Early the next morning, news came from the Su Mansion that University Scholar Su Xiu was seriously ill and died last night.
What makes people feel even more sad is that Su Xiu's death seemed to take away the anger of the entire Su family. His Majesty's decree was sent as soon as possible, posthumously conferring Su Xiu the title of Shangshu Ling, Kaifu Yitong Sansi,
He was given the title of Duke of Kaiguo County. Immediately afterwards, hundreds of officials headed by the loyal king Liu Ling came to express their condolences. The funeral was held with great splendor under the auspices of Hou Shen, the Minister of Rites.
On the seventh day after Su Xiu was laid to rest, Su Mingzhen, who had the hereditary title of Duke, received an imperial edict and allowed his request to return to Huaizhou and return Su Xiu's spiritual tablet to the ancestral hall. Unexpectedly, the Su family obviously had no plans this time
Returning to Taiyuan, more than 400 people, old and young, left Taiyuan. The convoy was escorted by 500 people from the Gyeonggi Camp and drove slowly to Huaizhou.
The buildings were deserted, and the huge Su family compound became eerie and empty.
After leaving Taiyuan Prefecture, the snow on the road had almost melted, and the road was not particularly muddy. The whips on the handlebars made a crackling sound, and the sound of mules and horses snorting was the sound of a mighty motorcade.
It was a rare moment of anger. Generally speaking, the whole team was lifeless. All the Su family disciples dressed in filial piety had sad faces, looking like a pair of ghosts from the underworld.
Su Mingzhen was sitting in the carriage, his face was as pale as paper, and there was an unsolvable knot between his eyebrows. His wife, who had been sentenced to death, was sitting next to him, constantly wiping his tears with a handkerchief.
"do not Cry!"
There was a burst of anger for no reason, and he saw that his wife, whom he originally liked very much, became disgusting. Su Yuan was startled and did not dare to argue. She just lowered her head and laughed and sobbed. Her appearance was not charming, because she had
Even though she was pregnant, her body looked plump, and her face was also frighteningly white.
Seeing his wife like this, Su Mingzhen felt pain in his heart again. He remembered his father's confession before he died, and the anger in his heart was immediately replaced by a feeling of desolation.
"My child, be kind to He Yuan. From now on, the life and death of you and your brothers will depend on her."
I can’t understand why one moment he was expressing concern for his colleagues and declaring His Majesty’s trust in his ministers, and the next moment the Prime Minister would coldly take out the poison with an expressionless face. Is this the officialdom that my father has been fighting for most of his life? Why?
Would he be so indifferent?
Seemingly seeing that her son did not care about her words, Su Xiu explained with a wry smile: "Although His Majesty doubts his father, he is still a kind emperor after all. The reason why he gave He Yuan an imperial edict was just to block the ministers.
It’s just words. From now on, no one from our Su family will be able to serve as an official. The whole family must rely on He Yuan, the imperial wife, to survive."
He looked at his son with soft eyes. He once firmly believed that Su Mingzhen's achievements were definitely higher than his own. His son was smart, good at martial arts, and familiar with military books. He originally planned to quit the court completely and go to the loyal king to ask him to see
He took Su Mingzhen in because he had done his best for the country in the past. It was a pity that His Majesty acted much faster than him.
"Mingzhen, I listen to you as a father. Please don't treat He Yuan lightly in the future. Our Su family has collapsed this time, but your father-in-law He Kun has done a very reliable job as the military commander of the Jianxiong Army. Your Majesty will not
He easily thinks he is a great general with 60,000 troops. If the Su family wants to become prominent again in the future, the chance lies with He Yuan."
Looking at her beloved son, Su Xiu's eyes were full of reluctance and guilt.
"Mingzhen, you were supposed to have a great future, but it's just that your father was too greedy and too timid. Although the Su family has been saved, you are afraid of doing nothing in your life. With your qualifications, you should have surpassed...
My father has become the pride of my Su family, and it is all because of a single thought of being a father that ruined your future."
Su Ming was heartbroken and wanted to persuade his father. Su Xiu interrupted him with a smile and said: "But fortunately, your Majesty can't bear to make things happen. Your Majesty can deny that I am Su Xiu's grandson, but you can't discriminate against me."
Isn't He Kun's grandson? Mingzhen, your biggest task in this life is to train your and He Yuan's child well, so that he can become a pillar of talent in the future and rebuild the prestige of my Su family in Taiyuan Prefecture!"
"After my father died, you and your clan moved back to Huaizhou Prefecture. Although Ouyang Ming is the county governor of Huaizhou now, our ancestral home is there, and He Kun is watching from behind, so he doesn't dare to
Blatantly targeting our Su family. Not to mention..."
Su Xiu smiled coldly and said: "The fate of their Ouyang family may not be comparable to that of our Su family. Although my father is afraid of death, he is still worthy of the big man. But those scum of the Ouyang family always think about overthrowing His Majesty and establishing themselves on their own.
They are destined to die with no intact bodies in the future."
Interrupting her son's plea again, Su Xiu said: "While my father is still sober, I must explain my future affairs clearly. Ming Zhen, your literary talent is good. After returning to Huaizhou, you might as well make more friends with literati and write every day.
Write and paint, don't think about reviving the family. I said, I will leave this matter to you and He Yuan's children, my grandson."
"Our family has a large property in Yunyang County, Huaizhou. Your second uncle has been operating in Yunyang County for many years. The Su family is far safer there than in Taiyuan. Remember, no matter who rebels in the government, our Su family will be safe.
You can’t participate! Recuperate and recuperate in Yunyang County and don’t get involved in court disputes anymore.”
"Did you remember it?"
Su Xiu asked with a serious face.
Su Mingzhen nodded fiercely: "I remember my father! My son will never be an official in this life, so he will try his best to cultivate my and He Yuan's children. My son will recite poems, paint and make friends with famous people every day, and will never participate in the affairs of the court."
His tone was sincere, but Su Xiu, who was dying, did not hear the ruthless determination hidden behind her son's determination. Su Xiu could not guess what her son was thinking, nor did she expect that his son had actually gone to an extreme.
There were many things that Su Xiu didn't know. In his eyes, Su Mingzhen, who was gentle and elegant, had actually colluded with the prince who was trying to rebel. He was just waiting for the prince to overthrow Emperor Xiao and immediately return to Taiyuan from Yunyang County.
!
Seeing her son's straightforward answer, Su Xiu smiled with satisfaction and said, "After returning to Yunyang County, ignore Ouyang Ming. No matter what he says or does, ignore him. This man's death is not far away, no matter what
Don't worry about any outrageous things he does. You have your own father waiting for him to settle accounts in the underworld."
He smiled kindly: "Actually, He Yuan is a qualified wife. My father can see that she is sincere to you. It is a blessing for the Su family to have such a daughter-in-law. You..."
Su Mingzhen nodded fiercely, tears falling from his cheeks: "I know, father! Treat her well!"
"Um!"
Su Xiu glanced at her son for the last time, and when Su Mingzhen was not paying attention, she grabbed the poison beside the bed and swallowed it. Seeing the panic and sadness on her son's face, she reached out and touched her son's face and said: "Thirty years in Hedong, thirty years in Hexi."
, it is worth it to trade your mediocrity for the Su family to rise to the top of the world."
Su Mingzhen nodded fiercely and let tears flow from the seams of his father's hands.
Su Mingzhen died without much regret.
Thinking of his father's instructions before his death, Su Mingzhen put away his upset mood and put his wife in his arms: "Yuan'er, I'm sorry. I was upset and I shouldn't have been loud to you."
He Yuan shook her head and snuggled into her husband's strong arms: "Husband, it's just that I am incompetent. I can only make people cry irritably, but I can't think of how to relieve my husband's worries."
Su Mingzhen reached out and gently rubbed his wife's bulging belly, and said apologetically: "Yuan'er, it's my fault. I only care about my own troubles and ignore you. Don't cry. We will live a good life in the future.
When I return to Yunyang County, I promise to stay with you every day and wait for our child to be born together."
He looked into He Yuan's eyes and said, "Father has already named the child, Su Shizhou, with the courtesy name Guwei!"
"Yeah! Father thought of a good name."
Su Mingzhen didn't hear that his wife's answer was a bit absent-minded. He only thought about his father's words: "Mingzhen, remember, sooner or later, this big ship of the Su family that has sunk temporarily will be steered by your children again to brave the wind and waves!"
The official road was not very smooth, and the carriage was rickety. Even though it was covered with thick cotton pads, it was still very bumpy. He Yuan was already five months pregnant, which was when she was most likely to react to the bumps.
He couldn't help but vomited after a long time. Su Mingzhen called Liu'er, the little maid sitting outside the carriage, and asked her to bring a basin in. However, no one responded after calling several times. Su Mingzhen's anger emerged again.
.
The Su family has lost its power, and a little girl dares to ignore her!
He opened the thick curtain and yanked open the carriage door.
A corpse that was still warm fell into Su Mingzhen's arms, and the delicate face of the little maid Liu'er appeared in his sight. Her eyes were wide open and her mouth was open, as if she wanted to shout, but in the end she didn't.
The sound, or maybe the scream was blown far into the sky by the shrill north wind?
There was a crossbow arrow stuck in the heart of Liu'er's chest. Su Mingzhen, who had practiced martial arts diligently since he was a child, recognized it at a glance as the crossbow arrow fired by the serial crossbow equipped by the Black Qilin Army, the most elite cavalry of the Han Dynasty. This kind of crossbow arrow was only available in
It is more than a foot long, but it is forged from pure iron. It is extremely sharp and powerful. It can pierce two layers of cowhide armor in eighty steps like cutting through a piece of white paper.
In the entire army of the Han Dynasty, only the Black Qilin Army with less than 3,000 men was qualified to equip this kind of repeating crossbow. In an instant, Su Mingzhen's face turned pale when he guessed the truth of the matter, and the overwhelming fear began to spread in his heart uncontrollably. He
He raised his head stiffly and cast his gaze into the distance, where the blood was everywhere.
Bodies are scattered across the mainland, and the unmelted snow on the roadside is stained with blood. The bright red flowers in the snow are like the most proud tree blooming in the twelfth lunar month.
Plum Blossom. The familiar and unfamiliar family servants used their own blood to paint such a most poignant picture.
The 500 troops from the Gyeonggi camp sent by the emperor to escort the Su family had long since disappeared. In Su Mingzhen's sight, he could still see knights in black clothes and black armor waving sharp swords, killing one after another of those who were running for their lives.
The Su family's children were hacked to death from behind. The sharp horizontal knife could easily split the armor with the help of inertia, let alone ordinary people?
"Husband? What's wrong?"
He Yuan saw her husband's body stiff and motionless at the door of the car. She couldn't help but come over and hug her husband's strong waist from behind: "I'm much better. Don't call me Liu'er. She didn't sleep all night yesterday. Husband.
, why are you so hard? Are you cold? Come in the car quickly."
He Yuan said eagerly.
Su Mingzhen turned around slowly, with two lines of blood and tears hanging on his face. His eyes were so gray that he could not tell the difference between black and white. He grinned, and a stream of black blood flowed down the corner of his mouth.
"I'm fine, Yuan'er. Let's go home." (To be continued)
