C197

At some point, the incense burner at the corner of the room had begun to emit green smoke, and the fragrance in the room had faded a bit. The indescribable anxiety in his heart began to grow even more intense.

The neat handwriting started to overlap and blossom. The usually quiet inner force started to surge uncontrollably, causing him to feel a sharp pain in his stomach. Zhao Qingyan's expression was indifferent. He reached out his hand to cover his lower abdomen. His internal force came out from his palm and was channeled into his Dantian. All the chaotic internal energy in his body was sent to his palm and then transferred into his abdomen. Circulating in circles, the violent inner force also slowly calmed down.

He lowered his eyes. His ink-like hair scattered on his light green clothes. The bamboo slip placed on his knees had a few strands of hair. The tranquil time seemed to have stopped at this moment.

There was a corner of the bamboo block that had been blackened by something. The words on it had become blurry, and he could barely make out seventy percent of it. The indistinct handwriting was only a dozen words or so, and it did not affect the reading of the content.

His fingertips caressing the words that could no longer be seen, a trace of love and helplessness appeared in Zhao Qingyan's eyes.

That fire had almost destroyed the hundred years of quintessence of the manor. The imperial guards had gone all out to save him, but they were only able to save seventy to eighty percent of the time. Perhaps it was already a blessing to leave so much of that fire. However, the blueprints for the mechanism array formations that had been devoured by the flames could disappear forever from this world.

A bamboo scroll that had been here for a hundred years was still intact. However, its appearance had been destroyed by a great fire.

Every word that he touched with his fingertip was all written by senior with painstaking effort. They did not disappear because of the death of the craftsman. Instead, they lived on the earth with their master's trust and lifelong efforts. If they were destroyed, would those nameless craftsmen still be remembered by the world?

A hundred years later, how many would be recorded in history and be known by future generations?

Zhao Qingyan raised her head and looked around the room. She was at a loss. The scenery he saw, the houses he lived in, they would all be forgotten.

Things change. If things no longer existed, wouldn't that person disappear from this world forever?

Their grief for the dead was actually not even half of what these soulless dead things were.

"Forget it." Zhao Qingyan suddenly revealed a smile. She threw away her confusion and returned her gaze to the bamboo block.

— —

"We still need to be on duty tomorrow. How dare you drink wine?" Han Yan's eyes were full of smiles as he sat down on the stairs and tilted his head to look at the person beside him who was holding the jug of wine.

Chen Huayi raised his head and looked at the sky. After a while, he suddenly said, "The moon today is rather beautiful."

Han Yan raised his head and saw the bright moon shining brightly in the sky, which was covered by dark clouds. "Yes, it's beautiful."

"I'm a little homesick." Chen Huayi lowered his head, passing the wine jar in his hand to him, "Do you want to drink?"

Han Yan shook his head, "I'll be on duty tomorrow. I don't have the guts."

Chen Huayi smiled, placed the wine jug at his feet and lifted his face, "At this time …" It should be the reunion day, right? "

Han Yan said, "Yes, many people have gone home."

Hearing his calm voice, Chen Huayi's gaze shifted a little, "I say, you won't miss your home?"

"Nope." Han Yan's answer was still simple and plain, but he quickly added, "I've already gotten used to it."

Chen Huayi tilted his head. "It's already been three years. It doesn't seem like it's that lonely to have someone to sit by your side."

Han Yan laughed softly, his eyes hiding something, "I've been sitting here for many years. Sometimes I look at the slowly turning moon, sometimes I look around, and sometimes I look at the empty Privy Council … We can't find any concerns. "

Chen Chengyi couldn't smile, he only used his hand to cover half of his face as he lowered his eyes.

"I envy you." Han Yan turned her head to look at him, sighing. "Now that you have a disciple, at least you'll be able to keep it in mind in the future. Now there's someone who's willing to wait for you to come home."

Chen Huayi looked at him blankly, then suddenly laughed bitterly, "Home? Do I even have a home? "

Han Yan slowly clenched his fist, then slowly said, "Yes."

Chen Huayi was momentarily at a loss as he asked, "What is it?"

Han Yan slowly loosened his fingers and revealed a smile that was not at all ugly, "You have a family, and you still have a chance to go back."

Perhaps it was due to the alcohol being drunk, Chen Huayi's eyes turned slightly red. He rested his chin on his knees and refused to raise his head. "But when I go back, I won't be able to see anyone."

Just as Han Yan was about to speak, he heard his voice grow louder, "Did you know? Master left me in the dark tunnel. She told me to wait for her there, to be good and wait for her to come back. I was curled up in a corner, cold and hungry, with a terrible pain in my body and a strong urge to cry. But I know that my Master hates people who cry the most, so I have to behave and wait for her to come back. But I couldn't wait for her. "

Snorting, those who had been laughing heartily all this while choked with sobs, "In the end, the one waiting for you is Master. He picked me up and said he was going to take me home. I was afraid that even Master didn't want me anymore. I worked hard to practice martial arts, worked hard to memorize my work, and worked hard to complete everything Master had taught me. You know what? I just want to open my eyes every day and wait for Master to come back … Even if they don't like me. But in this world, they are the only ones who are willing to take me in, the only ones who care about my life. "

"In the end, even grand-teacher disappeared. Take me home. However, he's not in his home anymore. "

Han Yan was slightly startled, but there was a trace of sadness in her eyes. "That's right, there's always someone who wants to bring us back to his home, telling us that this will be his home from now on. We can live like one person. He told me that I could also have a family, a father, the right to live. However, he left me behind earlier and left me in that place called 'Home', and I will never be able to return home. "

"I'm not smart, I don't work hard, and I don't like what Master likes …" They don't like me, but I do love them! Why did they leave me when I loved them so much? " Chen Huayi gritted his teeth as tears rolled down his face, "I just want a home, what's wrong with that …"

Han Yan put his hand on his shoulder and sighed, but he no longer felt sad. "The martial arts world is a place that doesn't care about right or wrong."

Chen Huayi muttered, "But I'm afraid, I hate it."

Han Yan was slightly startled. "But you are powerless."

"Yes." So I was afraid of my own helplessness, and I hated my own helplessness. " Chen Huayi ruffled his hair and said, "If even someone as powerful as my master is unable to escape the helplessness of Jianghu, then what do I count as?"

Han Yan suddenly burst into laughter. He laughed till Chen Huayi's face was filled with astonishment before laughing out loud, "You're drunk. When you wake up, you won't be afraid anymore."

Chen Huayi also smiled and said, "Wine is really not a good thing. It will always remind me of some unpleasant things."

Han Yan said, "But it can also make you forget something. The wound, no matter how much one disregarded it, still existed. Drunk, even if he cried and laughed, it wouldn't be a disgrace. The wound will rot even worse after being covered up for a while. It will be better if you put some wine to dry. "

Chen Chengyi laughed so hard that he looked like he was about to cry. "But I don't want to take it out and hang it on the air …" I would rather it rot in my heart. "

Han Yan reached out his hand to rub his hair. "Silly child, it's a wound. No matter how hard I tried to cover it, it would still hurt."

Chen Huayi was stunned as he slapped his hand away and jumped up. "What a disgusting tone!"

Han Yan clicked his tongue. "Why is it disgusting?" "If I had married my wife early, my son would already be as old as you."

Chen Huayi curled his lips. "You're only ten years older than me, yet your son is as old as me?"

Han Yan laughed heartily, "Isn't this quite sober? Seems like he's not drunk. "

"Just think of it as me getting drunk." Chen Chengyi sat down on the ground and lay down on his back. "It's so dry, can it really hang?"

Han Yan picked up the jar of wine and stood up slowly. "If it's like this, I should be able to hang it off the air."

"Which one?" Chen Huayi asked doubtfully, before regaining his senses. He hurriedly got up to dodge, but a pot of wine had already been spilled all over his face.

As the cold wind blew, he shivered and roared, "What?! Do you want to freeze me to death? "

Han Yan's face was full of schadenfreude. "The body of a martial artist is strong. How could it be so easy to freeze to death?"

Chen Huayi sat up. The wine was dripping down his chin and the wind was blowing and hurting him. He was stunned. After a while, he raised his head and asked, "Why did you throw me?"

Han Yan didn't answer and instead asked him with a smile, "Are you feeling better?"

Chen Huayi raised his head and once again looked at the bright moon which was covered by dark clouds. "I think that's enough."

Han Yan nodded his head, turned over his wrist and poured the remaining half jar of wine onto his own head. Then, under Chen Huayi's stunned gaze, he smiled and said, "Tomorrow, I told you that I didn't drink. Would you believe me?"

Chen Huayi smiled and asked back, "Tomorrow, when I told you that you spilled wine all over me and also spilled wine all over yourself, would you believe me?"

"Probably." Han Yan said leisurely, "If you were the one who poured the wine, it would be easier for the lord to believe you."

Chen Huayi looked at the wine on his face and asked, "Does it hurt?"

Han Yan said, "It doesn't hurt."

How could it not hurt when there was a bone-piercing, bone-piercing cold?

Chen Chengyi smiled and shook his head, not even exposing him. "Tell me, will the young prince still accompany us for a reunion dinner this year?"

Han Yan was slightly startled before replying truthfully, "I'm afraid not."

Actually, when Chen Huayi asked this question, he already had an answer in his heart, "After all, you and I are not the only homeless people."

"And your disciple." The smile in Han Yan's eyes deepened, "There are more people left this year than in previous years, so I don't think I'll be lonely." "One day, ask the adults for a leave of absence. I'll be the host. Let's go out and have a meal in a bar."

Chen Huayi broke into a laugh. "Are there any shops that sell wine?"

Han Yan raised his eyebrows. "How about the Feng Residence?"

Chen Huayi was surprised. "So generous? A table of food would probably cost you half of your salary, right? "

Han Yan laughed, "I saved it up and didn't spend it. What's wrong with eating it?"

Chen Huayi was stunned for a moment. "You plan to be an imperial bodyguard for your entire life?"

"Isn't it good? Being able to do it for forty years or so, if you're lucky, you could be transferred to the Qilin Pavilion for a few more years. " Han Yan smiled mischievously.

Chen Huayi asked, "Is your ancestral land also from Shu?"

When Han Yan heard him ask about the ancestral record, he was slightly puzzled. "Yes, why?"

Chen Chengyi said, "I want to become a guard for a few more years, save up some silver, and then return to Shu. He opened a tavern to accompany my master, and he might even be able to see my senior brother … Do you want to come with me? "

"In a few years, you will be thirty years old. And then? Is it always there? "

After a moment, Chen Huayi gave a gentle "En" as a response.

Han Yan frowned. "Are you serious?" With your personality, can you take it easy? "

"I can't relax." Chen Huayi's reply was exceptionally decisive, but the words that followed were even more decisive. "But I really miss home."

Han Yan was silent. He looked at the hopeful gaze towards the moon and said after a long while, "If, at that time I was still alive, the tavern would leave me a seat."

Chen Huayi stood up and patted his shoulder forcefully, "You're so young, how could you have survived until then? I left this position for you, when the time comes, do not regret it. "

Han Yan nodded with a smile. "Alright." Only after watching him leave did he mutter to himself, "I might be able to finish what I needed to do then."

— —

"Father, you won't be troubled, right?"

Ran Hao, who had just opened the door a crack earlier, heard Zhao Qing Yan's question. Stunned, he walked into the house and closed the door behind him. He nodded and replied, "The prince told young master to rest well. Don't think too much."

Zhao Qingyan nodded to indicate that she understood. Looking at the sky outside the window, which had already turned dark, she said after thinking for a while, "That's good. Sorry for troubling you."

"Rather than making things difficult for the young master, it's better if I do it myself." Ran Hao shook off the remaining snow on his clothes and walked towards the incense burner. The calm tone carried the meaning of these four hours of travel.

Zhao Qingyan lowered her eyes and carefully rolled the bamboo scroll up bit by bit, "Your heart is in chaos." You should have shook the snow off your body before you came in. "

Ran Hao's hand that was holding the spice paused for a moment, but quickly recovered. He switched the spice and lit it up: "Indeed."

Zhao Qingyan put the bamboo scroll aside. "It's rare to see you so confused."

"Young Master's heart is in such a mess, how can I be calm?" Watching the green smoke dissipate in the air, Ran Hao took a deep breath.

Zhao Qingyan smiled. "That's true."

Ran Hao turned around and asked: "Did the princes come over for the amnesty?"

Zhao Qingyan raised his eyebrows in surprise. "How did you guess it?"

Ran Hao was silent for a moment, "This matter has been going around in the court for a long time, and it is also related to the royal family. Thirteenth Prince has spent a lot of time and effort to come here, and he won't do anything else."

"I refused." Zhao Qingyan lowered her gaze and leaned back.

Ran Hao was surprised: "Rejected?"

Zhao Qingyan rubbed the dagger in her hand with her fingers. "Before I can face Uncle Huang in peace, I'd better not cause any trouble."

After a while, Ran Hao asked: "What happens next? Have you always avoided them? "

Zhao Qingyan frowned and slowly let go, "No, I won't."

Ran Hao didn't say anything else. He just cleaned the remaining spice in his hand, poured some tea for Zhao Qingyan and handed it to him: "I will wait for Young Master."

"Alright." He did not run away, nor did he express his gratitude. He only raised his hand, accepted the teacup, and slowly drank it up. When he looked up again and returned the cup, there was no longer any urgency in his eyes. There was only calmness. "How about it?"

Ran Hao hesitated for a moment. "Young Master Xu didn't say anything. It's just that the Little Princess didn't mean it. 'Such an overbearing garden, I'm afraid it's not Brother Mo's bamboo garden'."

Zhao Qingyan was stunned. She raised her head, and after a while, she laughed softly, "As the saying goes, 'Time passes and people change.'" "The old scenes are no longer there. Is the old friend here?"

Ran Hao had a worried look on his face as he asked, "Will they tell these things to the Crown Prince?"

Zhao Qingyan said, "I don't think Xu'er would. I think she would."

Ran Hao frowned and asked, "Can I ask you something, Young Master?"

Zhao Qingyan looked at him with a smile, "If you ask me why I asked them to tell the crown prince about my change of heart, then there's no need to ask. "It's a side matter, just ask."

Ran Hao was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head and said: "I have no more questions."

"It's not that I don't want to tell you." Zhao Qingyan leaned back and lowered her eyes tiredly. "You should know what I mean. No need to ask any further."

The conversation between them had always been extremely simple. Ran Hao Silent Mo said nothing, and Zhao Qingyan had very little intention of talking to him. Just like how Ran Hao rarely questioned Zhao Qingyan's decision, Zhao Qingyan also rarely explained his thoughts to Ran Hao.

Ran Hao would do his best to carry out Zhao Qingyan's orders. However, this did not mean that he would not ask the Young Master for the reason behind his decision.

For example, an order that he could understand but could not understand:

"Young master clearly has no intention to fight with the Crown Prince. Now that the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince has been completely restored, why do we need to make an unnecessary move and attract the attention of the Crown Prince?"

Zhao Qingyan shot a glance at him, and said with an indifferent expression, "Do you really think that your relationship with me has been restored to its previous state?"

Ran Hao said, "The Crown Prince's retreat is just an illusion, but Young Master doesn't need to show any hostility to make him unhappy."

"It's fine if you don't give in like this." Zhao Qingyan frowned slightly as if she was a little tired.

Ran Hao pursed his lips, "I don't understand."

Zhao Qingyan was about to lie to him, but she noticed his expression from the corner of her eyes, so she gave him a simple explanation, "If we can't tolerate each other, I won't be willing to compromise forever. Since the result is already decided, why not test his bottom line when he still can't make a move on me. If he could only tolerate me, why would he care about the trees in my garden? "

"But …"

Zhao Qingyan raised a hand to stop Ran Hao from speaking, "I'm tired. I need to think deeply about what Uncle Thirteen brought me today. I don't want to hear the words by my side." He handed the bamboo block over to him.

Ran Hao took the bamboo scroll and bowed slightly, "Yes, I will go turn out the lights."

Zhao Qingyan moved the cushion away and laid down slowly. The light of the candle flickered, and the instant it was extinguished, he suddenly said, "If he was afraid of me, he wouldn't have given me the authority to do so. On the day that royal brother ascends the throne, we know that the reminder that I gave him today will be a bit fearful. "

In the darkness, Ran Hao asked, "Young master, why make a bet like that?"

Zhao Qingyan laughed softly, "Because when Imperial Brother ascended the throne, you could not do without the help of the three kings. He can only disclaim my power, he can't kill me. Which do you want to choose, to lose your power or to lose your life? "

In the darkness, he could not see Ran Hao's expression clearly. He sighed lightly: "Young master is too careful."

"Yeah." It was a short answer, without any follow-up sound.

As long as he took the wrong step, he would be doomed forever. How could he dare to be careless?