Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

When Yaoying woke up, she had already returned to the post house.

The sky was dim, there was no light in the room, it was dark, and the flickering lights in the corridor penetrated the room through the window, and there was a bleak whine of wind.

She was dizzy and sat up, remembering what had happened before she fell asleep, wondering if she was thinking day by day, and had a good dream.

The night wind slapped the wooden window lightly, creaking non-stop.

Yaoying went down to the ground and opened the door.

At the end of the promenade, there were brightly lit buildings. A tall and burly man sat with his back facing her in front of a window sill that was more than ten feet high in the sky. Sang, is drinking.

"Brother, you eat less wine."

Yaoying stayed for a while, happily, and walked over quickly.

Hearing the sound, Li Zhongqian immediately turned his head, jumped off the ground, stuffed the wine bag indiscriminately, and reached out to help her.

"It's not wine." He helped Yaoying stand still, squeezing her face, "Brother, listening to Mingyuenu's words, it's been a long time since I had a drink."

He has never touched a drop of wine since he woke up from injury and knew that she was sent to be married.

Yaoying didn't believe it, took his hand holding the wine pouch, unplugged the cork, and sniffed it close. As expected, there was no wine smell, only a sour fragrance. He drank yogurt.

She satisfactorily said: "Brother is injured, so eat less alcohol."

This look of ardent admonition is still the same as she was before the parting.

The cold night breeze fills the corridor, the dark sky is filled with a dim moon, and the tall building is a foreign border city that is completely different from Chang'an. Overlooking the tall buildings of the post house, you can see the tents set up by the missions and caravans of various countries on the plain.

Food customs, clothing, and the Central Plains are very different.

She lived in such a remote place and suffered all the hardships.

Li Zhongqian's phoenix eyes drooped, and all the pains and sorrows were gathered in the bottom of his eyes, the corners of his mouth were lightly raised, and he smiled and patted Yaoying's head: "Housekeeper."

Yaoying shuddered.

Li Zhongqian shrank, took off his cloak and put it on her shoulders, and took her back to the house, with a quick tone: "You are sick, don't get up, go back and lie down."

Yaoying was happy in her heart, put her arm around his arm, rubbed his slightly hot forehead against his arm.

"I'm fine, just take the medicine."

Li Zhongqian didn't speak. She fell asleep for almost a day. He invited all the doctors in the city over, watched the soldiers decoct the medicine, fed her to drink, and after a busy day, he saw all the soldiers, and I had finished asking all the questions she wanted to ask. Just woke up.

His heart was burning and he couldn't bear to wake her up. The soldiers said that she hadn't slept for several nights.

Back in the house, Yaoying took off her shoes and went to bed, but refused to sleep. She looked a little haggard, but she was in a good mood, full of energy, and her eyes were piercing. She had to sit and talk to Li Zhongqian.

Li Zhongqian reluctantly pulled up a thin blanket to wrap her around, and asked the accompanying doctor to come and see her pulse. He went to the stove to get hot soup and hot cakes, mixed vegetables and croquettes, and urged her to eat it.

Yaoying had an appetite, ate the soup cake and croquettes, sat cross-legged on the couch, with a happy expression, remembering something, her face flashed with sorrow, and insisted that the doctor also diagnose Li Zhongqian's pulse.

"Brother, how is your injury? Are new injuries added these days?"

Li Zhongqian shook his head: "Don't worry, I'm a martial artist, all with skin injuries. I am much better now."

Yaoying stared at the doctor without blinking.

The doctor looked at the pulse for Li Zhongqian, smiled at her and shook his head, indicating that there was nothing serious.

Yaoying's heart was finally put back in place, she sighed in relief, and when the doctor went out, her eyes fell on the scar between Li Zhongqian's eyebrows.

"Brother, why are you with those horse thieves?"

Li Zhongqian made an understatement: "A group of horse thieves and rebels occupied Wuquan and blocked my way. I waited for a few days, eager to see you, and killed their leader, they followed, and I was too lazy to take care of them. , Let them follow."

After knowing where Li Yaoying was, he was afraid that something might happen to her on the way to him, so he wished to put on his wings and rush to the king's court overnight, telling her to wait for himself, be cautious all the way, regardless of everything, just hurry. It just happened that there was a great upheaval in Beirong, and there were rebellious troops everywhere. For safety, he had to avoid the prosperous towns and detour to Shacheng. He finally rushed to Wuquan. He couldn't wait. As a result, Wuquan was occupied by the horse thief. The two sides are deadlocked, and no one can leave.

Li Zhongqian didn't want to be impatient, and waited patiently for a few days to find the opportunity. Who knew that the horse thief rebelled army would not go. He was afraid that Li Yaoying was anxious, so he risked killing the horse thief and the leader of the rebellious army in a rage. There was a chaos between the two sides, he took advantage of the chaos and grabbed the horse and went straight to Shacheng.

The horse thieves lost their leader, and the dragons had no leader. A group of people chased after him stubbornly, elected him as the new leader, and swore allegiance to him.

He just wanted to be reunited with Li Yaoying, not paying attention to anything, eating or drinking, and running wildly.

The horse thief hovered behind him and saw Li Yaoying and his party, overjoyed, yelling to **** them to please him.

Li Zhongqian went to Shacheng with all his heart, not wanting to be nosy, then rushed, glanced at the hills accidentally, saw the Han soldiers, his heart jumped suddenly, and then saw the flying flags, he immediately realized that Li Yaoying had come out of the city to look for him. .

Thinking of this, Li Zhongqian's face was dark, and he looked at Yaoying's two eyes with somber and majestic eyes: "Didn't you let you wait in the royal court? The outside is so messy, why are you out of the city?"

Yaoying has never been afraid of him, and said: "I'm afraid that something will happen to you. Wuquan is not far away. I have brought hundreds of people. I can go back and forth within a day without major incidents."

Li Zhongqian frowned: "What if you run into Haidu Aling? Bei Rong is so chaotic, the old Khan and a few princes fled all the way under the chase of the royal army, only Haidu Aling took the elite away from the battlefield. May appear at any time."

He has heard Yang Qian and the others say that Haidu Aling is bound to win her.

Yaoying shook her head: "Brother, Haidu Aling will never show up near Shacheng. I am sure of this, so I dare to leave the city."

Li Zhongqian's expression eased a little, "Don't take risks next time, wait for brother."

And... don't sacrifice yourself for him anymore, he is confused, wanton indulgence, and asks nothing, just hope that she will be safe and happy in her life.

With a cry, Yaoying put her hands around her knees, her chin resting on her knees, and she smiled and stared at Li Zhongqian who was sitting on the edge of the couch, as if it didn't seem to be enough.

Li Zhongqian's throat choked.

He had thought that when he found her, he must teach her severely and make her swear that she would never do such a stupid thing again, whether she cried or acted like a baby, he would never relent.

But he really found her, and recovered from the loss. His heart is full of compassion and love, lest she be wronged a little bit, how can he harden his heart to criticize her?

Li Zhongqian sighed, closed his eyes, and glanced at Yaoying's dark circles.

"Hey, go to sleep, brother won't go, stay with you here."

Yaoying hummed in a low voice, sitting still.

"Brother."

She called him softly, with a smile between her eyebrows.

"Ok?"

Li Zhongqian smiled, his expression gentle.

Yaoying said, "Brother has lost a lot, so I need to make up for it."

"Ok."

"Brother brother's martial arts recovered?"

Li Zhongqian calmly said: "There is more than one kind of exercise in this world. Without the golden hammer, brother can practice other..."

He was able to abandon martial arts and literature again, and he was not afraid to start all over again. The martial arts that he had practiced for many years were abolished, and the foundation is still there. He knew that he could no longer pick up the double hammer in this life, and he had already decisively changed to the sword.

"...Mingyue Slave, don't worry about me."

Yaoying responded and asked curiously: "Brother, when you were in Beirong, how did you provoke Wakhan Khan and the prince? You almost shot Old Khan with an arrow? You were injured, how can you treat him? Okay, really no internal injuries?"

She looked at Li Zhongqian, asking a series of questions like every time he returned from an expedition when he was a child.

As if she had never suffered.

Li Zhongqian looked down and touched the top of her hair, "The day I found Yizhou, Princess Yiqing detained us..."

The wind roared outside and the lights were dim.

Li Zhongqian lightened his tone, and talked about his experience after leaving Beijing. All the thrills in it, when I think of it at this time, are nothing but trivial things.

As Yaoying listened, she let out a soft cry from time to time, and a nervous and worried expression flashed across her face.

I don't know how long it took, the candle wick crackled twice, and a plume of green smoke rose up.

Li Zhongqian bowed his head.

Yaoying curled up into a small ball, leaned against him, and fell asleep, holding a silk crypt in her arms.

It's exactly the same as when I was a kid.

She was brought up by him hand in hand, no matter how old she grows, in his eyes, she will always be a child.

"Mingyue Slave..." He stroked her with a finger, "Are you afraid when I was sent to Yelu's department?"

Yaoying was sleepy, "a little scared."

Li Zhongqian slowly closed his eyes.

During the period when Bei Rong was recovering from his injuries, he had heard Tali say.

Yaoying said she was just a little scared.

Tali said that she dared not close her eyes all night, keeping a sharp blade in her hand.

"Does the prince scare you every day?"

Yaoying said in a daze, "Brother, it's okay, I have personal protection, he dare not mess around."

What Tali said was: The prince was unscrupulous, and in broad daylight he dragged the female slave into the tent in front of her presumptuously, and the voice could be heard almost throughout the camp. Several times deliberately broke into her camp through drunkenness, and once touched the corner of her skirt.

"Did you suffer a lot on the way to Yelubu?"

Yaoying subconsciously denied: "No..."

Tali told him that she was not used to riding on steep mountain roads, and her legs were dripping with blood. When she got off the horse, she couldn't move because of the pain, and she needed the support of two maids to stand firm.

"Haidu Aling tortured you?"

Yaoying shook her head, "Brother, I'm fine... He locked me, and I tried to escape..."

Tali: "The prince was polite at first, and the princess was not moved, so the prince asked the princess to brand the horse mark... Every spring, the little pony in the tribe would be branded with the horse mark to distinguish which tribe’s property belonged to. The herdsmen surrounded all the horses, and the horses were branded by the most experienced and experienced warriors in the tribe..."

"The hot red iron mark is branded on the horse. The horse will definitely struggle and it is easy to kick and hurt people. Therefore, the job of branding the horse is all done by men. The prince asked the princess to brand the horse, and wanted to scare the princess, the princess tied it up. The sleeves are gone, every day is the pony hiss, and the princess’s hands are all burned and bruised..."

"Later the branding was over, the princess still did not give in. The prince was very angry. She was not allowed to ride with the army and let her walk with the slave. The princess's shoes were worn out and the soles of her feet were rotten..."

"The guards don't feed the princess. The princess is very hungry. She digs grassroots to eat with the slave...every time she finds something to eat, the princess will be very happy and find a way to hide some in her body..."

"The prince has no patience with women. He stays in the account if he likes it, and rewards him if he doesn't like it. The princess has been reluctant to bow her head... She even managed to escape..."

Li Zhongqian remembered every word and sentence Tali said clearly.

For countless nights, he saw her in his dreams.

Dreaming of her sitting on horseback and wiping tears.

Dreaming of her curled up in the corner of the tent shivering.

Dreaming that she was unkempt, squatting on the wasteland digging grass roots with a bunch of slaves.

Dreaming that she was tied with hands behind the team, and the soles of her feet were bloody.

In the dream, she was bullied in every way, crying to him: Brother, I'm afraid.

Every time he wakes up, Li Zhongqian suffers more than the self who witnessed her suffering in his dream, because he knows that all the things Tali told him have happened.

Yaoying has been sensible and well-behaved since she was a child. She has never done a bad thing and saved countless people, but she has to go through these hardships.

The Tang family set himself on fire and died, and Li De and Li Xuanzhen were upset. He knew the knot in his heart was difficult to understand, and he could give up everything, only to take his A-niang and younger sister to live in seclusion, but Li De refused to let them go.

Knowing this long ago, when he was eleven, he should have died together with his father and son and ended everything.

Only by killing Li De and Li Xuanzhen, she would not be drawn into the whirlpool again.

Li Zhongqian opened his eyes. In the dark night, his eyes shone cold and cruel.

He pulled up the thin blanket, caged Yaoying who was sleeping sideways, and stuffed a pillow under her neck to make her sleep more comfortable.

Yaoying's eyelashes trembled, raising her eyes, half-dreaming and half-awake, clutching Li Zhongqian's sleeves.

"Brother...I later met someone..."

Li Zhongqian leaned over, "Who?"

"A very good person..." Yao said softly, "He is a monk and treats me very well."

Li Zhongqian hummed indifferently.

The monk she was talking about was undoubtedly the king's Buddha.

In Beirong, the language is not clear, and he can't understand what the Hu people say. It is different in Gaochang. There are many local Han people, and he has heard too many rumors. When those Hu businessmen gather together to talk about the heavens and the earth, they like to mention the rhyme between the Buddha and the princess of Han Di. His words are fragrant and obscene. They describe Yaoying as a shameless licentious person. He endured and endured it several times. Unable to help, he threw the table and knocked the nonsense person to the ground, causing trouble.

Later, when he heard the businessman talk about the Buddha, he would avoid him so as not to hurt others and delay his journey.

He asked the soldiers today, and they all said that the Buddha took good care of Yaoying, and that Buddha was a virtuous monk, not close to female sex, and did not act lightly towards Yaoying, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

The monks are different after all.

"Brother... the mage knows that I found you... will definitely be happy for me..."

Yaoying's voice is hoarse, "Shall we go to see him in the holy city, okay?"

"Okay, the Buddha saved you. It's reasonable and emotional. Brother should thank him in person."

A smile appeared on Li Zhongqian's face.

Then, he can take Mingyue Slave home.

Li Zhongqian covered Yaoying with a thin blanket, put her arm under the blanket, and touched a hard object with her finger, like a string of Buddhist beads.

He didn't think much, got up, went to sleep on the cubicle.

...

Li Zhongqian woke up the next morning.

He has been running around for too long and has developed a habit of awakening when he hears a little sound. He quickly gets up in his clothes and goes to the cubicle to see Li Yaoying first.

She slept soundly, her eyebrows stretched.

Li Zhongqian pulled up the blanket, walked out of the house, went downstairs, frowned and asked the soldier: "What's the sound outside?"

The soldier replied: "A Lang, all the horse thieves who were with you have surrendered... They are clamoring to see you."

Seeing that Li Zhongqian followed Yaoying back to the city, the horse thieves immediately put down their weapons and surrendered, and followed them into the city, unable to drive them away.

Li Zhongqian said coldly: "Those who come up to entangle you, don't be polite, just beat them away."

The pro soldier should be.

...

Yaoying hadn't been able to sleep peacefully for several nights. This night, she had a sweet night's sleep. She slept three poles before getting up. She opened the door and smiled when she saw Li Zhongqian practicing sword in the courtyard downstairs.

Thinking of the pair of golden hammers he had sent since childhood, the smile on her face faded a little.

When Li Zhongqian practiced hammering when she was a child, she was watching, curious, and wanted to try. Li Zhongqian lifted a golden hammer and handed it to her. She reached out to pick it up and fell face down with a puff.

The golden hammer is too heavy, she can't move both hands.

Li Zhongqian laughed. Later, someone made her a pair of cloth hammers stuffed with chaff. After a few days of playing, she lost interest and used it to tickle her.

His golden hammer is gone.

Yaoying was out of God for a while.

The soldiers came to report that more and more people gathered outside the door. In addition to the horse thieves, there were also a large number of refugees who had entered the city these days.

"They recognize A Lang and want to follow A Lang."

It turns out that Li Zhongqian killed several bandit leaders and bullies who took advantage of the chaos along the way. He was so sturdy and lonely. The refugees remembered the scar between his brows. He was silent every day and was dressed in tattered clothes. The refugees did not know his identity. He heard the horse thief say that he knew the Western Army, and believed that he must be a big man, and rushed to him.

These refugees are not from the royal court. The royal court allowed them to enter the city to avoid disaster. After that, they returned to their original tribe, hoping that Li Zhongqian could take them back.

Yaoying rolled her eyes, waited for Li Zhongqian to finish practicing the sword, and offered him a cup of tea, saying: "Brother, when things are up here, we will meet with A Qing, and A Qing will have a lot of questions to ask you."

Li Zhongqian wiped his sweat and said, "Furthermore, now the Northern Rong chaos is a good time for us to return to the Central Plains. After seeing the Buddha, we will leave immediately."

Yaoying was startled: "Brother, we can't go back to the Central Plains now."

Li Zhongqian raised his sword eyebrows.

"What did you say?"

Yaoying said earnestly: "Brother, I am now the leader of the Western Army, and it is impossible to leave the Western Army alone."

Li Zhongqian frowned, "You shouldn't be responsible for these things. How can you bear the burden of the Western Army? Brother will take you back."

Yaoying sternly said, "Brother, I have already carried this burden. Since I started, I must fulfill my promises and responsibilities. I can't just leave it alone... and the Xie family has long since no soldiers, brother Going back with me like this, wouldn’t it be mermaid? We can’t just go back like this."

Li Zhongqian's eyebrows jumped: "Where is the Western Army now? You are alone in the Wang Court, Yang Qian is in Gaochang, and the Guazhou and Shazhou soldiers are farther away."

Yaoying shook her head, "Brother, the Western Army is not by my side now because they are where they should be."

She picked up Li Zhongqian's scabbard and drew a few lines on the ground.

"In the east, Li Xuanzhen led troops to intercept Bei Rong's rescuers, and in the west, Yang Qian guarded Gaochang."

"A Qing guards a more important place for me..."

"The royal army pursued Wakhan Khan and other remnants, and Bei Rong couldn't take care of himself..."

The scabbard in Yaoying's hand drew a large circle on the sand, enclosing a large area of ​​land.

"Brother, now is not the best time for us to return to the Central Plains, but a great opportunity for us to regain lost ground!"

"These places will be filled with banners of the Western Army."

She whispered softly, her voice calm.

A few beams of light poured down and hung over her. Amidst the brilliant golden light, she had a calm expression and was obviously used to planning these things.

Li Zhongqian stared at her, silent, his palms numb.

He used to be afraid that she would look like a mother.

Now he found that he was even more afraid of her being like an uncle.