying has obviously taken care of it, and he can't take this opportunity to loot the court."

"Your Highness thinks that even if Ni Congwen opens the door to steal, he won't be at a disadvantage?"

"What do you think?" Zong Zhengxi asked back, "You should know him better than me."

"I don't think he will." Fu Chen pursed his lips.

"Then plan for the worst."