RPAGF Chapter 906 Chu Yang is stupid
Chapter 906 Chu Yang is stupid
The cold wind of the last days of winter finally died down, and a few clusters of new green sprouted from the branches. On the official road where the snow had melted, the soil still had a bit of a damp and cold fishy smell.
Outside the capital, the sound of horse hooves was like thunder, shaking people's hearts from far away. People rushed to tell each other that the German emperor's procession had arrived at the city gate.
The whole capital was in turmoil.
People ignored the early spring chill and flocked to the streets.
The king's army returned triumphantly
Officials from the Ministry of Rites had already set up the incense table.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the three dukes and nine ministers were dressed in court robes, standing solemnly in the cold wind, waiting.
It's sunny today.
The horn sounded long and the city gate opened. The black-armored cavalry appeared like a dark cloud pressing down on the city. In the front, a scarlet royal flag fluttered in the wind. The dragon pattern embroidered with gold thread on it was so bright in the sunlight that people could not open their eyes.
All the officials sang in unison to welcome His Majesty's triumphant return. The sound was like a tide, interweaving with the sound of swords and spears from the cavalry on the long street.
Thirty-six golden-armored guards led the way, and their black iron boots made neat clanging sounds on the bluestone slabs.
The black iron chariot engraved with dragon patterns slowly rolled through the city gate. A chilly spring breeze suddenly lifted the chariot curtain, revealing the faint figure of the emperor sitting inside.
On both sides of the chariot, young generals, full of vigor and vitality before going to war, rode their war horses slowly.
The moment the chariot rolled over the bluestone boundary marker at the city gate, all the soldiers suddenly reined in their horses.
Amid the sound of armor colliding, dozens of people dismounted at the same time, their movements as if they were one person. When the blood-stained boots landed on the ground, there was no noise at all, only the sound of armor scales hitting each other.
They pulled the reins, their young backs straightened. The morning light shone obliquely on the armor covered with knife marks, reflecting a cold light.
The faces that were once full of energy and radiance are no longer frivolous, but are now covered with frost and snow that cannot be melted.
The people were all looking for him, "Where is the Prince Consort? Isn't the Prince Consort the commander-in-chief?"
"He commands an army of 300,000 men, and is a well-deserved general of Weibei! How come I didn't see him?"
The people's discussions gradually became a tide, flooding the triumphant army.
The young generals' eyes all turned red, and their throats kept rolling. The two young generals at the end suddenly lowered their heads, and a suppressed sob leaked out from the gaps in their armor.
Emperor Mingde and Eunuch Qi also had tears in their eyes.
……
In the afternoon, the sky was clear and Tang Xinghe and Ma Chuyang knelt on the bluestone slabs of Tinglan Courtyard to plead guilty.
The faint sunlight cast the shadows of the two men on the ground. Their armor was still on, and their shoulders seemed to be still stained with sand from the border.
Bei Hui opened the curtain and came out to say, "Madam asks you two to go to the main hall and wait for a while. She will be there soon."
Tang Xinghe and Ma Chuyang stood up silently. The sound of armor plates colliding startled the birds perched under the eaves.
When they arrived at the main hall, the two of them dared only to sit on the edge of the sandalwood chairs, their backs straighter than a spear, the uprightness that only soldiers could have. They no longer looked like they used to lie on the couch and laugh while grabbing candied fruits.
At that time, Anxia was supported by Beihui and walked slowly. She was wearing a thin brocade jacket, and her moon-white gown was hanging empty on her body. Her face, which had not yet recovered from childbirth, was whiter than rice paper.
The two men stood up suddenly, and their armor made a rustling sound.
"Cousin!" Tang Xinghe's throat rolled, and the call was hoarser than the north wind at the border.
Ma Chuyang stopped calling her "cousin" and suddenly slammed his knee on the ground, the black iron kneepad making a dull sound. "Chuyang apologizes to the princess."
The boy's voice sounded as if it had been rubbed by sand and gravel, and every word was seeping with blood.
Shi Anxia slowly sat down in the nanmu armchair, the jade bracelet on her wrist jingled against the table, "Now that you're back from the expedition, you don't call me 'cousin' anymore?"
Her voice was as light as snow falling on pine branches and gentler than usual.
Ma Chuyang lowered his head suddenly, and a tear fell on the blue brick floor.
He knelt on one knee and took a half step forward, the hem of his armor scraping out a harsh sound, "Chu Yang is stupid!"
The young man suddenly choked up, and whimpered like a young animal, "Chu Yang harmed the prince consort..."
Tang Xinghe also staggered and knelt, his calloused hands tightly grasping the tassel of his sword.
This young man who had never known the taste of sorrow was now crying like a child who had lost his candy man. "My cousin-in-law wanted to save me!"
Before they finished speaking, the two men's heads had already hit the ground heavily. The only sounds in the main hall were the trembling metal sounds of armor and the tireless chirping of magpies outside the window.
After a long while, Shi Anxia gently raised her hand, her fingertips emitting a cold, porcelain-white light. "Get up. If your cousin's husband were here, he would definitely laugh at you for crying so ugly."
The two cried even harder. After being suppressed all the way, the talkative and playful boy became silent, and only at this moment did he cry out loud with his shoulders shaking.
"The first time was in Guicheng, I killed Chi Yue." Tang Xinghe seemed to have grown ten years older, and even his once clear voice seemed to be soaked by the wind and snow at the border, becoming vicissitudes and solemn. "My cousin's husband punished me with twenty military sticks and asked me if I accepted it? I tried to convince myself, but how could I really understand?"
Shi Anxia listened carefully.
The young man dug his nails deep into his palms. "I didn't really take it seriously. If Chi Yue hadn't died and I hadn't been so sad, I might have been complacent and proud that it was the surprise attack with the least casualties in history."
It is a miracle that can be recorded in history and admired by future generations. It is even more likely that there will be no one before and no one after.
Their names will be engraved forever.
The young man slowly confessed his words, his voice no longer containing a trace of joy, but instead filled with unspeakable grief and sorrow.
As soon as Tang Xinghe finished speaking, the tassel of Ma Chuyang's sword suddenly broke, and the agate beads rolled all over the ground with a crackling sound.
The young man who used to be dressed in fine clothes and riding a horse, now hunched over as if his spine was pulled out, with his forehead against the blue brick, "It's me... it's all my fault. I mistakenly thought that the commander should be secretly proud of us, so I kept wanting to do something to prove myself."
He cried bitterly, "I was stupid and trusted others..."
Shi Anxia lowered her eyes to look at the leaf stems floating in the teacup, listening to the boy's voice tearing apart bit by bit.
Every word was like a blunt knife, carving those bloody details into her ears inch by inch.
Each word pieced together a more complete picture in her mind.
How the north wind at the border blew snow particles against the tent, how my husband's armor was covered with frost under the moonlight, and how the arrow that was supposed to be shot at Tang Xinghe was blocked by his chest.
"This..." Tang Xinghe suddenly choked up, and took out a few wooden figurines from his secret pocket with his chapped hands. "My cousin-in-law carved them by the campfire at night, and he said he would give them to you when he returns to Beijing."
Three wooden dolls lay quietly on the bloodstained handkerchief. The largest one was carved with Shi Anxia's usual bun, and the lines of its sleeves were so smooth that they seemed to move with the wind.
It can be seen that this doll was carved with concentration and meticulousness.
The other two little kids, one holding a wooden sword and the other with double braids, still had tiny knife marks on their eyebrows.
Shi Anxia reached out to take it, but suddenly she couldn't see clearly.
Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision.
She pressed the doll tightly against her chest, the wood still stained with the smell of the wind and snow in the dark night at the border. Her usually straight back finally bent, like a bow that was stretched to its full length and suddenly broke.
There was no wailing, only big tears falling on the wooden doll, leaving dark marks.
Even her crying was silent.