by Zhi Bai
The four carriages stopped by the lake, the rays of the setting sun shining down on the lake, the sight was breathtaking. The surface of the lake was as tranquil as a mirror. Looking at the beautiful scene from afar, it once again entered one's mind, giving one the thought of staying here forever and not leaving.
Du Shoushou supported An Zheng down from the carriage, and then they sat down to rest on the grassy slope by the lake.
"good old man still hasn't woken up?"
An Zheng asked.
Du Shoushou replied, "Since you killed Zhen Zhuangbi, good old man has been unconscious. It had already been half a month, and there were still no signs of him waking up. Xiao Liu'er had seen it, and said that good old man was fine, but must have used all his strength in an instant, so he needed time to recover. However, he had been recovering for too long. He had been sleeping like that the entire time. You say it's strange, but it's not strange at all. When you kill Zhen Zhuangbi, when good old man used all his strength, was it to cheer you on? "
An Zheng was unable to explain, but he knew very well that if not for good old man's miraculous strike, he would have already died in Zhen Zhuangbi's hands.
Actually, it was not just the good old man. An Zheng realized that his Blood Pearl Bracelet was also in a comatose state.
Maybe because the injury was too heavy, the Blood Pearl Bracelet was unable to continue to absorb the blood aura from An Zheng's body. Instead, it had to nourish An Zheng's blood essence with the medicinal power of the medicine, so it also fell into a dormant state. Especially the third pearl, the word 'fish' seemed especially faint, as if it could disappear at any time.
As for the Enchantment Cloth, it had been by good old man's side the entire time, and had not made a single sound.
Before An Zheng fainted, he saw the Enchantment Cloth start a massacre. If not for the Enchantment Cloth's sudden display of power, the spectating disciples of the academy could have easily killed An Zheng and taken away all his artifacts.
"It's like a dream."
Du Shoushou lay back down, lying on the grassy slope as he watched the sunset that was not the least bit dazzling in the slightest, "I have thought about leaving Fantasy City countless of times before. However, he did not expect to leave so soon. Thinking back to the days he had lived in that place, he actually felt nostalgic and reluctant to part with his. But I know that if I hadn't changed the strength of Fantasy City, I wouldn't have returned. "
"That is a place filled with evil. When I have the strength, I will definitely return and let the Fantasy City turn into another form."
He turned his head to the side and looked at An Zheng: "Speaking of which, that place is really beautiful. If everyone is kind and kind, then it's really a good place to live in seclusion."
An Zheng said: "Then I will wait for your success and fame to come true, and then go back to be the City Lord."
Du Shoushou nodded: "Alright, it's settled then."
An Zheng saw that was standing by the lake and looking at the lake's surface with his arms crossed, and seemed a little cold. Qu Liuxi carried a set of clothes and walked over to put it on her. This kind girl, after living with Gu Qianye for half a month, didn't have any rejection towards him at all. Maybe a Buddha was hidden in Qu Liuxi's heart, it was a kind thought that would never change. It was the same for everything and for everyone.
Gu Qianye smiled at her and then took her arm. The two of them stood by the lake to look at the scenery and the two of them had a scenery that was even more beautiful than a lake.
"Why did that girl follow us as well?"
Du Shoushou had never understood.
An Zheng shook his head, "Maybe it's because of those scales."
Du Shoushou said seriously: "But when she looks at you, how does she explain that perverted look?"
An Zheng, "Scram …"
"Right."
Du Shoushou suddenly asked: "Where did that fellow Zhong Jiuge go? You said that it was a long time since you asked him to help you find something. If he doesn't find us when he comes back, he might go crazy. "
An Zheng shook his head: "He won't go crazy, he knows better than anyone else how to survive in this martial arts world. Although the methods of the people from the Thousand Gates are not on par with those of the others, they are all practical techniques. "
"Where did he go?"
Du Shoushou asked.
An Zheng replied, "Da Xi."
Du Shoushou asked again: What did I help you find?
An Zheng was silent for a moment, then replied: "To find hope."
Du Shoushou did not understand, and it was impossible for him to understand.
"Where are we going?"
Du Shoushou asked his last question.
"In State of Zhao, there is a border city called Dushi City. It is a small city with a sparse population, but it has the most elite soldiers of the State of Zhao stationed there. No matter how fierce the people of the Fantasy City were, they would not dare to cause trouble in Xu City. Let's go live in Dou Xu City for three years, then go to Fanggu and help look for mother. "
After An Zheng replied, he mumbled to himself, "I wonder how is Great Mother Ye's life going."
Du Shoushou said: "It should be fine, it seems like Mu Changyan is someone with a lot of status. He loves the Great Mother Ye, so he shouldn't cause her any pain."
And at this time, in the Fanggu, which was thousands of miles away from him, the Great Mother Ye was coiled in chains and was pushed into a cell.
Chapter 66 - Heavenly Awakening Sect
Three years and seven months later.
great swallow.
The Fanggu was a strange city, shaped like a monster. Other cities usually had square buildings. Although there was a square character in the name of the Fanggu, it was not square at all. From a high vantage point, the Fanggu looked more like an enormous bull head. Two of the walls extended outwards in the shape of a crescent moon. It was the bull's horn. The back of the main city was bigger and the front was thinner. Such a strange architectural style was unique even in the entire world.
It was said that the Fanggu was similar to other cities in the first place, square and well-behaved. However, the second generation king of great swallow, Yan Wen Wang Mu Yun, who almost unified the sixteen northern kingdoms, had personally designed this place. It had to be said that this style of building, which had abandoned the concept of aesthetics, had a great improvement on defense. The protruding horns on both sides of the city could increase the impact of an assault on the city. In addition, the two sections of the Oxhorn city wall could be cut in half, so even if the enemy attacked, there was no point.
As for the front of the city, it was narrow and the back of the city was wide. This was because the width of the back city was conducive to the deployment and expansion of their forces. As the front of the city was narrow, it was difficult for the forces on the attacking side to be fully unleashed.
Of course, these were all legends. Ordinary citizens did not understand the matters of war. Although the great swallow had been in a weakened state for dozens of years, there were no signs of people besieging and besieging the capital city. Ten years ago, after Great General Fang Zhiji re-established Tie Liuhuo, the Yan Army's power had increased greatly. Although they were still unable to restore their former glory, they could still protect themselves without a problem.
As there was a super hegemon in the south, none of the smaller empires, including the sixteen Youlan states, dared to call themselves emperors. They could only call themselves kings.
The current Swallow King was none other than the third son of the former emperor, Mu Changyan, who had returned four years ago.
As for the Great Mother Ye that followed Mu Changyan back, he had already been imprisoned for more than three years.
The Imperial City Tiantong Palace was constructed at the back of the Fanggu and was less than five kilometers away from the north city wall. Thirty miles outside the north wall was a branch
of the Mount Cang Man, and it was called Swallow Mountain. North of Swallow Mountain, there was still a piece of land of great swallow … The reason it was called Floating Ground was because it was controlled by the nomadic nomads on the prairie. In name, it belonged to great swallow, but there weren't many troops stationed on the great swallow.
Swallow Mountain was dangerous, and nomads were not good at attacking cities, so with this natural chasm, the great swallow did not really care about the nomadic tribes in the north.
The palace.
Mu Changyan sat on the chair in a daze. In the past few years, he had grown more and more fond of sitting in a daze. The stack of memorials on the table in front of him was two feet high, but he didn't want to read them. In his mind, there was only that girl, the girl that even he could not meet in the secret cell right now.
Ye Yun.
Mu Changyan muttered to himself, "Incompetent, I made you suffer after returning to the great swallow. Rest assured, if you give me some more time, I will definitely save you. "
Just then, the eunuch, An Chengli, ran in quickly from outside. "The empress dowager is here."
Mu Changyan's face changed, he immediately stood up and quickly went to the door to wait. When the beautiful woman dressed in the imperial costume appeared, he bent his waist even lower. "Your son greets his mother."
The empress dowager was only thirty-nine years old this year. If not for the fact that her own son had died young due to illness, Mu Changyan would not have been able to return to be the king. And the reason why Mu Changyan was chosen was because he clearly understood Mu Changyan's personality. He looked a little crazy, but he was actually a coward. Furthermore, since Mu Changyan did not have a mind, his own opinions would always be dictated by others.
Such a person was most suited to be a puppet.
The truth proved that Empress Dowager Su's eyesight was indeed great. The thing that Mu Changyan had the most courage in his life did was to go to Fantasy City to protect Ye Yun. And when he returned, the moment he saw Su Qingnuan, all of this courage vanished.
"Get up."
Su Qingnuan's voice was a little hoarse, it wasn't that kind of gentle female voice. However, this did not affect her beauty. It was a very cold and proud beauty with a very graceful appearance. She was originally a princess of the State of Zhao, so she married the Swallow King. Ever since Swallow King died from illness, the imperial power had always been in her hands. If it wasn't for her calling herself a king with a bad reputation, and the fact that she didn't want to offend all the other families and influences, why would she bring Mu Changyan, whom she disliked the most, back as a king?
Su Qingnuan maintained her figure very well. She was not even forty years old, but there was not a single spot of fat on her body. There were no wrinkles on her face, but the corners of her eyes still bore traces of time.
Su Qingnuan walked quickly into the Eastern Warm Pavilion as the two maids behind him jogged along with their waists and bodies bent. As soon as she turned around, the two little maids went down on their knees to arrange the long hem of her dress for her.
Empress Dowager Su sat down on a chair and looked at the stack of memorials on the table. Her expression became even more unfriendly.
"You are the king of the great swallow, the king of tens of thousands of citizens."
With a "pa" sound, Empress Dowager Su slapped the table heavily with her hands: "But look at yourself now!"
Mu Changyan raised his head, but didn't say anything. He knew that he had been completely and utterly defeated the day he returned. On the way back with Ye Yun, he had thought of ten thousand ways to protect his beloved woman. He even thought that if the empress dowager pressed him too hard, he would resist, truly resist. She would rather not have any throne than to let Ye Yun suffer.
However, when he returned to the Fanggu, he knew that he had lost the moment he saw the look in Empress Dowager Su's eyes.
"Why? There's no explanation?"
Empress Dowager Su asked.
Mu Changyan lowered his head, "It is this son who is slacking. This son will pay more attention in the future. I definitely will not dare to neglect my government affairs. "
Empress Dowager Su coldly said: "I know what you're thinking, and I also know that you can't wait to kill me. But that thing in your heart will never happen unless I die. I have already done my best for her. Back then, I didn't kill her because of me, and I only imprisoned her … If not for the face of the imperial family, for the face of a Swallow King like you, this woman would have already died hundreds of times. "
"That woman is not yours, she is the previous crown prince's woman!"
Mu Changyan suddenly raised his head. "I know that Big Brother has always been the one she loves in her heart, but …"
"No buts!"
Empress Dowager Su stood up, and the servants behind him immediately crawled forward.
She walked to Mu Changyan's front, and was less than a foot away from his face. She stared straight into Mu Changyan's eyes, and said word by word. "I already said, as long as I'm alive, you can forget about marrying that woman. Because of her, the previous crown prince had died accidentally. I can't let her ruin my other son again, and she's the king of the great swallow! Back then, she seduced the former crown prince with a fox like seduction, to the point that the former crown prince acted presumptuously in front of the previous emperor, but now, he had even captivated you to the point of turning your mind upside down … I'm warning you, if you continue to be like this, I'll kill her first. "
"No!"
With a "Putong" sound, Mu Changyan kneeled on the ground, "Mother, this son knows his wrongs, I will definitely listen to mother's teachings."
"Great King."
Empress Dowager Su's tone softened as she bent over and helped Mu Changyan up with one hand: "You are great swallow's hope, and it is only because I have high expectations of you that I have to be strict with you. Thinking back to when the great swallow was dominating the north, almost unifying, how awe-inspiring was that. Youguo, Korea, Eternal Nation these mortal enemies have all submitted, and even my mother country, Big Zhao, has sent someone to show his respect. Don't you want to recreate the glory of great swallow? "
Mu Changyan lowered his head, "This son will definitely do his best."
"I think you're also tired today."
"Empress Dowager Su's tone became even more relaxed:" Let An Chengli deliver all of these memorials to my palace, I will help the King review them. "However, I cannot do everything for the King. The King will still have to improve himself a little in the future."
Mu Changyan kept his head lowered, not daring to meet Empress Dowager Su's eyes. "This son understands."
Empress Dowager Su acknowledged him, and looked around: "I heard that Fang Zhiji has been training in the army?"
Mu Changyan replied, "Yes, there is constant friction between the southeastern border and the Youguo. The Great General said that he would bring Tie Liuhuo to the southeast direction to intimidate the Youguo. Since Tie Liuhuo had been rebuilt, he had not had the experience of fighting a big battle. Although he was brave, he did not have enough experience on the battlefield. "So what the Great General means is that we should train our troops by fighting."
Empress Dowager Su nodded her head: "Regarding the use of troops, there is no need to question Fang Zhiji's methods. Since Tie Liuhuo was given to him, the King could put it down. However, he acted according to his wishes, and led Tie Liuhuo down to the south as the great general himself, what about the big pile of military matters that were thrown at him in the capital? The King could not train his troops in person, much less manage those trivial matters of the Military Department. So, I was thinking, should we restore the dual generals of the Wise King's era? "
Mu Changyan's face changed. He had expected this day to come, but he never expected it to come so suddenly.
"Your son …" "In my opinion, if there were two generals in the imperial court, it would inevitably
hinder each other …"
Before he could finish his words, Empress Dowager Su waved his hand, "You worry too much. Especially military matters. The two Great Generals can even supervise and compare with each other, which is more beneficial to the development of our great swallow's military and defense. Duke Chong Ming, Su Zong is a humble man who has read a lot of military books, and he is extremely loyal to my great swallow. I think it will be of great use … When this matter was brought up in the assembly hall later, the civil and military officials would see whether it was feasible or not. Tie Liuhuo would still take the rest of the military matters to Su Zong. If it's feasible, then it's decided. "
Empress Dowager Su turned around and ordered her men to take away all the memorials and left as fast as the wind.
Mu Changyan stood there in a daze with a miserable look on his face.
"Your Majesty …" What's the point of doing it? "
he muttered.
The young eunuch, An Chengli, knelt there and looked at the King with a face full of pain. "Your Majesty, the Grand Autumn Ceremony is about to … It was a selection that happened once every five years. In the imperial court, Prime Minister Su Mao was the official. Originally, the military still had General Fang Zhiji, Zhongzheng, being virtuous and virtuous, but since General Fang Zhiji had left the capital, it was mostly the empress dowager who forced him to leave. If Su Zong were to once again become a Great General, the culture and martial arts of the great swallow would all be in the hands of the descendents. "
"The descendents are all from the State of Zhao. On the surface, the State of Zhao looks like he's friendly to me, but this action clearly means that he doesn't want to use weapons to destroy my great swallow. King … This servant mentioned it the last time. The King couldn't bear it any longer. Right now, this old subject was mostly the empress dowager's man, and so was Zhong Jian. In order for the King to accomplish anything, he needed to recruit young talents. No matter what, the Grand Autumn Ceremony King had to go. To recruit a few young talents, one must nurture a loyal heart and wait until the time comes … "