"I...I actually didn't think much about it at the time," the kid scratched his head and his face almost wrinkled. "My father once taught me that whether it's hunting or hoeing, if
Don’t be afraid if you take the wrong first step, just take a breath and take the second step well.”
Li Xingchen and Xiao Shilian looked at each other, and Xiao Shilian laughed: "It makes some sense."
"You did a good job." Li Xingchen patted the kid on the shoulder, "What's your name?"
"Li Ping."
"I didn't expect that we are still the same family." Li Xingchen also had a surprised look on his face, "We are really destined."
Xiao Shilian said in a low voice: "Brother, my father originally asked me to find you a personal bodyguard. This guy is quite smart. We have seen kung fu before. It's not bad. He seems to be destined for you. How about him?"
Already?"
Li Xingchen nodded, squatting down slightly so that his eyes were level with Li Ping's: "Boy, are you interested in becoming my personal guard?"
Li Ping looked at Li Xingchen with wide eyes, and then solemnly shook his head: "No!"
This word was decisive, and Xiao Shilian's expression changed drastically. Just when he was about to get angry, Li Xinchen quickly grabbed him with quick eyesight and hands. Li Xinchen said in a deep voice: "Why?"
"Because the military advisor is supposed to make plans and direct battles from behind. If I become the military advisor's personal guard, then I will have no chance to go into battle to kill the enemy!" Li Ping's voice was loud, "Three generations of my ancestors died at the hands of the barbarians.
Above, my father was also seriously injured and died after saving me, so my biggest wish is to kill the barbarians!"
Xiao Shilian's originally ferocious face slowly calmed down, and Li Xingchen also sighed, and then solemnly said: "Follow me, and you can still go into battle to kill the enemy."
"But······"
Li Xingchen patted his shoulder: "I am different from other military advisers. I am a military adviser who will go into battle to kill the enemy. You and I share the same fate. My father also died at the hands of the barbarians. If I cannot go into battle to kill the enemy and kill the enemy with my own hands, I, Li Xinchen, will
Standing in this world, what is the use of having a body of seven feet?!"
The surrounding guards who originally wanted to watch the excitement subconsciously straightened their backs, and Li Ping even knelt down on one knee: "Commander! My subordinate's words just now were very offensive. Please don't let go."
In my heart, I am willing to follow the military advisor and protect the military advisor! My martial arts skills are low, so I just ask the military advisor not to dislike him."
Li Xinchen stretched out his hand to help Li Ping up, and said with a smile: "I believe in you."
Unknowingly, Li Ping's eyes were wet. He had been wandering around in the flames of war since he was a child, and he lived a life of hunger and hunger. Later, he joined the army to avenge his family's blood feud. He had never felt the relationship between people.
The kindness and care in the world? Today Li Xingchen said "I believe in you", although there are only four short words, but the trust and trust contained in it are something Li Ping has never felt or experienced in his short life since he was a child.
Li Ping solemnly cupped his hands and stared at Li Xingchen closely: "From now on, as long as the military advisor has instructions, my subordinates will go through fire and water!"
Li Xingchen wanted to shake his head at first, but when he looked into Li Ping's eyes, he immediately understood that what Li Ping said was not a vague slogan that Li Xingchen could shout a hundred times a day if he wanted to, but something from the bottom of his heart.
oath.
These young children who have experienced too much hardship in troubled times wrap themselves in thick shells in order to protect themselves. This always makes them look a little cold, but when someone truly trusts them, then
The hard shell is always fragile and vulnerable.
Li Xingchen stretched out his little finger and hooked Li Ping's calloused finger: "This is the rule in our village. Hanging with a hook is not allowed to change for a hundred years."
After a pause, Li Xingchen said solemnly: "Then we agreed to protect someone."
Li Ping raised his head, took Li Xingchen's hand and nodded.
And Li Xingchen sighed softly in his heart, at the age of sixteen or seventeen, no matter how many vicissitudes he has experienced, he is still a child after all.
——————————-
Jiankang, Nanchen Palace.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the silent palace.
His Majesty has been in a bad mood these past few days, which is well known in the palace. Even Princess Ningyuan, whom His Majesty has always loved, is just trying to force a smile on His Majesty's face. When His Majesty has a bad temper, rather than persuading him, it is better to let him do it himself
It is better to be calm and collected. This has been the consensus in the palace for many years. Therefore, everything in the palace these days is done lightly and slowly, for fear of doing something wrong and irritating His Majesty.
"Why are you so alarmed?!" Chen Xu, who had been in a daze for who knows how long while standing in front of the map of the territory of the Great Chen Dynasty, suddenly turned around with a stern look on his face.
The young eunuch holding the memorial in his hand was so frightened that he staggered. If he had not knelt down in time to resolve the force of the fall, he would have been thrown into the mud directly in front of His Majesty. He did not dare to look up to see Chen Xu's expression.
, the young eunuch held up the memorial in his hand with slightly trembling hands: "Your Majesty, urgent report from Yangzhou!"
"Yangzhou?" Chen Xu frowned, took a deep breath, and murmured a sigh, "I didn't expect you to be unable to sit still after all."
Reaching out to pick up the memorial, Chen Xu waved his hand: "I understand, please step back."
The young eunuch was already trembling with fear. He knew very well whose territory Yangzhou belonged to. It was definitely not a good thing for Yangzhou to report urgently at this time. It seemed that there was a lot of trouble inside and outside the palace these days.
**It’s true.
However, the young eunuch also knew that these were not things he should care about or was destined to care about. At that moment, he kowtowed heavily, turned around and left, as if he had been granted amnesty.
It's just that the little eunuch didn't see it. I don't know when, Chen Xu's hands began to tremble slightly. However, the emperor who had been in charge of Nanchen for ten years still calmed himself down after taking deep breaths continuously. He would have known about this memorial even if he didn't open it.
What is the content, but he still forced himself to take in every word in the memorial.
After a long time, Chen Xu slowly closed the memorial, and casually threw the memorial, which was closely related to the rumors inside and outside the palace, into the brazier nearby. Watching the tongues of fire gradually engulfing the memorial, Chen Xu's face showed no trace of emotion.
He was neither sad nor happy, but his eyes seemed a lot cloudier than before.
The forty-nine-year-old Emperor Nanchen turned around and walked step by step to the chair. He was not yet over fifty, but he felt that he was too old and incompetent.
It seemed that after countless inner struggles, Chen Xu turned his attention to the brazier again, but the memorial had disappeared in the licking of the fire.
"This move of yours," Chen Xu said to himself, "brothers are fighting against each other and giving outsiders no opportunity to advance... It's a pity that my father can only watch like this..."
"
Reaching out and patting the armrest of the chair, Chen Xu laughed at himself: "This dragon chair has been so eye-catching for hundreds of years. For this reason... you can ignore everything."