Looking to the Thirteen Rivers

A skylark fell from the window coffin, tilted its head and croaked twice, then flapped its wings and flew away under the movement of passers-by.

Yin Qiu subconsciously stretched out her hand to cover the white porcelain bowl in front of her, fearing that dust would fall, she looked at Man Jiangxue carefully, not knowing what to say for a while.

Even though Nangong Min had told Yin Qiu many old things a long time ago, she also knew about Man Jiangxue's origin, but when she heard Man Jiangxue admit it with her own ears, Yin Qiu couldn't help feeling a burst of unspeakable surprise.

After eating the wontons, there was still some soup left in the bowl. Yin Qiu drank it one mouthful at a time, secretly thinking about how to reply next, and then heard Man Jiangxue ask, "How did Nangong Min tell you?"

Yin Qiu thought about it for a while, and told all the things that Nangongmin told her, and finally said hesitantly: "She said that Xiling destroyed the country because the uncle refused to marry..."

Man Jiangxue leaned on the back of the chair leisurely, her eyes fell on the scenery outside the window, she said: "On the surface, it seems that the destruction of the country was indeed caused by my refusal to marry, but the truth is not the case."

Yin Qiu said, "Then what is the truth?"

"In the past, my father was captured alive by the Yongye Kingdom, and the marriage was proposed by him, in order to preserve the position and life of the monarch," Man Jiangxue said flatly, without any expression on his face, as if he was just narrating someone else's story The story, "I grew up in the village, not a pampered princess in the palace, because my mother is from the Central Plains, according to the rules of the Xiling royal family, she cannot live in the palace, and she has no status. We have always lived outside the palace. Royal Court."

·

Before Xiling destroyed the country, Man Jiangxue had been to the palace very few times.

Don't talk about the sacrificial ceremony, or any traditional festivals, even if it is the birthday of the monarch Mu De, she rarely receives an edict from the palace announcing her to enter the palace, Man Jiangxue only makes a symbolic landscape painting every year, As a birthday gift, he was entrusted to send him to the palace, and he had no chance to congratulate his father face to face.

She was raised outside the palace, although she is not as honorable as the royal heirs in the palace, but fortunately she has more freedom, and because her mother is from the Central Plains, she knows many knights who walk the rivers and lakes, so when Man Jiangxue was very young, Under the almost strict requirements of his mother, he began to practice martial arts and swords.

This also led to Man Jiangxue being well-known outside the customs at a young age, just because of her good martial arts and extremely outstanding appearance.

At the age of nine, the flames of war outside the pass reached unprecedented levels. Twelve tribes fought day and night for territory. Xiling happened to be located in the middle of the Western Regions, sandwiched between Yongye and other small countries. difficult.

Seeing that the land is divided and occupied by others day by day, and Mu De is a foolish king who loves beauty and has no ability to rule the world. Bless you, Mude's beard is turning white from worry. After hearing this, he took it for granted, so he ordered the ministers in the palace to plan immediately, hoping for peace of mind.

The level of solemnity can be said to be an unprecedented sacrificial ceremony. It was held on a sunny day two months later, and all princes and nobles were not absent. Including Man Jiangxue, she was also announced into the palace by an edict.

The weather was fine that day, the scorching sun was in the sky, and the banner with the totem of Xiling fluttered on the altar, towering into the clouds and majestic.

But God just made a joke. Before the grand ceremony officially started, the clear sky suddenly changed color. Clouds were dense, cold wind suddenly picked up, and a sudden rainstorm caught the whole palace by surprise.

The rain spread across the palaces and flowed down the white jade steps, submerging the sacrificial altar into a river. Seeing this change, the courtiers burst into tears and cried, saying that this is the end of the sky, Xi Ling, the true god Nor do they want to help.

The royal heirs in the palace hurriedly sent the sedan chair to retreat in the heavy rain. The beauties dressed in fancy clothes were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they were supported by the maids to run into the palace. No one cared about Mu De. In front of the altar, there was a chill on his chest and back, he pushed away the guards who had come late, and in the rain, holding the corner of the table with tears, he shouted sadly: "Xi Ling can't die, can't die... ...the banner...the banner cannot fall!"

The strong wind swept across the sky and the earth mercilessly, the flag post was toppled by the torrential rain, and the courtiers fled in all directions in the crowd, but if the flag post fell, many people would be crushed to death.

Mu De is not worried about killing people, he is just worried that the banner must not fall.

When the banner fell, Xiling would die, which was an extremely serious ominous omen.

Mulder supported the flag post with his bare hands, and the guards also frantically maintained their balance. However, they didn't hold on for long, and their strength was exhausted in the increasingly violent wind and rain.

With a sound of "click", the flag post broke in the wind and fell heavily towards the audience. Mulder's face was as pale as a ghost. He was dragged to the side by the guards, his mouth still Shouting banners.

"You can't fall...you can't fall! If you fall, you won't be able to stand up!"

The wind and rain destroyed the blooming flowers in the palace, and the red and green were floating all over the ground, and the rainwater accumulated to the height of half a calf. Seeing the flagpole smashed, the crowd screamed and screamed, desperately jumping in the water. Li ran away violently, desperately trying to avoid the heavy and black shadow.

At the very moment, a slender and tall white figure descended from the sky from nowhere, like a savior, flew into the air and caught the flag post.

Nine-year-old Man Jiangxue is already quite tall, and her appearance is not much different from that of a Jiji girl, but she is still a child. Even though she is usually talented and skilled, she does not have a strong body at a young age, only thin shoulders , that shoulder couldn't bear the weight and oppression of the flag post, and as soon as it hit it, Man Jiangxue vomited blood from the mouth when he was hit in mid-air, and his face was as white as paper.

But without the slightest hesitation, she endured the severe pain and hugged the flag post tightly, and she just turned the situation around in one breath, preventing the post from hitting those people below.

She grabbed the banner in her hand before the flagpost crashed to the ground, and fell to the ground gracefully under Mulder's shocked gaze.

The rainstorm was torrential, and the world was shrouded in an indescribable noise. The courtiers were still in shock, and they raised their eyes to look at Man Jiangxue.

They don't even know who Man Jiangxue is.

Mu De stumbled and rushed to Man Jiangxue. He didn't care who the child in front of him was or where he came from. He only cared about the banner that symbolized Xiling. Fortunately, it didn't fall into the mud pit. clean.

It wasn't until the rainstorm stopped, the mess in the palace was tidied up, and Mulder heard someone mention it among the beauties in the harem, that he remembered the child who was in danger and rescued the banner that day.

The next day, Man Jiangxue was ordered to enter the palace, and Mu De sat on the throne and asked her: "You saved Xi Ling, you are the hero among all the princesses, what reward do you want?"

Man Jiangxue was seriously injured, her right shoulder hidden under her clothes was extremely tightly bound by bandages, half of her bones were broken, and the skin on her chest was deeply bruised, and the bandages made her breathless.

But her speaking speed was still consistent, and she could not tell that she was hurt. Man Jiangxue said: "I didn't save Xi Ling, but those people's lives."

This meeting was the first time that Mude spoke seriously to Man Jiangxue since she was born. He didn't know this daughter before, and he didn't have the heart to understand. There are many beauties in the palace, and the most important thing Mude lacks is children. , the thrilling action yesterday, Mu De had already developed a great favor for Man Jiangxue, but after hearing Man Jiangxue's words, the warmth between father and daughter in his heart disappeared instantly.

"You said you didn't save Xiling?" Mu De was furious. "You are Xiling's princess. If you don't save Xiling, what should you save? A princess who dares to ignore her family and country, what face do you have to stand in front of me?" in front of!"

Man Jiangxue said: "I never thought of myself as a princess, I just thought of myself as an ordinary person." The way she looked at Mulder was not like looking at a king, nor like looking at a father, she He said calmly, "I can't save Xiling, and no one can. If you still want Xiling to continue, you should allocate the huge sum of money spent on holding the grand ceremony to the generals who resist foreign enemies. There is no true god in this world." , only living people."

"That banner is just a dead thing. It cannot represent a country, nor can it represent any living being."

Mulder was extremely disappointed.

This conversation ended in Mulder's fury.

But because of saving people, Man Jiangxue became a household name in Xiling day and night.

And this doesn't change anything for Xiling's decline.

The following year, Yong Ye Kingdom invaded with troops, and the enemy army drove straight from the border and broke into the palace. Mu De was captured alive and reduced to a prisoner.

The King of Yongye was already a long-lived man with white hair and layers of gullies on his face, which looked like the withered bark of an old tree. He asked Mu De, "I heard that you have a princess like a celestial maiden in Xiling, my gentleman." The heir is withered, and there is no daughter under his knees, Atuduo, call your daughter here and let me have a look, and see what she looks like."

That night, King Yongye did not see Man Jiangxue, but the next morning, the news that Xiling and Yongye had reached a peace treaty spread like a gust of wind to the streets and alleys.

·

Customers came to the teahouse one after another, and the seats in the hall gradually became crowded, and various laughter and laughter surrounded the surroundings, but the words of those outsiders could not cover up Man Jiangxue's deep and slow voice at all.

The streets outside have been cleaned by the common people, and there are more pedestrians, hawking, yelling, and children chasing and fighting, everything is very lively, only the small world by the window has nothing to do with this moment A sort of strange tranquility.

"That night, my father called me into the palace urgently," Man Jiangxue reached out to catch a little snow falling from the eaves, and gently twirled it with her fingertips, "Mother told me to stay in another courtyard. Go, but it happened so suddenly that we didn't have enough time to escape, the news of the marriage spread the next day, and I was taken to the Palace of Eternal Night in the evening of that day."

Yin Qiu was terrified when he heard it, and it was very unpleasant to hear. This was the first time she had faced Man Jiangxue's past directly. Those old things that had been buried were like a thick fog full of smoke and dust, making Yin Qiu's breathing difficult, and the palm of her hand It's all sweat.

"What happened next?" Yin Qiu asked.

The tea became cold during the conversation, and Man Jiangxue called a young servant to serve a pot of hot tea again. While pouring the tea, she said, "Later, I saw the remains of my father."

An understatement.

Yin Qiu was startled, and his eyes widened in disbelief: "...the body?"

"Well," Man Jiangxue took a sip of tea, his expression remained calm from beginning to end, "he's dead."

Yin Qiu remained silent for a while, then asked with a frown, "How did you die?"

Man Jiangxue looked up at her: "Behead."

Cutting off the head of the king of a country symbolizes a complete victory, and it also means that the country has come to an end.

Killing Mu De was not only to satisfy King Yongye's desire to conquer, but also to boost the morale of General Yongye.

They even defeated Xiling, so why are they afraid of other tribes and small countries?

Yin Qiu's face was heavy.

For a ten-year-old child to witness his father's body after being beheaded, this is something completely unimaginable to Yin Qiu.

But it really happened to Man Jiangxue.

There was a draughty wind in the hall, carrying the unique frosty air in winter. Yin Qiu couldn't help feeling complicated when she heard this. She moved her gaze out of the window and tried not to let herself imagine the cruel scene.

After a long time, Yin Qiucai said again: "Didn't we negotiate a marriage treaty? Since the uncle hasn't...then how can they go back on their promises?"

"This is the real reason for my refusal to marry," Man Jiangxue said, "If Yongye really kept his promise, it would be possible for me to agree to a marriage for Xi Ling and his father, but if they broke the promise, then I would be gone It is necessary to continue to make love."

That's it!

Everyone is dead, so what kind of relationship is there?

Yin Qiu couldn't help saying angrily: "If it were me, I would make the same choice as my uncle."

Man Jiangxue said: "But others don't know that the father is dead, only I saw it." She turned the teacup and tapped her fingers slowly on the rim, "So in the eyes of outsiders, Xiling perished and the monarch was killed. It's all the result of my refusal to marry."

"It's none of Shishu's business." Yin Qiu's heart was shaken, and he grasped Man Jiangxue's hand tightly, "Yong Yeguo betrayed him first, and others didn't know the truth, so Shishu was wronged."

"Others won't pursue the truth," Man Jiangxue lowered her eyes, looking at the back of Yin Qiu's slightly strained hand, "I am a sinner, and this is the only truth."

Yin Qiu couldn't help his eyes turning red, and he choked up and said, "No, Master Uncle is not a sinner..."

Man Jiangxue laughed, touched the corners of Yin Qiu's eyes, and said softly: "Yes or no, it is up to the world to judge, you and I don't count."

"I don't care what outsiders think of my uncle," Yin Qiu said in a daze, "with me, my uncle is innocent."

Man Jiangxue smiled gratifiedly. She didn't seem to feel the slightest grief because of those painful pasts. On the contrary, her smile was deeper than usual. Man Jiangxue said: "That proves that my uncle didn't love you in vain."

Looking at her calm appearance, Yin Qiu couldn't restrain his pity.

As for what happened afterwards, Yin Qiu no longer had the courage to ask further questions.

Mu De was secretly beheaded. This matter was carried out in secret, and outsiders had no way of knowing. Man Jiangxue fled the Yongye Palace and took her mother to the Central Plains. Less than two months after An Sheng's life, Yongye chased their mother. The daughter was caught and returned, and then Man Jiangxue killed the guards who were guarding her, and once again took her mother on the road to escape to the Central Plains. Lost his mother once.

It was a bloody winter night.

Ten-year-old Man Jiangxue killed all the pursuers of Yongye at the gate. The blood stained the moat and the snow that night. As a result, she attracted the attention of the Central Plains martial arts, and also caused her death.

No one is willing to put such a subjugated princess who bears the hatred of her family and country into the Central Plains.

What's more, she is still a swordsmanship wizard who cannot be ignored despite her young age.

If such a person can be recruited into the sect, it is like a treasure, but if he cannot be recruited and he joins another sect, he will be a disaster and a great enemy in the future.

Faced with the olive branches thrown by many sects and the goodwill of unknown authenticity, Man Jiangxue had lost the ability to think. She fell into a pool of blood, leaned over her mother's warm body, and looked blankly at the night sky. The heavy snow fell, and finally, she saw Master's hand towards her, and Shen Mandong's bright smiling face in the night.

"Speaking of which, I can live thanks to Nangongmin," Man Jiangxue said up to this point, and silently bent her lips, "Back then some sects wanted to win me over, but some sects wanted to kill me early. Nangong Min is not a few years older than me, and she was still young at the time, she begged her father to stop the sect that wanted to kill me, and planned to take me into the Ziwei sect."

If the Ziwei Sect and other sects hadn't fought behind Man Jiangxue, Yunhua Palace would have no chance to take her away in the chaos.

Everything is God's will.

She was destined to meet Master, and also destined to enter Yunhua Palace.

Yin Qiu held her hand for a long time and did not let go.

"After that, you should know all about it," Man Jiangxue said, "I entered the palace, worshiped as a teacher, and became the best friend with my senior sister. She treated me like a sister. She and Master The two gave me all the warmth except my mother."

Yin Qiu said: "The name of the uncle was also chosen by the ancestor later?"

Man Jiangxue shook his head: "I took it myself."

She wanted to remember that night, she didn't want to forget her mother, maybe the hatred shouldn't be remembered, but she couldn't forget it completely, so she simply reconciled with it.

"Then Master... what's his real name?"

The cold wind blew, shaking Man Jiangxue's long hair, she quietly looked at Yin Qiu's reddish eyes, her tone was still indifferent.

She said: "I don't have a real name anymore, Man Jiangxue is my only name."