Brow of a Thousand Calamities Chapter 50: There are different roads 02

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The mountains and rivers are clear and full of spring flowers.

The winter snow has gradually melted, and the stream in Jihe Valley is gradually rising. Fang Pingzhai has a big drum on his left and right, and he is beating it casually with great interest. , captivating. Since Liu Yan taught him the basic drumming skills, he has been able to perform on his own, and his drumming skills have improved by leaps and bounds. Although he is not yet perfect, he is already able to perform with ease.

Two foxes were sneaking behind the rocks, sticking out their noses to smell the smell in the air. They looked at Fang Pingzhai curiously. The vibration of the drum attracted the two foxes. For some reason, the foxes did not Run away from the wind.

Birds were flying and circling around the ceiling. Fang Pingzhai looked up at the blue sky and watched the spring flowers in full bloom. The little fox next to him poked his head, and the orioles and swallows were flying. His heart felt warm, and every limb in his body felt comfortable.

There was a slight sound of "ta", and a gap appeared in the ripples shaken by the drumming on the stream. A stone fell from a height into the water. The two foxes were startled and fled without a trace. They flew low in the air. The birds also fluttered their wings and flew away. Fang Pingzhai pressed his hand on the drum head and raised his head. A burst of dark clouds floated on the top of the valleys on both sides. The sky turned dark, and suddenly it started to wind, and then it started to rain.

It rained heavily in an instant, and the heavy raindrops hit the drums on the left and right sides of Fang Pingzhai, triggering a deep and majestic drum sound. The raindrops jumped and the drums rumbled. Fang Pingzhai sat leaning against the drum. The heavy rain instantly wetted his clothes. The sky and the earth were vast and infinite, and the running water was cold and endless. A wave of vicissitudes of life hit his heart. Suddenly there was a clang, and something fell from his clothes. The sleeves slipped and fell to the ground.

He picked it up with his fingers. It was a ring, made of gold, with a purple jade inlaid on it. It looked dazzling even in the heavy rain. Most purple jade is not valuable, but this purple is pure and soft, the jade quality is exquisite and flawless, and it contains an aura of a king. It is commensurate with gold. It is really beautiful and is a rare thing. The finger ring is so small that even an adult's little finger cannot fit it on. It should be a child's thing. There are three words "Prince Ji's Mansion" engraved on the gold finger ring.

Fang Pingzhai picked up the ring, held it in his hand, sighed, and put it back in his arms.

In the heavy rain, the past is like an illusory ghost, one by one, the gray clouds are rolling, and the sound of drums is enchanting. There was such a heavy rain day many years ago. From the royal palace to the deserted temple.

It rained that day just like today. Soldiers and horses came and went, and the heavy sound of horse hooves came from the distance, like the faint sound of drums.

"These two..."

"General, these two children are innocent, and I am willing to take them in."

"This..."

"General... Your Majesty, the old minister kowtows to the Emperor. The old minister boldly said that the late Emperor was as kind as a mountain to the Emperor. In the name of benevolence and righteousness, the Emperor will not embarrass orphans and widows."

"That's all, Lu Qing's words make sense. These two children will be sent to Tianqing Temple together with Zong Xun."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness."

The footsteps of many people faded away. He and another smaller child were held by the palace maid, watching the nervous and chaotic steps and hurried backs of a group of people.

He was four years old that year, but he had already predicted his fate.

Yu Honghou said, "Sixth brother, you have the abilities that my eldest brother and I lack." Gui Mudan said that when he drinks a glass of wine with him, sometimes he will forget everything and believe that it is out of brotherhood, or maybe Expectation, trust.

But when the heavy rain pours, the past rushes towards us, the facts are clear and easy to see, expectations and trust, brotherhood... maybe it's just ambition, maybe it's just...

Because he is Chai Xijin, King of Ji.

Everyone knows that the former emperor wore a yellow robe, Chai Zongxun abdicated the throne, and the Song Dynasty began to flourish. His real surname is Chai, and he is the second younger brother of Chai Zongxun. After Chai Zongxun abdicated the throne, he was sent to Tianqing Temple by Zhao Kuangyin. He was sent out of the temple by the monks of Tianqing Temple not long after he was in the temple. It was heard that Chai Xirang was adopted by General Pan Meipan and his life experience was unknown, and he was taken away by his father's maid , avoid Baiyungou. His youngest brother is missing and it is unknown whether he died in the Li rebellion. His eldest brother Chai Zongxun died suddenly in Tianqing Temple at the age of 20. The cause of death was mysterious.

His current mother is Fang Yanjun, his father's maidservant, who is very loyal to Zhou Dynasty. According to his mother, his brother died suddenly when he was an adult but not married. The inside story is not simple. The two emperors of the Zhou Dynasty were very kind to Zhao Kuangyin's family, but he took advantage of the emperor's young age to seize the throne. Fang Niangjin hated him to the bone. Ever since he started practicing martial arts at the age of four or five, he couldn't help but remind him that he had to shoulder the burden. He had the important task of reviving the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty had an sworn feud with his Chai family.

After everyone in Baiyungou was an important minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, they only called themselves descendants of the Han Dynasty to the outside world and pretended to be ordinary people on weekdays. Every household regarded him as their master, and every household was very kind to him. It was not that he didn't understand his identity, but he couldn't bear such expectations and sustenance, so when he was sixteen years old, he left the world and became a wanderer.

That was just an escape, and he knew it very well.

He made friends in the arena and took them back to his hometown to drink. The night he was drunk, Zhu Yan killed Uncle Wu's family. From then on, he had murderous intentions towards Zhu Yan - that was... the first time he realized , he is the queen of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The Kingdom of the Great Zhou Dynasty can be destroyed, but its ministers cannot be humiliated.

For the first time, he knew that he had a responsibility. He wanted to recover the lives and face of the people of Zhou Dynasty. He must protect these people who were so kind to him and full of expectations.

However, the price of awakening is so heavy. The method he chose to protect his subjects was to leave and never go home again, because if he did not attract disaster, disaster would not come, and Baiyungou could remain ordinary. If we continue to live a peaceful life, no one will kill anyone with a sword in the middle of the night.

This was another escape, and he knew it too.

It takes great courage for a person to choose to take up responsibility... He does not have the desire to become an emperor in his heart, so he cannot be supported in choosing a path of no return in the flames of war. Fang Nijin hopes that he will return to the country, and Gui Mudan hopes that he will return to the country. He raised troops, and Yu Honghou wanted him to be an obedient puppet, but he couldn't do anything, let alone didn't want to do anything.

Being Chai Xijin is so exhausting. He has been avoiding it for nearly twenty years. Will he continue to avoid it in the future? Being Fang Pingzhai is so ordinary and humble, and the days of wandering around the world are confusing. He doesn't know what he wants to pursue and what he wants to get? Why can't I always feel happy? He is gradually losing himself. He is doing nothing and cannot find sustenance in this life. He is Chai Xijin, but not Chai Xijin. He is Fang Pingzhai, but not Fang Pingzhai. He cannot abandon his blood relationship, but he cannot abandon himself.

The rain was cold and his whole body was soaked. Fang Pingzhai leaned against a big drum with his back and his feet on another big drum. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the rain. His outward posture was very leisurely.

"Sixth Brother, you are really taking your time." In the heavy rain, someone came step by step from the other end of the stream, "I brought wine. I wonder if Sixth Brother is in the mood to drink with me?" Fang Pingzhai was suddenly startled. The sound of drums was intertwined, but he didn't hear the footsteps of the person coming. When he opened his eyes, he saw a black dress embroidered with dazzling red peonies, which was the ghost peonies. Since the last time someone broke into Jihe Villa, he knew that this place was no longer safe, but he didn't expect the ghost Mudan to come so quickly.

Ghost Peony's face was ferocious, but at this moment he had a peaceful smile, looking indescribably weird. There was a wine gourd hanging on his waist, and there was no murderous intent on his body. Fang Pingzhai sighed, "Why don't you give up and insist on inviting me to drink? Don't you know that I'm in a bad mood? If I'm in a bad mood, I might drink. Drunk, you may become sexually promiscuous and harm others and yourself.”

"I brought a piece of news for my sixth brother. After hearing it, you may have to ask me for a drink, because the news is really bad and sad." Gui Mudan sat down next to Fang Pingzhai and glanced at the man. Two big drums, "Congratulations to my sixth brother for mastering the art of sound-killing. He is indeed an unparalleled talent. My eldest brother is so envious."

"What's the news?" Fang Pingzhai stared at the wine gourd on Ghost Mudan's waist, "Where did you get this thing?" Ghost Mudan patted the wine gourd on her waist, "This... I got it from Baiyun. "I picked it up from the ditch. Oh, this is the wine that your Uncle Zhang has hidden in his cellar, waiting for you to drink it when you go back." Fang Pingzhai's pupils shrank slightly, "Why are you going to Baiyungou?" Gui Mudan said, "Me and Qi." I have always been very concerned about my sixth brother and my aunt. Don’t you know that in the past ten years since you left, my aunt has been taken care of by my seventh brother? I know the news about Baiyungou best." Fang Pingzhai said with a smile. I am very grateful to my seventh brother for fulfilling my filial piety. I am grateful and grateful.”

"The seventh brother and his aunt have always exchanged letters, one letter every ten days. But on the thirteenth day ago, the letters from Baiyungou suddenly stopped." Gui Mudan said, "The seventh brother wants to go to Haoyun Mountain, but he can't The clone went to investigate, so I went." He untied the wine gourd from his waist. Fang Pingzhai stared at the wine gourd. There were blood spots on the red belt around the waist of the wine gourd. What were those? "After going to Baiyungou, I realized that war is really terrible. It is not an exaggeration to see rivers of blood and corpses everywhere."

"What happened to Baiyungou?" Fang Pingzhai asked in a low voice. He was still looking at the spots on the wine gourd. At this moment, with his eyesight, he had determined that they were indeed blood stains, dried blood.

"Baiyungou encountered the imperial troops and was swept by thousands of troops. Five hundred and thirty-two people left behind the corpses of five hundred and twenty-five people. The only ones left were stumps and broken arms, and the number is unclear. Yes." Gui Mudan waved her hand, opened the wine gourd and took a sip, and said happily, "Good wine, good wine. Your Uncle Zhang died in front of the house, holding his grandson who was under two years old. The body was cut in half at the waist. Your Uncle Yang was holding up a flagpole. I think that flagpole should be the flag of Dazhou. Unfortunately, even the man and the flag were burned beyond recognition, and your flag of Dazhou still cannot be preserved. The most tragic thing is that your mother and aunt were..." Before he could finish his sentence, Fang Pingzhai interrupted, "Baiyungou lived in seclusion and never rebelled, so why did the imperial troops find Baiyungou? Kill?"

"Auntie was tied to a horse and dragged along. Bones were visible all over her body. Finally, she was torn into two pieces by the horse and hung in front of your house. It should be a demonstration to you." Ghost Mudan did not stop, After talking about the circumstances of Fang Yanjun's death with almost enthusiasm, he laughed and said, "Baiyungou is loyal to the Chai family. Although you have no intention of restoring the country, they all have the ambition to restore the country. If you were here, based on the current imperial court's attitude toward the country, The Chai family promised that if you have a gold medal to avoid death, you can save people, but without you, the more than 500 people in Baiyungou can't resist the 2,000 elite soldiers of the imperial court."

"How did the imperial court know about Baiyungou?" Fang Pingzhai said word by word, "For more than twenty years, no one has attacked Baiyungou. Why did they suddenly send two thousand troops?" Ghost Mudan opened the wine gourd. , handed it to him, "Of course someone tipped off the court that Baiyungou was planning to rebel."

"Who? You?" Fang Pingzhai frowned and asked in a low voice.

"Me? I want to tip off the news. I could have tipped off the news a long time ago. Why wait until now?" Gui Mudan handed over the wine gourd, but Fang Pingzhai did not accept it. "The one who sent the troops was Zhao Zongjing."

"Zhao Zongjing?" Fang Pingzhai closed his eyes slightly, "Where did Zhao Zongjing get the news?"

"I don't know." Gui Mudan shook the wine gourd, "Do you want to see your mother's body?"

"I..." Fang Pingzhai was slightly shocked, and Gui Mudan smiled, "You are shaken." Fang Pingzhai pressed his hand on the drum head, but the smile disappeared from his face, "Where did you bury her?"

"Burial is such a solemn event. Naturally, it has to be arranged by you personally." Gui Mudan said, "Her body is in Piaoling Meiyuan. When will you go back and bury it." Fang Pingzhai pressed down with five fingers and tightened the The drum head pressed the five-finger seal and whispered, "Is this a threat?"

"I'm just here to tell you that you have no intention of returning to the country. People will only blame you and die with unconcerned eyes, but no one will be grateful to you." Gui Mudan sneered, "And even if you don't want to return to the country, you will see that Baiyungou is because of you. And ruined, thinking about your eldest brother dying inexplicably, your second brother changing his surname to Pan, and your fourth brother being displaced, will you feel at peace? The only hope of the Chai family is to do nothing all day long, wandering around in the rivers and lakes. You live a leisurely life, but what do your parents, relatives, retainers and slaves, and the dead souls and ghosts of Da Zhou feel? Who are you worthy of? Are you worthy of Queen Fu? Are you worthy of your elder brother Chai Zongxun?"

There was a buzzing sound, and the drum surface bounced back. Fang Pingzhai looked pale and looked at the drum under his hands. Was he really wrong? "Go back..." The road has gone too far. How easy is it to turn back and embark on the road he gave up twenty years ago? The so-called going back, of course, was not just about burying Fang Zijin. Once he went back, he would have no way to look back.

Will the innocent souls of Baiyungou still be ignored? Can Fang Yanjin's body be abandoned? Could it be that his father's figure and his elder brother's voice were illusions that had nothing to do with him? If he doesn't abandon these things, he can't be Fang Pingzhai. But if he abandons these things, can he still continue to be Fang Pingzhai?

At this moment, he realized that from beginning to end, it turned out that "Fang Pingzhai" was just a dream and an expectation of Chai Xijin, but never a reality.

Even though he was so confused and incompetent.

"Sixth brother, I know that you have no intention of taking the throne. My seventh brother and I have already made arrangements to help you restore the country. After the restoration, you can find your second and fourth brothers and pass the throne to your second or fourth brother. Brother, if you are willing to be Fang Pingzhai and Yuan Pingzhai in the rest of your life, no one will care about you anymore, and you don’t have to blame yourself anymore.” Gui Mudan smiled grimly, “I’ll be honest, I will help you become emperor of the Chai family, and you have to pay for it. I will give you the same level of reward, and when things are done, I will be inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people.”

"You and your seventh brother have great abilities, why do you need to ask me for help?" Fang Pingzhai said slowly, "Wouldn't it be better for you to proclaim yourself emperor, or for your seventh brother to proclaim himself emperor, than to be one person inferior to ten thousand people? "Gui Mudan said, "If my seventh brother becomes emperor, tens of thousands of people in the world will rebel against me, but if you become emperor, only the descendants of the Zhao family will rebel against you. It will only take more than twenty years for the Great Zhou Dynasty to be restored. "It's not nonsense." Fang Pingzhai said, "It's very accurate. This must be the seventh brother's idea. You want one person to defeat ten thousand people. What does he want?" Gui Mudan said, "He said he wanted to use troops against the Liao Kingdom. , Take back Youyun, and pacify the Khitan, that's all," Fang Pingzhai said curiously, "He turned over the clouds, calculated every step, took risks, and conspired to rebel just to join the Song Dynasty with the ability of the seventh brother. , it is not difficult to serve as a general and send troops to the Song Dynasty. Maybe he can sweep the Khitan branch in the north ||| Then, conquer the sea and flatten the western region, why do you want to rebel? ”

"I can't figure out his thoughts. In short, everything he did was just to have the ability, status and opportunity to send troops to the Liao Kingdom and change the successive defeats of our dynasty." Gui Mudan said gloomily, " This is also a good thing that benefits the people, why not?" Fang Pingzhai was silent for a while and sighed, "Let me think about it carefully, this is a very difficult and difficult choice, I need time." Gui Mudan put the wine gourd into his hand. As soon as he sent it off, "Okay, if you can abandon Fang Yanjun's body and don't care about the unjust ghosts of Baiyungou who died in vain, and insist on coming, I, Ghost Mudan, will obey you, haha!" He retreated suddenly, and his figure disappeared in the heavy rain. middle.

The wine gourd held in the hand retains human body temperature and feels particularly warm to the touch.

Fang Pingzhai sat in the rain, holding the wine left by his old friend, and raised his head to take a sip.

In the midst of confusion, the sky became darker and the rain became more intense, causing pain in the muscles and coldness all over.

In the haze, the world was spinning, he had always been easily drunk, and today he might say he was drunk even without drinking, not to mention that he actually drank a gourd of wine.

What does wine taste like...

Pour it into your throat, it's just as spicy and hot, as if your throat is clamped hard by a soldering iron, and you're about to suffocate.

Maybe drinking blood has the same taste, because blood and wine are both hot and have body temperature.