I'm a bully in troubled times

"As long as I can remember, I have been living with my son. I am older than him and he is not in good health, so I take care of him more."

"At that time, he was very small, white and soft, and he followed me and called him brother. When he was bullied, he didn't tell anyone, and he hid himself and cried secretly."

When Qi Ranming said this, the corners of his lips curved slightly, and there was a soft smile in his eyes.

"Every time I make a mistake and the queen wants to punish me, the young master will help me stop it. The queen loves this little son very much and is obedient to him, so as soon as the young master pleads for mercy, the queen will let me go."

"I was bullied by other children in the palace, and the young master will help me bully me back. In order to prevent me from being bullied all the time, the young master asked the queen to find me a master and let me practice martial arts."

"I'm very gifted, the fastest and best learner of all the kids."

As Qi Ranming spoke, it seemed that he had returned to the Palace of King Qin more than ten years ago.He was only a few years old at that time, and he hadn't collapsed from taking medicine. That short period of time should be regarded as the happiest period of his life of more than [-] years.There are sweet pine nut candies, the mother's soft touch, who will act like a baby and protect his little son...

"The queen knows that the young master loves me, so he has kept the matter of taking the medicine from him. But how could this kind of thing have been kept hidden from him. Later, my health became worse and worse, and he still knew." Qi Ranming lowered his head.

Those were not good memories. He clearly knew that what he was given to drink was poison, but he had to drink it, and he couldn't tell Ying Xi about it, so he could only bear it by himself.Every time the bitter medicine is taken, it will be very painful. The bitterness flows from the mouth to the throat, flows into the stomach, and then turns into tears and flows out of the eyes.

While drinking, he began to cough up blood, his originally healthy and rosy complexion became sickly, he often felt dizzy and had pains all over his body.When the pain was severe, he lay in his mother's arms and cried, wanting her to beg the queen, and he didn't want to drink anymore.Mother hugged him, patted him on the back, and told him softly that he was fine and would be fine in the future.

It will be fine in the future, when will it be fine?

For a child less than ten years old, this question is too deep and complicated.

"Because of this, the son and the queen had a big fight, and held a sword to the neck, threatening the queen with his own life to stop, otherwise he would kill himself. The queen had no choice but to stop temporarily... After that, the son became stricter with me, I dare not let the queen's people touch me alone."

He shook his head and sighed: "But the son is too young after all. Even if he matures earlier than ordinary children, he is still too immature to meet the queen. He can't change the queen's mind."

The sky was getting dark, and the cool evening wind was blowing in through the half-opened window, and the wind chimes under the eaves moved slightly, making a crisp sound.

Jingle bell, jingle bell... It was like the wind chime at the entrance of Yingxi's bedroom more than ten years ago. The white shell swayed with the wind, and when it hit lightly, it made a crisp sound. It rang in his heart once and for all.And he was still sitting in front of the steps, looking up at the wind chime.

"When the queen asked me to go to Jin as a hostage instead of the son, the son was the only one who disagreed. He begged the queen for half a month, saying that he would go by himself."

"But whether it's for the son or for my mother, I have to go."

Qi Ranming's tone was indifferent, as if what he was talking about was just about an unimportant person.When people face extreme pain, they will erect a barrier in the brain to isolate those painful emotions.

"After all, people like us are born pariahs. If I can't even bring out my only value, then it's useless for the queen to keep me."

Jiang Yu moved his lips, his voice seemed to come out of his throat, and he asked with some difficulty: "...Don't you hate it?"

"Why don't you hate?" Qi Ranming raised his eyes to look at Jiang Yu, and said softly, "I hate the queen...in fact, sometimes I also hate the son and my mother."

"Why is the life of her queen's son more valuable than my life? Why would my mother prefer me to suffer than let him suffer? Why do I have to trade myself for him?"

"I hated it so much that I almost killed the young master once." Qi Ranming lowered his head, grabbed the white bone flute with his right hand, and almost crushed the flute with such force.But it was a relic left to him by his mother, so Qi Ranming suddenly let go of his hand, caressing the body of the flute almost tremblingly.

"What happened?" Jiang Yu asked.

A drop of tear fell on the flute with a "snap", shattered and splashed on Qi Ranming's fingers.

"I have been a hostage in Jin State for three years. When I went back, I found my mother was dead." Qi Ranming raised his eyes to look at Jiang Yu. It took a lot of effort to keep the tears from falling, "I haven't even seen her body. I heard that she violated the palace rules and was killed with a stick and thrown into a mass grave outside the palace. , let the wild dogs eat it, and left nothing behind."

A person comes to this world empty-handed, and then leaves empty-handed, bringing nothing with him and taking nothing away, as if he had never lived.Besides the only one who loved her, who else remembered her?

Qi Ranming shook his head and said: "But my mother always obeys the queen's orders, she is the most cautious, how could she violate the palace rules? What kind of palace rules did she violate, so serious that she would be killed with a stick?"

"Did no one tell you why?" Jiang Yu asked.

Qi Ranming let out a low laugh, laughing bitterly at himself: "It's such a big palace, and a palace lady died, what's the big deal? Everyone involved will be put to death, who can I ask?"

For the mother and the little master, he went to the enemy country as a hostage for three years, but when he came back, he found that his mother's bones were gone, and he didn't even know the cause of death.

Even though that mother was not very competent, she was his only relative in this world, the only person who was related to him by blood.He is also the only one who is willing to treat him unconditionally and buy him pine nut candy.

"Ranming." Jiang Yu lowered his head and stroked Qi Ranming's hair, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked these questions."

Qi Ranming rubbed the bone flute with his fingers, his eyes didn't know where to look, as if he saw the woman in his memory through the void.

"After my mother died, I hated this pair of mother and son. Every day, I want to kill the little son. He always looks like he doesn't know anything. It's obvious that he is the culprit. It's all because of him, I I and my mother will suffer this, but he is still so naive, so hateful." Qi Ranming snorted lightly, "...he trusts me so much, I have many opportunities. If I want, I can easily kill him .”

"...but I didn't expect that even though I hurt him, he would still hide it from the queen for me. It's too cunning."

"I couldn't do it, so I wanted to kill the queen instead. At that time, the queen wanted to kill me, and I wanted to kill her too," Qi Ranming laughed at himself, "but the queen is so easy to kill, I was too young at that time, and my martial arts It’s good, but it’s not as good as it is now. My master is someone close to the queen, and I couldn’t beat him, so he broke my hands and feet and tied me to the queen.”

"...At that time I thought I was going to die," Qi Ranming said, "In fact, I was willing to die. After all, there is nothing to live for. I have no relatives, no friends, and I can't take revenge... I am like a dog sent by the enemy. driven."

A life without any light, a life without any hope, is just hopeless.

Qi Ranming was silent for a long time before continuing: "...Young Master saved me. He secretly rescued me from the dungeon, sent me out of the palace, gave me medicine and food, and brought me back from the brink of death."

Qi Ranming looked up at Jiang Yu, as if asking Jiang Yu, but also as if asking himself: "How do you make me hate him?"

"I hate the queen, I hate that place, that cold deep palace, and I don't want to go back even if I die, but the young master has never let me down."

"Ranming..." Jiang Yu hugged Qi Ranming's waist, pressed his head on his shoulder, and said in a low voice, "That's already in the past."

Qi Ranming grabbed Jiang Yu's clothes, blinked his eyes lightly, tears slid down his cheeks and dripped onto Jiang Yu's clothes.It has been a long, long time since he was hugged or felt the warmth of another person.

When I was alone, when I recalled those things, I wouldn't be crying and laughing like I am now, it's so ugly.But after having this person, it seems that there is a place where he can vent his grievances.

"Do you want revenge?" Jiang Yu asked him.

Qi Ranming pursed his lips, raised his face, and seeing the tears on his face, Jiang Yu was a little distressed, and gently wiped away the tears.This action made Qi Ranming a little uncomfortable again, he held Jiang Yu's wrist, lowered his head and wiped his face, and said, "...I will do it myself."

"If I can kill the queen, of course I want to." Qi Ranming shook his right hand, "but the queen lives in a deep palace with countless guards around her, and my martial arts were taught by her people. They are the most familiar. Single-handedly It is impossible to break in and kill her."

"Then let me help you," Jiang Yu said.

Qi Ranming: "...Forget it. You have your responsibilities. Killing Queen Qin is of no benefit to you. Why did you kill her?"

Jiang Yu rubbed Qi Ranming's hair: "She bullied my people, so of course I want to take revenge back, isn't it justified?"

In modern times, Jiang Yu would never approve of lynching.But in this day and age, the law is useless and protects the interests of the nobles. As the queen's servant, Qi Ranming is the queen's private property. She can do whatever she wants, and no one can control her.

What Jiang Yu said was so reasonable, Qi Ranming's eyes flickered for a while, and he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

"However, there is one thing I want to tell you." Jiang Yu suddenly said solemnly.

"What?" Qi Ranming asked.

Jiang Yu said: "Of course Yingxi's life is not more precious than yours. Everyone is human, born from the mother's womb, and died within a few decades. How can there be any difference between high and low? In my eyes, there is no difference between you and Ying Xi, and my crown prince Chun Shen."

"Don't belittle yourself just because of your background."

Jiang Yu's words, in this day and age, can be said to be shocking.Aristocrats and commoners are born differently. At this time, they are still slaves, and Qi Ranming is a slave, worse than commoners.Jiang Yu said that he was no different from people like Ji Chunshen and Ying Xi.

Qi Ranming heard it a little funny: "What Sui Yang said is really different."

Seeing that Qi Ranming had come out of the emotion just now, Jiang Yu also smiled.

At this time Qi Ranming asked him again: "Then you always believe now that I won't leave with Ying Xi?"

"I believe." Jiang Yu lowered his head and kissed Qi Ranming's forehead.