Raising Wolves

The next day, the news of General Shi's death spread all over the capital, and quickly flew away from the capital.

It shocked countless people for a while.

Just like Chen Xiaodao, many people even grew up listening to the legend of General Shi, and felt that Shi Rongfeng was a wall standing at the border. , this wall will not fall.

But the wall is already riddled with holes.

From the lineage of historians, only Lin Xi was left as a frail young man. A few old servants and soldiers of the Duke's Mansion wore sackcloth and filial piety to help him make arrangements for the general's funeral.

The ministries are busy at the end of the year, and Lu Qing, as the head of the official department, naturally cannot escape the tedious official duties. At this time, being dismissed from his post has saved him trouble. He is in charge of an official department, and he can go to Wuguo Gongfu for help when he is done. .

Actually not in a hurry.

When he came to Beijing, Shi Rongfeng reckoned that he probably wouldn't be able to survive Dongyue, so he asked people to prepare the coffin, paper money and incense in advance.

To him, being able to stay under Xu Shu's convalescence for another month and spend more time with Lin Xi is already very good.

The military generals in the court came to express their condolences first, followed by other courtiers.

There are also people from outside Beijing who heard the news and came in the wind and snow.

Although the courtiers were still arguing loudly, most of them still had respect for Shi Rongfeng. When they came to Duke Wu's mansion, they saw Lu Qingze in front of Shi Rongfeng's mourning hall. No matter how unsightly his face was, he didn't react.

It was rare for Duke Wu's mansion to be lively.

The little prince who had been kept hidden and rumored also appeared in front of everyone.

In fact, according to Shi Rongfeng's usual temper, in his last days, instead of hiding Lin Xi, he would push Lin Xi out no matter what, and learn how to deal with these duplicity people in the capital, so as not to After he left, it was still difficult for Lin Xi to face strangers, which was good for Lin Xi.

But Lin Xi has muteness.

This is a silent, shy child.

Fortunately, at the last moment of his life, Lin Xi finally broke through the magic barrier that sealed his mouth, and stumbled out the first sentence.

After the first sound, it is not so difficult to speak again.

And with Lu Qing taking care of him, Lin Xi didn't have to speak too much to the guests, so as not to expose his stuttering.

After seeing Xiao Shizi, everyone felt awe-inspiring. They only felt that this Xiao Shizi had an indifferent face and cherished words like gold. He had no temperament to be bullied.

As expected of the blood of historians, like a general, no one would dare to be presumptuous once he sat there.

In a way, it's another layer of protection.

That night, Ning Juan also personally visited Duke Wu's mansion, burned incense for the old general, and respected Shi Rongfeng.

Turning his head to see Lu Qingze outside the mourning hall looking at the snow scene in the courtyard without blinking, Ning Juan thought for a moment, then walked over under the sneaky eyes of everyone, and asked in a low voice: "Huaixue, are you sad?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lu Qing did not avoid him, turned his head to look at the coffin, and said lightly: "Everyone is mortal...but I didn't expect it to be so soon."

After a pause, he lowered his voice and said: "The military power of the general has been handed over to His Majesty. From now on, no one will be able to threaten the Daqi country. Your Majesty can rest assured."

Some old clans in Beijing are troublesome, and it is inconvenient to carry out Ning Juan's new policy. After solving the last little trouble, he can leave with peace of mind.

Ning Juan frowned, suspecting that Lu Qingze had other meanings in his words.

But after Lu Qing finished speaking, he lowered his head and coughed a few times. After running back and forth for the past few days, he still suffered from the cold and choked.

Ning Juan had no choice but to swallow his words back, and turned to shield him from the wind: "Pay attention to yourself."

Ning Juan got a little closer, and the faint scent of ambergris brushed over the tip of his nose.

Lu Qingze's eyelashes trembled.

In the past, General Shi didn't like to be disturbed by people when he was ill. In the future, most of the people who came to visit would be turned away. Now that he is dealing with funeral affairs, it would be bad to turn away people. There are many people around now. Holding a pen and staring at Lu Qingze, waiting for him to show any "tells" at any time, many eloquent officials also came.

Lu Qing didn't want anyone to see what Ning Juan meant for him.

Compared to his reputation, Ning Juan, the son of heaven, can't get involved in this kind of thing. It needs to be recorded by the official historian, and it will be recorded for generations to come.

Seeing Fan Xingyan approaching, Lu Qing turned sideways, nodded to Ning Juan, and went to talk to Fan Xingyan.

Lu Qingze's attitude was very natural, but his every move touched the sensitive Ning Juan.

Isn't the teacher even willing to be sheltered by him?

His gaze followed Lu Qingze and, watching him say a few words to Fan Xingyan, the corners of his pink lips curled up slightly, his expression relaxed and natural, a casual gesture he hadn't shown in front of him for a long time.

The emotion of jealousy is like smashed glass, not only shattered loudly, but also the splashed residue hurts people.

The officials secretly watching Lu Qingze and Ning Juan saw the way His Majesty looked at Lu Qingze, and their hearts were instantly excited:

Your Majesty looked at Lu Qingze with such a frightening look!

Sure enough, His Majesty has already wanted to kill Lu Qingze!

Ning Juan refrained from looking away, thinking calmly in his heart that he had already prepared a gift for Lu Qingze.

After the first seven days, after burying General Shi in the ancestral grave of Shijia in the suburbs of Beijing, Lu Qing will follow Shi Rongfeng's last wish and send him back to Mobei for burial.

From the capital to Mobei, carrying the coffin away, it will take at least ten days to go back and forth. When Lu Qing returns, it will be his birthday.

When Lu Qingze came back from Mobei, he presented his gift with his own hands.

During the seven days of mourning in the mourning hall, Lin Xi was quiet most of the time, rarely speaking.

On the seventh day, after Lu Qingze, Chen Xiaodao, and Tang Qing and other soldiers accompanied Lin Xi to bury his clothes, the three of them sat in the carriage and returned to the capital with a slight sway. People rode horses and guarded the carriage, talking in low voices about who stayed in the capital to protect Xiaoshizi, and who accompanied Lu Qing to escort the coffin back to Mobei.

Listening to the occasional words from outside, Lin Xi suddenly tugged on Lu Qingze's sleeve lightly, and whispered: "Lu, my lord."

He has been silent for more than ten years, but when he speaks again, he has a bit of trouble, feeling very strange, jumping out three or two words, because he stutters, and rarely speaks long sentences.

Lu Qing turned his head and said with a pleasant expression, "What's wrong?"

Lu Qing asked Lin Xi to change his words, but the child has called him that since the first time they met, and it has become a habit. It is not unfamiliar to call him Mr. Lu. He is used to calling him son with Chen Xiaodao, and Ning Juan used to call him teacher. It's no different.

Lin Xi lowered his eyes and thought for a while, as if he had made up his mind, and said with difficulty: "Can I go to Mobei with you?"

According to General Shi, he wanted to keep Lin Xi in the capital.

No matter how bad and conspiratorial the capital is, his remaining shade can protect Linxi until he grows old safely, which is safer than the war-torn and bitterly cold places like Mobei.

Several generations of historians have shed their blood on the battlefield. He felt unworthy because of Emperor Chong'an. He was loyal and selfless all his life, serving the country and the people. Child, with a rare selfishness.

Lu Qing naturally understood Shi Rongfeng's meaning. Hearing what Lin Xi said, he was a little startled: "Do you want to go to Mobei?"

Lin Xi nodded: "I, I want to go and see the place where father and mother know each other. I want to see the place where father has guarded for a lifetime."

Although he spoke with bumps and bumps like a child learning to speak, his expression was very serious.

Lu Qing intuitively felt that what he meant was not only to follow him to see General Shi and take a look at Bianguan Shoucheng, but also had a deeper meaning. He looked at him and asked: "After going to Mobei to see it, return to the capital?" ?"

Seeing that Lu Qingze was aware of his own thoughts, Lin Xi lowered his eyes, moved his legs together nervously, and tangled his fingers together. After a while, he raised his eyes again and met Lu Qingze's: "I think, stay In Mobei."

Chen Xiaodao was listening quietly, but when he heard this sound, he was taken aback: "Stay in Mobei? How dangerous is that?"

Lu Qing suddenly remembered what General Shi had told him before.

If Lin Xi is willing to stay in the capital, he can take care of him. If Lin Xi wants to go to Mobei, don't stop him.

Did General Shi guess that Lin Xi would make this decision?

Although they only got together for a few months, from the moment they met, the bond between their flesh and blood has been inseparable. It seems that General Shi is the one who understands Lin Xi best.

Lu Qing pondered for a moment, then nodded and said: "After going to Mobei to see it, if you want to stay there, then stay there, I will not stop you."

After a pause, he added, "That's what your father meant too."

Lin Xi's eyes lit up slightly, and he nodded vigorously.

Chen Xiaodao was a little sad: "Mobei is so far away, we won't be able to see each other in the future."

Lu Qing patted him on the head: "When I'm not around, you will continue to stay at Duke Wu's mansion, you know?"

If Lin Xi chooses to stay in Mobei and inherit the legacy of General Shi, all generals in and out of the capital will respect him. Even if Lin Xi is not in the capital, Chen Xiaodao will continue to stay in the Duke of Wu's mansion. As long as that little bastard Ning Juan still has some If you are sensible, you know that you can't let people go to the Duke of Wu's mansion to arrest people.

Chen Xiaodao let out a muffled "Oh".

The suburbs of Beijing are quite far away from the city, and it was already dark when I came back.

There was snow in the backyard, reflecting the surrounding circle brightly.

Lu Qing took a shower, changed his clothes, wrapped himself in a thick cloak and walked into the study.

Tomorrow, he will see off General Shi and go to Mobei. All the official duties are temporarily entrusted to the Minister of the Ministry of Officials who was hand-picked by him. It is rare to have a free day.

He poured a cup of hot tea, held it up and warmed his hands. A white mist floated in front of his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he got up and spread out a piece of letter paper. , pale complexion, looks weak, but every word is written steadily and neatly.

Before leaving, he had to teach Ning Juan another lesson.

Ning Juan was only 17 years old, and he already stood in the most honored position in the world.

No matter how precocious he is, he is far from mature at this age. He has the toughness of a king, paranoid personality, and occasionally impulsive and irritable. They have been teachers and students for five or six years. He has taught many things, and there are many things that he has not had time to teach.

Ning Juan still doesn't know what liking is, and maybe he isn't that tenacious when thinking about him.

A few years later, Ning Juan would feel very surprised and puzzled when recalling this love affair that hurt his self-esteem.

Lu Qing didn't want both him and Ning Juan to feel regretful, but he also wanted to give him a price for doing something wrong.

Leaving is the best option.

The candlelight flickered faintly, while Lu Qing lowered his long eyelashes and slowly finished writing the letter. After the ink was dry, he folded it up and put it in the envelope to seal it. When he was about to write the words on the envelope, he hesitated for a moment.

Calling His Majesty too unfamiliar, calling Guoguo too close.

After deliberating over and over again, although he didn't know whether Ning Juan was willing to use his own words, Lu Qing still left four words on the envelope.

"Ji Wei kisses me."

Early the next morning, Lu Qing was picked up by Tang Qing in the carriage, and went to join the team that came out of the coffin at the gate of the city first.

There are quite a few people in this team, apart from General Shi's personal soldiers, there is a team of Jinyiwei that Ning Juan sent to protect Lu Qingze on his way back.

The new law promoted by Lu Qing touched the interests of princes, nobles and some officials, and offended many people-this is why Feng Ge did not speak for Lu Qing. He used to stand on the same front, but now he has Conflict of interest, it's good that he didn't add fuel to the flames later.

Mr. Xu Ge, who was difficult to get rid of, was also one of the people who were completely offended. Just letting girls go to school made the old-fashioned Mr. Xu Ge fly into a rage, and he scolded Lu Qingze angrily every day.

At present, there are countless people in Beijing who regard Lu Qing as a thorn in their side, and there are naturally many people who want his life.

Before the morning court was over, Lu Qing felt that Ning Juan would not come, and he felt a little regretful in his heart. He stood at the gate of the city, reluctant to say goodbye to Linxi's Chen Xiaodao for a while.

Chen Xiaodao cried once at Linxi, but when he came to Lu Qingze's side, he was more stable and worried: "The capital is so cold, it will be even colder in Mobei, son, you should be careful, don't get sick, don't be indifferent again." If you stay in the north for too long, your body won't be able to bear it."

What is less sickness?Didn't you think he would be better off?

Lu Qing couldn't laugh or cry: "Got it."

Chen Xiaodao continued to instruct: "Doctor Xu made a lot of pills for the prevention and treatment of wind-cold according to the method you said, remember to take them."

Lu Qing smiled and nodded again, stroking his head: "Don't worry, go back to the Duke's mansion to catch up on sleep, and make more posts when you have time, the handwriting is still so ugly after so many years."

When it comes to practicing calligraphy, Chen Xiaodao's head gets dizzy, and he quickly takes a step back: "Then son, get on the carriage quickly, don't blow the wind."

Lu Qing was about to get into the carriage when Ning Juan rushed over.

He came on a fast horse, his figure was so dazzling and upright in the wind and snow that people couldn't help but want to look up at him. The next moment, the young emperor got off his horse, regardless of the people around him who were kneeling down, strode to the Lu Qing was beside him, and blurted out: "Teacher."

Lu Qing paused for a moment: "Does Your Majesty have any orders?"

"Your birthday is coming soon," Ning Juan stared at him, with deep emotions flowing in his dark eyes, "Go early and come back early, I'll wait for you in the capital."

Lu Qing forgot all about it, blinked and lowered his eyelids: "I obey the order."

Ning Juan's lips were straightened immediately.

He didn't like Lu Qingze's unfamiliar attitude. If he didn't want Lu Qing, he would call him His Majesty, but if he didn't want Lu Qing, he would call him Guoguo.

When the teacher came back, he wanted to hear Lu Qing call him the words he had chosen for him.

Neither of them spoke for a while, but they didn't turn their heads to leave immediately either.

Lu Qing looked deeply at Ning Juan's face, the young man's face was still a little green, and he had not had time to take off his uniform, handsome and dignified.

This might be the last time he saw Ning Juan in his life.

"Is Your Majesty willing to listen to me for the last time?" Lu Qingze spoke in harmony.

Ning Juan said, "Say it."

"Never vent your anger and kill innocent people." Lu Qing said slowly, "But don't be soft-hearted to those who do it."

Ning Juan was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding why Lu Qing suddenly said this to him. Before he could figure it out, Lu Qing stared into his eyes and asked, "Your Majesty, do you agree?"

Ning Juan was immersed in the gaze of those eyes, and nodded in agreement: "Okay, I agree."

Lu Qing smiled at him, then turned around and stepped on the small stool, and got into the carriage, only a few words leaked from behind the curtain: "Guoguo, goodbye."

Ning Juan stood outside the city gate for a long time, watching the convoy leave without blinking, the snowflakes swirled down, fell on his eyelashes, and shook off with a light blink.

It wasn't until the convoy completely disappeared from his eyes that he got back on his horse and rode back to the palace in the opposite direction to Lu Qingze.

When the horse ran towards the palace, he suddenly felt a little uneasy in his heart. Ning Juan suddenly turned his head and looked at the empty city gate, only the bitter wind and snow howling.

The guards who followed hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, what's the matter?"

It was clear that when Lu Qingze came back, he would be able to truly have him, but a trace of uneasiness appeared in his heart. After a long while, Ning Juan suppressed the inexplicable emotion and shook his head: "Go back to the palace."

The journey to Mobei was unexpectedly smooth.

Probably because the coffin of General Shi was still there, and the guards were all brave and good at fighting. Those who wanted to take action against Lu Qing didn't want to cause more trouble, so they endured it for the time being.

When I arrived in Mobei, it was freezing cold, and the wind and snow were much stronger than those in the capital. When I rushed towards my face, I felt like a knife was cutting my face, and my bones were piercingly painful.

Lu Qing carried a small hand stove with Wushou with him, and it would cool down after a while. As long as there was a trace of cold wind coming in through the clothes, it would be a bone-chilling cold.

Lu Qingze's sick and crooked body really couldn't accept this kind of place, so he followed Lin Xi to bury General Shi, poured a bowl of wine in front of the tombstone, and stayed with Lin Xi for another day before going back to Beijing.

Before leaving, Lin Xi was not at ease: "Lord Lu, do you want me to ask Tang Shen to take them back to Beijing?"

Except for the death row prisoner and Duan Lingguang, no one else knew about Lu Qingze's plan. The more he knew, the worse he was.

Hearing this, he just smiled: "It's okay, there are people from His Majesty accompanying you, you should be careful in everything in Mobei."

Lin Xi nodded obediently.

Lu Qing thought of another person: "If you meet a person named Qin Yuan'an, you can try to reuse him. He has strong martial arts skills and a good character."

Lin Xi nodded again, and personally sent Lu Qing to leave the city.

On the way back to Beijing, Lu Qing could clearly feel that the surrounding air was not very peaceful.

Those who are ready to move in the dark are ready to attack.

Lu Qing was waiting for them.

Leveraging their hands, not only can he escape, but also give Ning Juan a reason to attack those princes and nobles who have been entrenched in the capital for a long time and are not moving. Killing two birds with one stone is the last thing he can do for Ning Juan.

From then on, thousands of miles of land and mountains have nothing to do with him, he is just a small common people.

According to Ning Juan's instructions, after leaving Mobei, the convoy was supposed to return to the capital as quickly as possible.

But Lu Qing fell ill.

It was also expected that the weather in Mobei was too cold. Even though the guards watched him closely, he still caught the wind and cold unfortunately. After taking the medicine given by Xu Shu, he didn't get better. , became more and more serious, and had to stop at the post on the return journey to take a rest.

Seeing that Lu Qingze's wind and cold were getting worse, the leading guards were very worried, for fear that this delicate Mr. Lu would burn himself out, so they sent people to search around, invited a doctor, and prescribed some side effects. After Qing Ze drank it, he wrapped himself in a quilt and fell asleep.

Because Zheng Yao had vaguely reminded him not to get too close to Mr. Lu before departure, no one dared to stay in his room, and they all stood guard outside the door.

Watching and watching, somehow they fell into sleepiness collectively.

It was too late by the time he realized something was wrong in the house.

In the twelfth lunar month of winter, the oil lamp was overturned in the house at some point, and the fire was extremely hot.

Gorgeous tongues of fire licked the broken beams, hot waves of fire spread over, and the wooden beams continued to make crackling and crackling sounds.

The fierce heat wave made it impossible to get close.

The fire was so fierce, the people in the house...

The faces of all the guards immediately turned pale, and they roared: "Hurry up, put out the fire! Master Lu is still inside!"

However it was too late.

It was already midnight when the news reached the capital urgently, and Ning Juan was reviewing the playbook.

The moment those words came to his ears, there was a sudden "buzz" in his head, and his brain went blank. When he regained the trace of reason, he realized that the pen in his hand had fallen on the desk, and the vermilion ink was writing on the book. A few uneven red marks were left on the skin, dazzling like blood.

There was a burst of cold air on the back, and the fingers were cold and soft.

Ning Juan opened his mouth and wanted to speak, but he couldn't force a sound out of his throat.

Chang Shun recovered from his disbelief, saw that Ning Juan's pale cheeks had lost all blood in an instant, and his voice trembled: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

He had never seen His Majesty's face like this, as if all the bones in his body were taken away in an instant, and he was about to fall down the next moment.

Ning Juan was actually very dazed. He had the feeling of falling underwater and his ears were blocked by water seals. Everything around him seemed to be happening above the surface of the water. He could vaguely hear the sound, but it was not clear.

He didn't know what he was doing, but his lips moved first: "Prepare the horse."

Chang Shun was terrified and extremely worried about Ning Juan's current state: "Your Majesty, wait, wait for the news from over there, you..."

"Prepare the horse!"

Chang Shun swallowed the words back, his mind was also in a mess, echoing repeatedly the words of the guard who came to report.

The station ran into water, Mr. Lu was inside, but he couldn't be rescued.

How could this be?

Obviously, the news came only in the next day, saying that he would be able to arrive in the capital in two days.

Changshun thought anxiously, His Majesty should... how sad.

The fire burned all night, and the frozen water could not be taken out. The guards carried buckets of snow and tried to extinguish the fire, but all ended in failure.

Inflammable materials were placed in many places of the post station, and oil was poured on them, and the burning would be endless.

This was a long-planned assassination.

By the time Ning Juanye came all the way, the fire had already been extinguished.

The entire station was burned down to nothing but an empty shelf. All the guards bowed their heads and knelt on the ground, with a piece of white cloth covering their sides.

When Zheng Yao heard the news, he got up from the bed overnight and followed him. Seeing this scene, his bones were chilled, and only two words flashed in his mind.

It’s over.

Before seeing this scene, he comforted himself with a little bit of luck, what if someone was rescued, what if.

There is no chance.

With such a big fire, it is good that no one is burned alive to a skeleton.

Ning Juan stared at the white cloth, the boiling thoughts in his head froze for a moment, his lips moved, his voice was extremely depressing, and his voice was hoarse, and he asked word by word: "Where's the teacher?"

It will not be the teacher's.

Lu Qing should always be graceful and calm. Even if his bones are seriously ill, he still stands straight and waits quietly. When he sees him coming, he raises his eyebrows slightly and teases him with a smile: "Just kidding!" Forget it, why are you here?"

So it won't be Lu Qingze inside.

Hearing this, the head guard bowed his head even lower, his voice trembling: "This subordinate deserves to die. If he failed to protect Mr. Lu, he will receive the death penalty!"

"Where's the teacher?" Ning Juan held the rein tightly, as if he didn't hear what he said, and asked again.

The guard didn't dare to speak at all.

Everyone can vaguely sense that His Majesty seems to be...a bit out of control.

The howling north wind suddenly hit and lifted the white cloth.

It's like opening a nightmare.

The scorched black corpse underneath inevitably came into sight.

Even though his whole body was scorched black, Ning Juan could recognize his familiar figure at a glance.

And the sleeve arrow on his wrist that he personally participated in making.

Ning Juan's breathing suddenly became a little heavy, and his mind couldn't stop feeling dizzy.

He didn't know how he got off the horse and walked to the charred corpse. He knelt down beside the corpse and said in a trembling voice, "Teacher..."

He was wrong.

He shouldn't have forced Lu Qingze, if he hadn't forced Lu Qingze, General Shi would not have given Lu Qingze this chance, and Lu Qing would not have left Beijing, nor...

No matter how terrible a nightmare is, it is nothing more than this.

Looking at His Majesty's crumbling figure, Zheng Yao seemed to be able to see the dead and quiet despair, and swallowed desperately for several times, before uttering a dry voice: "Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to find out who is behind the scenes and avenge Lord Lu. , if you fall, who will avenge Master Lu?"

He said in a hoarse voice, "By the way, there is Mr. Lu's... funeral."

Ning Juan still acted as if he hadn't heard it, bent over and hugged the scorched corpse into his arms, murmured something in a low voice, and when he heard the last sound, those whispers stopped.

Zheng Yao watched His Majesty as if he couldn't bear some kind of weight. He bent down deeply and buried his head, his shoulders trembled slightly. He thought that His Majesty was in some discomfort, so he hurried over, but bumped into a pair of dry hands. Withered red eyes like tears.

The young emperor's tall and straight spine seemed to be broken silently, his pupils were confused and empty, and when his consciousness was muddled, he suddenly remembered that when he was in Jiangyou, after Lu Qing was seriously ill, he did that scene repeatedly. nightmare.

He dreamed that Lu Qing was trapped in the fire that was soaring into the sky. He rushed into the fire, but only saw a charred corpse.

Nightmare come true.

When he was young, he watched his mother being taken away and burned to ashes, but there was nothing he could do.

Today, his most important person was once again buried in a sea of ​​flames.

Lu Qingze, are you in pain?

Ning Juan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, a fishy sweetness suddenly rushed into his throat.

Amidst the horrified voices around him, he vomited blood violently.

You clearly promised me that you will return to Beijing as soon as possible.