Chapter 75 Death will follow you
Wei Ji didn't move.
He looked at Jiang He, hoping to see anger and resentment, confusion and madness on her way he could let her beat and scold him, admit his mistakes, apologize and appease him.
But neither.
Jiang He's eyes were a little swollen, and his unpainted thin eyebrows were like mountains shrouded in mist. His cheeks without makeup were fairer than usual, but there was a sense of desolation and sadness after crying.
"sorry."
No matter what attitude she was going to take towards him, he owed her this apology.
She had long said that she would pursue the victory, that she would slaughter the Chu army, and that she would use this war to give Wei a chance to recuperate for 15 years.
Although war is cruel, it can shock neighboring countries and gain stability.
But his intolerance made him want peace talks, and his negligence put Jiang He in danger and even lost his father.
He knows best how important Jiang Anqing is to Jiang He.
There is no way to undo it, you can only apologize.
"this is not your fault."
Jiang He said softly.
She never resented him.
In King Yong's palace, when he told Jiang He that her father was under house arrest in Wei, she did not complain; in Wei's court, when she knew that the marriage certificate to marry her was on the way, she was not angry.
She said thank you, she said it was not your fault.
"It's my fault," two lines of tears fell from Wei Ji's eyes, and he said sadly, "If it weren't for me, how could Mr. Jiang..."
Jiang He shook his head slightly and said in a deep voice: "Master Wei, isn't my father different from the fathers of everyone in the world?"
Wei Ji closed his eyes and pursed his lips, feeling extremely painful.
Jiang He's voice was sad but gentle: "My father is a father, and the father of everyone in the world is also a father. Could it be that their fathers can fight and die in the war, but my father can't? Young Master, why not be here? It's sad, why not go and see how many people died in Bu Village. See if those people have parents, wives and children, and see how their parents, wives and children will live in the future."
Wei Ji's legs were numb. Hearing this, he held the cart board on which the coffin was placed with his hands and stood up slowly.
He is a prince of a country, and now it is indeed time to appease the soldiers and people, not to feel sorry for himself.
"Then you want to go back to Qi?"
Jiang He knelt on the ground and said, "I will return to Qi State and bury my father and mother together."
"What happens next?" Wei Ji hesitated, but still asked what he was most concerned about.
Jiang He looked up at him, with a hint of alienation in his eyes.
"Mr. Wei," her voice was as cold as talking to a stranger, "You haven't forgotten that our marriage certificate is a fake, right?"
The surrounding scenery has not changed.
It was still the mourning hall where the coffin was placed, and it was still a winter day when the breath turned to ice, but Wei Ji felt like he was tied to a cannon and burned on the torture platform, and every moment he felt anxious and painful.
He moved his heavy feet forward and saw the cold-eyed man at the door.
"Zhao Zheng." He said numbly.
"Wei Ji." Zhao Zheng said solemnly.
Regardless of their national clan identity, they chewed each other's names like two men dueling face to face.
It's just that there is no need to draw the sword in this duel, the key to victory or defeat is the woman.
We knew each other as childhood sweethearts when we were young, but unexpectedly, he still lost.
Wei Ji walked out.
The snow had stopped, and the biting cold wind blew in from the courtyard, making his whole body feel chilly.
This year's snow is heavier than that winter.
It's just that the girl will never cry on him again. On the way from Wei to Qi, she no longer needs his company.
"Has Han Canal been repaired?" After burning incense for half a day, he found that Zhao Zheng was still standing silently in the corridor. Jiang He stood up and said, "Why don't you leave?"
"I'm still hungry." Zhao Zheng looked at her, his thin lips a little dry due to the cold wind.
Jiang He exhaled, looked around and said, "You're not waiting for me to cook for you, are you?"
Zhao Zheng stepped forward and took her sleeves, but Jiang He did not hide.
"Let's go, Gu Lai will take charge, you can just watch from the side."
He wanted to find something for her to do, to fill her time with trivial matters and to take her away from the pain.
Jiang He is a stubborn and affectionate person, and Zhao Zheng is afraid that if she continues like this, she will not be able to bear it.
Outside the courtyard were soldiers working in an orderly manner. They had finished cleaning up the corpses and were shoveling away ice and snow and checking supplies and equipment.
At this time, the door opened, and the tall figure of Zhao Zheng, the king of Yong State, appeared, his hand holding Jiang He's sleeve tightly.
They walked from the courtyard to the kitchen one after another. Although the two figures, the jet black and the plain white, did not overlap, they seemed to be two clouds that would merge and converge at any time.
The soldiers who witnessed this scene quickly lowered their heads and did not dare to look directly.
Only Jiang Bi, who was standing on tiptoe in the corner to reach a piece of ice, pushed General Meng Tian beside him.
"That's my sister, you know her now."
Meng Tian withdrew his gaze and turned his head respectfully: "She may be my queen of Dayong in the future. By then, I will know her."
Jiang Ben nodded in agreement and said with some regret: "It's a pity that I can't go and eat. The food cooked by my sister is the most delicious in the world."
"Your Majesty is here, so you really can't eat at the same table."
"No, no," Jiang Ben shook his head and said, "How could he be willing to let my sister cook for him while she is in mourning? He must have done it himself. I won't go, mainly because I am afraid that he will send me."
Meng Tian looked up in disbelief and saw Zhao Zheng stopping on the slippery steps, opening his arms to protect Jiang He, as if he was afraid that she would make the slightest mistake.
The back of the woman in white is thin but stubborn, making people want to look at her face.
Several simple dishes were cooked for a long time, but in the end Jiang He pushed Zhao Zheng aside and cooked them himself.
Zhao Zheng stood beside her, choosing vegetables, washing pots, stirring soup and serving didn't say any more words of comfort, but there seemed to be warmth flowing between understands her thoughts, and she is critical of everything he does.
"This vegetable has not been washed." "Use that pot." "When stirring the soup, push the bottom." "Be careful of spilling the soup."
Zhao Zheng, who was calm and confident in the Yong court, now looked like a young apprentice who had just learned to cook in Jiang He's kitchen.
He didn't refute and said very the meal was ready and brought to the table in the room, Zhao Zheng said warmly: "Eat."
Jiang He sat and picked up the chopsticks and put them down again, tears dripping into the bowl.
Zhao Zheng handed over a silk handkerchief and waited for her to vent her sad and pent-up emotions.
"Father said that he has seen you." Jiang He sniffed.
"Yes." Zhao Zheng nodded, recalling the brief encounter in the ruined temple, but he didn't expect it to be the last time.
"Gu didn't stop him." Zhao Zheng picked up a piece of yam from the vegetable soup and put it on Jiang He's plate.
There was no way to stop him, so Jiang Anqing came here by water, much faster than him, and died under the arrows of the Chu if he is stopped, the beacon cannot be ignited, and perhaps Jiang He cannot be saved.
Destiny is like a nine-link chain that affects the whole body but cannot break the rules.
"What did he say?" Jiang He asked.
Every word her father spoke after he regained consciousness was very important to her.
"He asked me whether I came to Wei for Guozuo or for a woman. He also said that the people should be the first priority."
Jiang He looked up at Zhao Zheng blankly.
My father actually told Zhao Zheng about state affairs? Sure enough, in my father's opinion, Yong State is not as powerful as Chu State now, but it can achieve great achievements.
She sighed softly, thinking of one place for their father and daughter, and feeling guilty that they had abandoned their mother country together.
"Zhao Zheng," Jiang He said, "Thank you."
Zhao Zheng didn't ask her what she was thanking him for, and said calmly: "You're welcome."
The temperature of the chicken soup was just right, and Jiang He buried his head in heat rushed into her eyes, and this time she didn't cry.
My father is gone, but what he taught me is still there, his thoughts are still there, and his long-cherished wish is still there.
How good, her father's long-cherished wish is also her long-cherished wish.
It is also Zhao Zheng's long-cherished wish.
"Steward Zong, just eat a little."
With his chest wrapped in thick gauze, Zongjun lay helpless with his eyes wide open, his arms and legs tied to the bed.
The little girl Cai Ling held a bowl of porridge and persuaded him, shedding tears.
A plain white figure approached, a pair of hands stretched out, and untied the rope that bound Zongjun.
Cai Ling looked up, then took a few steps away and knelt down.
"your Highness."
When Zongjun saw it was Jiang He, he immediately sat He didn't look at him, but asked Cai Ling, "What's your name?"
"Cailing."
"Cailing..." Jiang He nodded, remembering a paused and said, "I heard that you took off your cotton-padded jacket and lit the beacon fire, right?"
Cai Ling blushed and nodded, crying again.
"It's a pity that Mr. Jiang..."
She sobbed, but she was afraid of making Jiang He sad again, so she cried silently.
"You have merit this time," Jiang He said, "I will give you ten kilograms of gold cakes and give you freedom. You can go."
"I don't want to leave." Cai Ling knocked her head on the bricks and said anxiously but resolutely, "I have no place to go. My mother-in-law sold me in order to find a wife for my brother. Since I have become His Highness's servant, I will I will be His Highness’s servant for the rest of my life. What’s more, I have served Lord Jiang all the way to Bu Village. You taught me how to drive, how to distinguish clouds, how to survive and how to fight. Your Highness is gone, please allow me to stay here.”
Jiang He gave her a stiff smile and said, "You have also seen that if you follow me, you will die at any time."
"Death will follow." Cai Ling's face was covered with tears. "When you are born in troubled times, where will you die? Your Excellency said that he hopes that no matter which direction the carriage goes, it will be in the same country. I will follow His Highness. Let's see what day it is. s arrival."
"Okay," Jiang He no longer refused. Looking at her young but persistent face, he nodded and said, "From now on, follow me."
The little girl went out. Jiang He looked at the ashamed and uneasy Zongjun and said, "I heard that you brought more than a dozen people to accompany my father to guard the beacon tower. If it weren't for you, the beacon fire would have been put out as soon as it was lit. I The palace will also reward you and give you freedom."
"Your Highness, I don't dare to be a slave..." Zongjun got out of bed and knelt on the ground, crying.
"I heard that you want to die. Now that you are free, you can die." Jiang He's voice was indifferent.
Zongjun cried louder and raised his sleeves to wipe away tears.
Jiang He changed the subject and said, "But I don't want you to die. It's because among the seven kingdoms, Chu is the best at using poison. I'm afraid that he won't reach Shouchun, the capital of Chu, and avenge his father." , I am dead. The person who is best at detecting poisons in the world is no longer here, so I am afraid that I will not live long..."
At the end of the sentence, her voice was so sad that she almost cried.
Zongjun suddenly raised his head and wiped away his tears. His despair disappeared, and he said angrily and resolutely: "Your Highness, this servant is not dead. The person who killed Mr. Jiang is still alive. I am still useful, and I am also alive."
Jiang He nodded and turned around, handing the bowl of hot porridge into his hand.
"If you want to live well, you must first eat enough. Eat."
The soldiers cleaning up the battlefield were busy for a long time.
However, most of these people follow the logistics of elite troops.
They were the logistics when they were building the canal. Now they have followed the troops here and they are doing their job very efficiently.
After making arrangements for the fortune-telling camp, General Meng Tian came outside Daliang City and ordered them to bury the dead soldiers, pick up the opponent's weapons, and make records.
Among the busy crowd, Meng Tian's eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure.
Judging from the figure, she is a girl.
But she has a face that feels familiar.
That face was tanned, but it still reminded people of how proud and beautiful the master of hand-talking in Yong's capital was.
(End of this chapter)