Broken Iron Clothes

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Wen Yao didn't answer, his hands covered under his sleeves gripped his robe tightly, and Yuan Mucheng laid out in front of him the things he had been avoiding all this time, as if pointing a sharp sword at his heart .

To bring up these past events is like amputating a shin and cutting a heart, it is too painful.

But if these things are not faced, can they be regarded as non-existent?

Yuan Mucheng looked calm, and asked directly: "Is it because the former crown prince was wronged and fell into the river, the loyal ministers and generals who guarded the territory were persecuted, and the former emperor became faint in his old age... Or is it because of my mother?"

"Xiao'an!" Wen Yao's expression changed, "It's a crime to speak out, don't you think Prince Jingping's mansion has too little hatred?"

"It's been 12 years. The enemy has been prosperous for a lifetime, and he went into the soil safely, but he made his relatives ashamed, and it's difficult for the rest of his life. If the mother knows, she is under the nine springs," Yuan Mucheng choked out, "...it must be difficult."

Wen Yao turned his head away: "I don't want to mention Ayu's matter again."

"But I want to know," Yuan Mucheng said, "over the years, who exactly have you hated, Uncle?"

The pen resting on the inkstone was not stable, and it rolled down suddenly, splashing a few ink marks on the case, and the ink blotted on the paper, drawing a few sorrows out of thin air. This dot of ink is stuck in front of my eyes, and I can't erase it no matter what.

12 years ago, Wen Yu was still a mischievous mother. At that time, Yuan Mucheng was 14 years old, and he led He Xiao to race horses and birds every day, while Yuan Mujie always followed Yuan Haoxun to the barracks. Only Yuan Muqing would accompany him. By Wen Yu's side.

Back then, Yuan Haoxun was already the respected King Jingping, but he hadn't been stationed in the Yuzhou camp. He would only leave the city when the war needed to be quelled. I will finish the military affairs as soon as possible and return home early.

It is precisely because of Yuan Haoxun's repeated military exploits and his attachment to the palace that there are many good stories in the streets and alleys. What's more, he worships the Jingping Palace as a god, which also attracts the first empress dowager (that is, the current empress dowager) Feeling dissatisfied.

But this time the war in the northern border was tight. Yuan Haoxun led Yuan Mujie to stay in Yuzhou for three months. Less than half a month later, he fell ill.

Yuan Muqing had been sick for many days, and was too busy dealing with the family members of the courtiers who came to visit him. She was too tired, so Yuan Mucheng took over the temporary management of the palace.But Yuan Mucheng is young after all, and there is still a steward who manages the financial chores in the mansion as a whole, but it is really difficult for him to greet the outsiders who come and go in and out of the mansion with a smile every day, and to cater to those fake cares. half his life.

When Wen Yu regained some composure, she would often tell some jokes in front of the bed to tease Yuan Mucheng who came to complain. Sometimes seeing He Xiao standing by for a long time, she would secretly move a chair for him to sit on, and then Give him some of the cakes in front of his bed.

When Wen Yu was ill, the Empress Dowager sent someone to bring him a gift.Fearing that his loss of etiquette would bring gossip to Prince Jingping's residence, Wen Yu planned to go to the palace to thank the Empress Dowager when he recovered from his illness. Unfortunately, Yuan Mucheng injured his leg while running a horse that day, so Yuan Muqing had to stay at home to take care of her.Wen Yu thought that He Xiao always went wild with Yuan Mucheng and didn't often enter the palace, so he wanted to take this opportunity to take him into the palace to have a look.

It just so happened that Yuan Haoxun's success came from Yuzhou on this day. Seeing that the Empress Dowager was in a good mood and wanted to keep her, Wen Yu stayed in her palace until evening.He Xiao didn't hear what the Empress Dowager said inside, and didn't dare to break the rules, so he also waited respectfully outside the door.

While He Xiao was waiting, the maid who served the Empress Dowager suddenly stepped forward and handed him a food box with a bowl of crispy cheese inside.

"It was rewarded by the Queen Mother," said the maid.

He Xiao took it, thinking that it was rewarded by the Empress Dowager, it must be a good thing, he must not spill it.

The maid didn't leave, and stood guard outside the door with him. He Xiao stood beside her with the food box in both hands and waited for a while. When he saw Wen Yu again, he felt that her mind was serious.

Ben was still distracted, seeing a food box in He Xiao's hand, Wen Yu stepped forward and asked, "Ah Xiao, what are you holding?"

"The Queen Mother rewarded it." He Xiao replied truthfully.He remembered that it was a gift from the Empress Dowager, and the thing in the bowl was as white as condensed snow, looking sweet, it must be a good thing.

Wen Yu's face darkened even more.She suddenly pulled He Xiao over, hugged him without saying a word, He Xiao didn't know why, but he felt that Wen Yu was crying.

They didn't go back home in their own carriage, the Empress Dowager specially sent someone to see them off.On the way back, Wen Yu still asked He Xiao to ride with her, but halfway through the journey, she asked He Xiao to get out of the car and walk for a while.

"Ah Xiao."

When He Xiao got out of the car, Wen Yu suddenly lifted the curtain and called him.

Hearing the sound, the coachman also turned his head, Wen Yu ignored the coachman, just smiled at He Xiaorou: "Don't get lost, remember to go home."

He Xiao nodded in a daze, but seeing some water in her eyes, he raised his head and asked, "What's the matter, madam?"

Wen Yu shook his head, still with that bright smiling face: "It's time for the soldiers on the frontier to go home, I miss my lord."

The curtain was closed, and He Xiao walked beside the car, always feeling weird, and recalling Wen Yu's expression when he spoke, he suddenly felt uneasy.

He should have asked a few more questions.

Just as he was thinking, there was a muffled sound from the car, He Xiao ran to the front of the car and suddenly lifted the curtain, only to see the bowl of crispy cheese fall into the car, staining Wen Yu's clothes.Wen Yu sat on her knees in pain, her face flushed from holding back, only whimpers remained in her throat, but she still tried her best to cover He Xiao's eyes.

"No, look."

She was talking, and blood came out of her mouth.

"No, look."

Wen Yu brimming with tears, kept repeating this sentence.

He Xiao recognized these two words, but still watched helplessly as she scratched her neck with bloodstains.She struggled for a while, but finally her breath was blocked and she fell to the ground twitching.

The coachman was surprised and froze on the spot. He Xiao begged him to go to the doctor quickly with a trembling voice, but the coachman didn't do anything, so He Xiao had to climb on the horse's back with limp legs, and rode back to the palace like crazy.

When he arrived outside the palace, He Xiao was already trembling with horror, and when he found someone, he knelt outside the door and wept uncontrollably.

The mourning hall has been set up for a long time, and it was still there until the day Yuan Haoxun came back, but the coffin was empty.Because Wen Yu's body could not be stored for long, Wen Yao arranged for her to be buried.

Yuan Mucheng's legs were not fully healed, and he was still leaning on a cane when he was wearing sackcloth and filial piety. He didn't cry all the time, he just stared at the spirit card in a daze.It wasn't until he saw Yuan Mujie and Yuan Haoxun that he realized that everything was true, Wen Yu was really dead, and he no longer had a mother.

A numb person suddenly has emotions, just like a flood that bursts a dike, only pouring down.Unprepared, he threw himself on Yuan Mujie's shoulder and cried bitterly, clenching his fists tightly.

He Xiao didn't dare to step into the mourning hall, and knelt outside silently for several days.Many people came to ask him these days, but no one blamed him, not even Yuan Haoxun.He still remembered that when he exited Yuan Haoxun's room that night, he heard the hero in his heart cover his mouth and cry, like a wronged child.

He Xiao didn't understand why everyone told him to shut up, and told him not to mention that bowl of crispy cheese to anyone again.But obviously Wen Yu died because of that bowl of food, obviously the Empress Dowager was the murderer, and obviously he was the accomplice.

He also thought about committing suicide and apologizing, but after being stopped by Yuan Haoxun, he gave him a hard lesson.Even though no one blamed him, Yuan Mucheng still regarded him as his brother, but he could no longer forgive himself, so he secretly vowed to regard Yuan Mucheng as his master forever, protect him, and obey him.

In the end, the matter was settled. Yuan Haoxun said that Princess Jingping died of an accident, and Wen Yao went to the mansion to make a fuss. Later, Wen Yao and Jingping's mansion became less and less, and Yuan Haoxun did not want to return to the city. , simply took Wen Yu's tablet and went to live in Yuzhou Camp.

It wasn't until the Empress Dowager passed away when Liu Zhaoyu succeeded to the throne six years ago that Yuan Mucheng realized that the reason why Yuan Haoxun chose not to pursue Wen Yu's death was because the empress dowager was the one who did it.

He probably also guessed that it was the good news that spread to the palace that day that moved the Empress Dowager to kill.Yuan Haoxun won another battle, which means that he is one step closer to being invincible.In the eyes of the royal family, the words "invincible" are taboo.

The Empress Dowager bestowed a bowl of poisonous yogurt back then, with the original intention of wanting He Xiao to die.Because Prince Jingping's mansion was too blatant and threatened the imperial power, it became a thorn in the Empress Dowager's side.

In the eyes of the Empress Dowager, He Xiao is a servant. His life and death will not harm the interests of the Jingping Palace and the Liu family, at most it will hurt some fur. Therefore, she wants to use He Xiao's death to warn Yuan Haoxun. Everyone's life is a bargaining chip in the hands of the royal family. If Yuan Haoxun has the heart to rebel, she can let his relatives be buried with him at any time.

But she didn't expect that the person who died that night would be Wen Yu, yet she still had to pretend that everything was under her control. She was also betting that Yuan Haoxun would not dare to get angry at her.Because the imperial power and the so-called loyalty, filial piety and righteousness can still restrain the Jingping Palace, but what can Yuan Haoxun use to compete with the royal family?

Is it the sons and daughters of the family, or Xuan and the army, is it the friendship with the former emperor during the war, or is it the tens of thousands of Dali people?All that is involved with him is the life of a living person, and his every move may be slandered as disloyalty at any time, so he can only back down.

Wen Yao used to be puzzled, but now seeing that the country that the former emperor, Yuan Haoxun and Lu Sheng defended is changing day by day, and the trust built up through life and death is no match for kinship bonds, he understands that all justice is not worth mentioning in front of those in power.He was unwilling to let his family become victims again, and finally gave up on this dynasty.

After a long silence, Wen Yao spoke in a trembling voice: "I hate Ayu for being simple-minded and too kind, I also hate He Xiao for being taken advantage of by others, I also hate the Empress Dowager for being too suspicious and despicable, and I hate your father even more. I was cowardly and timid back then, and didn’t dare to seek justice for my wife! But now I am like your father back then, I can only rely on retreating to keep my family safe, Xiao’an, who else do you think I can hate?”

There were tears in Wen Yao's eyes, he hated him too much, but he still watched Wen Yu's bones buried in the ground, saw the Empress Dowager enjoying all her splendor, waiting for her dream of assisting the government to be shattered, there was nothing she could do except hide here .

Yuan Mucheng looked at him, just like seeing Yuan Haoxun drinking alone in the tent. They all had hope for this court, and they were hurt the most even though they didn't have any disagreements.

Yuan Mucheng straightened up a little, moved his legs and knelt down: "I came to look for my uncle today, not to provoke hatred or scold, but because I am the unfilial son of Princess Jingping, and I am also the flying general of the Yuzhou camp. , I hope you still remember that others still call you 'Master Jifu'."

He was reminding Wen Yao that the ideal of assisting the government has not yet been broken.

"Cifu..." Wen Yao shook his head mockingly, and said bitterly, "The person who killed Ayu just let go, and the sins he left during his lifetime will be wiped out, but why should Ayu die with regrets, and Why should I be magnanimous to guard this country for them!"

"The country is guarded for the people, and the soldiers on the frontier have never fought for the people on the throne. They have always been loyal to the people of Dali. It is difficult to avenge family feuds, but it is difficult to die with hatred and the loyal bones buried in Qingshan. Mother also wants them to go home with peace of mind," Yuan Mucheng took a few steps back, kowtowed to the ground, and begged, "Xiao'an begs uncle, please help them."