806 The Bean-like Light in the House, Laughing on a Crutch (1/2)
Some of the houses close to the Vermilion Bird Avenue were impacted by the battle. You could see some people repairing the houses in the snowy night.
Ning Que seemed like he didn't hear what Chao Xiaoshu said. He looked toward the houses for a long time and said, ”Many people died that day.”
Chao Xiaoshu stopped talking and started to scoop up mutton bits from the pot of soup.
Ning Que poured some wine into his bowl and said, ”What do you think about the peace talks?”
Chao Xiaoshu said, ”It's not appropriate for me to speak about matters of the Royal Court.”
Ning Que said, ”The war is in a lull now. But it's hard to tell if this is beneficial to the Tang Empire. Too much blood has been shed. It will take some time for them to catch their breath. Since we didn't lose the battle, we can have peaceful talks without suffering more losses.”
Chao Xiaoshu said, ”Let's eat first.”
The pot of soup smelled good, partially subduing the wine's aroma. After all, it was a time of war. Chao Xiaoshu and Ning Que both liked this steamed food, but there was no way to bring it from the north.
They ate their meal in silence, being sure to not drink too much. Chao Xiaoshu waited until they were almost finished eating to start speaking again.
”Too many things were involved in this battle. All of the Tang people are working hard. It looks like people have forgotten about Li Yu. But you should know, neither the king's court nor the Tang people have forgotten her.”
He looked at Ning Que and said, ”The Academy has much authority. Her Majesty always finds a way. Due to the invasion, all of the people are of one heart. Even her most loyal subordinates have also chosen to remain calm. But if the war ends or is temporarily put on hold, the conflict will eventually arise again.”
Ning Que said, ”The people in the Royal Court aren't fools. Her Majesty showed her ability to manage the country. There's no reason for them to keep supporting Li Yu.”
Chao Xiaoshu said, ”It seems like you've forgotten one thing: Everyone in the world now knows that Her Majesty is from the Devil's Doctrine. Although the Tang people have never obeyed the West-Hill Divine Palace, their belief in Haotian might not fade away in a short time. People have a natural hatred towards the Devil's Doctrine.”
Ning Que said, ”What exactly do you mean?”
Chao Xiaoshu answered him, ”That depends on how the Academy and the imperial court will deal with her.”
”If everything is peaceful, she will be imprisoned in the Princess' palace.”
Ning Que looked at Chao Xiaoshu in the eye and said, ”If there are only a few signs of unrest, I will kill her in the shortest possible amount of time.”
Chao Xiaoshu looked at him and said, ”You were very close to her before. Everyone in Chang'an knows that. I never would have expected you could be so cold to her.”
Ning Que said, ”Like I said, many people have died on this street.”
Chao Xiaoshu said, ”I want to see her.”
Ning Que raised his eyebrow slightly and said, ”What will you do when you see her?”
Chao Xiaoshu said, ”I'll just look. Or talk to her.”
”Though I don't think it's necessary to talk to her, but...”
Ning Que said, ”I haven't seen Xiao Man for a long time, either. So go on then.”
The streets at night were very quiet. The Princess' palace, previously crowded to the brim, was now cold and quiet. Even the normal people who would occasionally pass by were not willing to look at the closed gate.
Ning Que knew there were a lot of hidden bodyguards in the surrounding streets at night. He still thought Li Yu was a fool. But this didn't mean the mother and son in the Imperial Palace would drop their guard.
He and Chao Xiaoshu walked towards the Princess' palace. The snow fell gently on the closed gate. It was silent inside the walls. The absence of light made it look like a tomb.
After General Xuanwei's entire family was exterminated, his home also looked like a tomb. When Ning Que entered Chang'an, he went to the tomb and mourned a few times. He knew the house looked as fallen mansions usually did, so he wasn't that surprised.
He stopped suddenly. The walking stick under his arm fell in the snow.
Chao Xiaoshu also stopped.
In what was a normal night, they both felt something abnormal. Because they heard something breathing slightly amongst the old trees behind the wall. Based on how quickly they were breathing, Ning Que and Chao Xiaoshu could tell the men in the trees were nervous.
Ning Que looked up at the snow falling in the night sky, The snowflakes looked really beautiful as they fell, but he was actually not looking at the snow. His eyes darted through the branches.
Between the branches, he saw sharp and cold arrows.
”It's the crossbow arrow.”
He looked at Chao Xiaoshu and said with a smile, ”It seems like it's still the Shenhou crossbow.”
When he heard the words ”Shenhou crossbow”, Chao Xiaoshu also laughed. He and Ning Que went into the Spring Breeze Pavilion a few years ago. They killed countless people on a rainy night. When they opened the gate, they saw the Shenhou crossbow.
Tonight, there was no rain. But there was snow.
After all these years, the Shenhou crossbows were aimed at them again. The two men's expressions didn't appear to be as serious as that year. Instead, they laughed. For they were not the same people they were years ago.
Chao Xiaoshu was no longer an emperor in the Jianghu world. By the lake of the Imperial Palace, he entered the Knowing Destiny State. He could escape from Liu Bai's sword. There was already a space for him among the strongest cultivators in the world.
Ning Que had changed even more so. Even though the Old Brush Pen Shop was still his, he was no longer selling calligraphy for a living. The young man from the downtrodden border town was now a person from the Academy entering the human realm.
Even if there were hundreds of armored cavalries coming from the streets ready to attack, let alone Shenhou crossbows, Chao Xiaoshu and Ning Que would still be unworried.