The little Taoist priest touched his head and realized that what he said was not right, and said: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was a little too offended. I shouldn't have said this..."
"The Zangyi trail is long," Xia Zhaoyi said.
"Do you still recognize me?" the little Taoist priest said with a smile, "Just call me little Taoist priest. I don't dare to be a little Taoist priest. By the way, you are here for the horse, right? Come on in."
The little Taoist priest took a few steps away.
The back door is much empty, and the wood and grain that were accumulated on the ground are gone.
Xia Zhaoyi followed the little Taoist priest and walked with him towards the stable.
The little Taoist priest looked back at her several times, wondering where she had been in the past six months and whether she was doing well. However, he could see that she looked depressed and her smile did not reach the corners of her eyes and eyebrows, so he did not ask her for fear of exposing her wounds.
The journey was deserted. Except for the two young Taoist priests passing by, no one else was seen. Xia Zhaoyi said, "Taoist Master Qingyuan is back."
"Well, our master just came back half a month ago, but now he's going down the mountain again. He may not come back until the day after tomorrow."
"What is he doing down the mountain?"
"It's too chaotic at the foot of the mountain. The evil people at the foot of the mountain burned, killed and looted in Fenghe County a few days ago. Master took my master and uncle down the mountain with them to see if they could help in any way."
Xia Zhaoyi nodded and said: "The next few months may be even more chaotic."
"Yes, those evil people were really vicious. They were the ones who came to deal with the emperor. As soon as they drove the emperor away, they crossed the river, demolished the bridge, and drove away the refugees. Senior brother said that they were all over the mountains and plains below.
"The corpse, the temple owner was afraid that we would be frightened, so he strictly prohibited us from going down the mountain, and we were not allowed to go up the mountainside."
"Drive the emperor away?" Xia Zhaoyi said.
"yes."
Xia Zhaoyi smiled.
Was Li Ju driven away?
No, he did not fight vigorously, he retreated without a fight, but ran away in despair.
But history is not just one family’s story, let alone rumors passed down by word of mouth.
Maybe, some people just can't let go of their feelings for the emperor in their bones, they just can't accept being abandoned, or they just can't see the current situation clearly.
Maybe in some unofficial history a hundred years later, Li Ju might still be a good king who loved his people like his own son, but regretfully left the capital.
I saw Qingyun in the stable and had gained a lot of weight.
Qingyun still recognized her and nuzzled her.
"You have grown a lot taller," the little Taoist priest said. "It was not obvious just now, but now standing next to the horse, you seem to have raised one shoulder."
Xia Zhaoyi smiled: "I will grow again."
"The world is in trouble," the little Taoist priest sighed, "you should go as far as possible to the south of the Yangtze River, which is far away from the north and rich."
Xia Zhaoyi took out a small dark green brocade box, handed it over and said, "This is for you."
The little Taoist priest asked: "What is this?"
"If you have any wishes in the future, you can give this to Taoist Priest Qingyuan, and Taoist Priest Qingyuan will tell you."
"The little sachet you gave me before smells so good. It still has a lingering fragrance. I like it." The little Taoist touched the smooth surface of the brocade box and found that it was silk. "Master Qingyuan has a weird temper. I
Sometimes I don’t dare to talk to him.”
"One thing brings another," Xia Zhaoyi smiled, "I know an old man with a weirder temper than him. He is also the Taoist Priest Qingyuan who has been trying to make friends for decades, but never got the chance."
"Who is it?" the little Taoist priest was curious.
Xia Zhaoyi smiled and waved the hand holding the reins: "I'll leave first. See you again when we have the opportunity."
After leaving the gate of Houshan Mountain, the sea of clouds in the sky looked like white horses, running with the wind. Xia Zhaoyi turned to look at the obedient and docile Qingyun beside him, and said softly: "More than half a year has passed, and many, many things have happened."
Qingyun raised his horse's head lightly in response.
Xia Zhaoyi stroked it and said, "Let's go."
·
Xia Zhaoyi did not choose the shortest road, but chose an extremely remote mountain road, bypassing all the official road systems in the capital, and went from the east of Anjiang to Longdan Mountain. Along the way, he met almost no people.
In addition to being far away, their speed was also very slow. The road that was supposed to take several days took more than ten days.
When we returned to Longdan Mountain, many flowers were blooming at the foot of the mountain.
Lao Tong and Zhi Changle did not want to go to Yuanhe Zongmen to eat free meals, so they stayed in a few villages at the foot of the mountain to help with work.
Xia Zhaoyi left her horse behind and led Qingyun back. It was almost dusk when she went up the mountain. A disciple saw her from a distance and came out to greet her.
When Zhili heard that she was back, he immediately ran to find her. When he found her, she was lying on the stone table of the pavilion on the back cliff of the mountain courtyard.
The wind was strong, the golden light of the setting sun dyed the hexagonal cornices, and the little girl's thin body was half-dark in the shadow.
Zhili walked forward and said, "Little senior sister."
Xia Zhaoyi looked back and smiled slightly: "Zhili."
Zhili frowned, walked under the pavilion, and looked at her eyebrows: "Little senior sister, you are not happy."
"Well," Xia Zhaoyi said, "because I failed."
"What failed?"
Xia Zhaoyi smiled and looked towards Jinhe Peak in the distance.
Her gaze was extremely far away, as the long wind blew across the mountains, and the whole world seemed to fit into her eyes.
"What I wanted to do when I went to the capital this time was not accomplished. I failed." Xia Zhaoyi said.
"Could it be that Master Zhu Xian? Something happened to him?"
Xia Zhaoyi nodded.
Feeling depressed, he sat down next to him.
In the past few days, the old man and the old sect master have been in Qianqiu Palace, and the falcons that carried the message have also gone to the foot of the mountain. Zhili has no way of knowing many things.
"I was in Jingzhao Mansion for two days, but I didn't find anything unusual. It was my negligence," Xia Zhaoyi said in a low voice, "Then everything went into chaos, and I kept being led by the other party."
"Senior Sister is a human being, not a god." Zhili said.
"It's... betrayal." Xia Zhaoyi said.
"Whose betrayal?"
"Three years ago, General Weng Ying's Dading Army and the Left Army rebelled," Xia Zhaoyi said. "Now, the soldiers I admire who are still defending the city in Beijing have also rebelled."
"Senior Sister, don't be sad. Since there are not good people outside, we will no longer trust others," Zhili said. "From now on, we will always be with Master. In the struggle for power in the world, you will fight against us.
It doesn’t matter anymore.”
Xia Zhaoyi turned to look at him and nodded, but her eyes were a little misty.
"Sister, don't scare me," Zhili panicked, "Are you crying?"
"No," Xia Zhaoyi endured, "I just thought about Mr. Zhu again."
"Sir Zhu Xian must be a very good official to make the little senior sister like him so much," Zhili said.
Xia Zhaoyi smiled: "Well, he lived a very upright life, with a pure heart, and great righteousness. He always protected and loved his people and served the country and the people. That night... he died in front of me."
The two words Zhu Xian said before he died, and the strength he used to hold her finger with all his strength, are still vivid to this day.
"Senior sister, don't be sad..." Zhili comforted her.
"I watched him die, bleed to death, and die in pain," Xia Zhaoyi said. "With just one breath, he was gone, and I couldn't do anything."
"Senior Sister..." Zhi Li said heartbrokenly.
The setting sun is gradually sinking, and the ink color coming from the east is like opening huge arms, pulling a quilt of heaven and earth to cover the sky.
Then, someone unknown accidentally knocked over the astrolabe, and the scattered stars dotted the clouds, forming thousands of horoscopes, overlooking the world.
