When You Jia followed Ning Yongnian and stood on a huge rock halfway up the mountain, overlooking Yuanzhou City, which was burning with huge fires but extremely silent, she felt that everything around her was so familiar.
I was here three months ago.
At that time, Wei Changtian came to Yuanzhou to rescue Liang Zhen and Liang Qin, so they said goodbye here.
At that time, Yuanzhou City had not yet been conquered, and there were densely packed troops outside the city. Wei Changtian was about to enter the city alone, but he wanted to go with him but was stopped.
I still remember that I said at that time——
"Sir, you must come back safely...Sister Xu is still waiting for you at home."
The first half of the sentence is his true words, and the second half is a supplement to cover up his embarrassment.
What was more unforgettable for You Jia than this sentence was Wei Changtian's answer.
"I cherish my life very much. Besides, even if it's for you, I won't put myself in danger."
"..."
A "you" makes the infatuation in my heart blossom and bear fruit.
Then, he followed Wei Changtian to Fengyuan.
The days in Fengyuan were the happiest time in Youjia's life.
I can see Wei Changtian every day, eat with him, play cards with him, and discuss the Yama Luo case... although every time I talk, the conversation will go elsewhere.
You Jia still remembers that she would be amused by Wei Changtian's "new words" from time to time; she still remembers that Wei Changtian would try to drag herself down every time he lost to Chu Xianping in a card game; and he still remembered that Wei Changtian and Li Wutong had conflicts from time to time.
The quarrel that took place, and the latter's unruliness that he secretly complained to himself afterwards...
Li Wutong should like the young master, but he doesn't know what they are like now.
I don’t know if the young master will remember me in the future...
The memories stopped abruptly, and tears filled my eyes before I knew it.
Unlike the pampered Lu Jingyao and others, Youjia's experience in Longwei made her rarely cry before.
But since meeting Wei Changtian, I have changed...
A happy smile suddenly appeared on the corner of his mouth, and his left hand gently held the dagger hidden in his sleeve.
Youjia also received the assassination order sent to everyone in the same boat group.
Although Wei Changtian said, "If you are not completely sure, there is no need to take action."
Although Ning Yongnian is already at the second level, the chance that he, who is only at the fourth level, can succeed is extremely slim.
But Youjia still decided to give it a try...even at the cost of her own life.
This is for Wei Changtian.
It was also for the lives of two million innocent people in Yuanzhou City.
"..."
A trace of silver light emerged from the sleeve, and the dagger coated with poison was slowly raised, and it was getting closer and closer to the man who always had his back turned to him and looked down at Yuanzhou City.
If it were a head-to-head confrontation, even if it were a thousand or ten thousand times, Youjia would never have the slightest chance of winning.
But if it was a sneak attack, it might actually be successful.
"Plop, pop..."
Feeling her heartbeat getting faster and faster, Youjia's hand holding the dagger was shaking uncontrollably.
But at this moment, the man in front of him slowly turned around.
"Youjia, do you want to kill me?"
There was no trace of surprise on his expression, nor did he take any action to fight back.
Ning Yongnian just asked a question that could be considered nonsense, and then said the second sentence in Yu Jia's panicked eyes.
"In that case, I will let you kill me."
"Let's do it."
"..."
There is no doubt that Ning Yongnian's current actions far exceeded all of You Jia's expectations.
His eyes suddenly widened and he stared into Ning Yongnian's calm eyes.
At this moment, Youjia suddenly had a feeling.
The man in front of me did not lie to myself, he was really willing to be killed by me...
"Why, why..."
There were more tears in her eyes, and Youjia didn't know why she had to ask this question again.
Ning Yongnian did not answer, but looked down at the slowly approaching cold light, and then closed his eyes.
"..."
"boom!!!"
The rushing mountain wind mixed with a muffled sound echoed in the mountain stream, and it soon became calm again.
The mountainside was deserted, not a single person was seen, only a small peach blossom petal was scattered on the ground.
Of course, it is no longer spring, so this thing cannot be a real peach blossom.
It is actually a hairpin with a peach blossom-shaped pendant.
This hairpin is a small object that a man won from an old man by playing chess.
It is also the only thing this man gave to a woman.
It is this woman's most precious possession.
The blood soaked the peach blossom pendant, and the fragrance of the flowers swayed in the wind.
Last year, today, people had peach blossoms.
Don’t laugh at the spring breeze if you don’t know where you are.
...
...
Yuanzhou City, Shimo Lane.
Looking at the huge fire burning in the city through the crack of the window, Li Si scratched his head in confusion.
Everything that happened in the city today was really weird.
All the city gates were sealed, and the soldiers were running around in the streets, and even rushed into their own houses to search.
Fortunately, I am usually cautious enough, otherwise those Masonic tokens would probably have been found.
Just don't know what happened.
Although he is a "senior" member of the Freemasonry at the level of a hall master, except for a few low-ranking "business partners" in the Dafeng Army, Li Si has no information to support him, so he spent a long time during the day.
Didn't find out anything.
He actually felt a little guilty about this.
"Forget it, I'll get better slowly in the future..."
After comforting himself, he took out a piece of mother-in-law jade from his arms and prepared to report to Chu Xianping what happened in Yuanzhou City today.
But at this moment, Li Si suddenly felt a little dizzy.
"Huh? What's going on?"
He reached out and hit his forehead twice, cursing secretly in his mind.
As a warrior, Li Si had long forgotten that he had not suffered from disasters for many years, so he did not take it seriously.
But when his brain began to slow down little by little, and he could no longer control his body, he finally seemed to understand something.
He suddenly understood why there were fires everywhere in the city but no one was putting out the fires.
He suddenly understood why the old man next door who suffered from lung disease and coughed until midnight every day didn't make a sound tonight.
He suddenly understood what would happen to him later...
"Gululu..."
The milky white jade fell from his hand and rolled around on the ground a few times before stopping at his feet.
No.
Will not.
I won't die like this.
The fortune teller obviously said that he could live to be seventy years old, but now he is still far from it.
It was obvious that he had just had great luck, met Mr. Wei and became the master of the hall.
Obviously he has not yet found a wife and given birth to a baby.
Obviously he didn't die on the battlefield.
right!
I will definitely not die...
Thinking this way, my body seemed to gain strength out of thin air.
Li Si smiled and bent down, wanting to pick up the Zimu Jade, tell Chu Xianping everything that happened, and then go have a good sleep. When he opened his eyes again, it would be a new day.
But once the rickety body bent down, it could no longer straighten up.
...
...
A house a few miles away from Shimo Lane.
"Whoaaah!"
"The heroes of the thirty-six states are on standby, and Yuan Yuanzhou is not alone!"
"The righteous army will win in the end, why should a hero burst into tears!"
"Quan Dingxue immediately took a sip from Huanglong!"
"Crossing the Mang River, sweeping away Li Feng, the soldiers came one after another, and the soldiers rose up in anger and mourning!
"..."
The fire that spread throughout the city had burned close to the small courtyard, but a sonorous and powerful song came from the house amidst the crackling sound of the fire.
This was originally a gathering of "people with lofty ideals" in Yuanzhou City, singing a play about "driving out foreign enemies and taking back Yuanzhou".
Although most people in Yuanzhou do not care whether their surname is "Ning" or "Li", there are always some people who have different feelings about their family and country.
They would often gather here to discuss how to cooperate with the imperial army to drive the Dafeng army out of Yuanzhou.
Of course these people know the risks of this move, and many have lost their heads because of it.
However, from the day Dafeng occupied Yuanzhou City, the number of people in such an organization has only increased a lot.
"My ambitions have not yet been fulfilled...cough!"
"Cough cough cough!"
The thick smoke that squeezed in from outside the house caused the old man in shabby costumes on the stage to cough several times, and the play was interrupted for a few breaths.
With difficulty, I raised my eyes to look at the crowd of spectators below the stage, but the familiar sound of drums and clatter no longer reached my ears.
The old man has been singing opera in Yuanzhou City all his life, so he naturally understands that opera must have a beginning and an end.
And since he is willing to come here to sing, he understands the principle of "loyalty to the emperor and the country" even more.
However, he may not believe until the last moment before his death who these people died for...
"..."
Standing upright tremblingly, the old man vigorously shook the flag on the back of the costume. He made a fist with his left hand and held the palm of his right hand down, assuming a posture that symbolized "loyalty".
Then, he used all his strength to sing the last two lines of the play in a long, mellow tone.
"My great ambitions will die before I realize them, and I will have children and grandchildren in return!"
"This life will not be wasted, and I will serve the country with loyalty throughout my life!"
"Serving the country with loyalty will last my whole life!"
"..."
...
The fifteenth year of Tianji, the fifteenth day of July.
Yuanzhou City, this thousand-year-old city that has gone through countless vicissitudes of life and whose ownership has changed several times between Fengning and Fengning, was reduced to ashes overnight in a fire.
There are more than 2 million people in the city and more than 500,000 soldiers, a total of nearly 3 million people...