After Mo Xi returned, he was closed from the government for three consecutive days.
There were many speculations about what happened before. People had different opinions. They were all curious about what kind of conversation happened between Mo Xi and the emperor that day when he went to the imperial city, so that the emperor didn't punish him even though he made such a big mistake. He was only forbidden for three days, so careless.
But no could can know the truth.
During these three days, Jiang Fuli never left Xihe mansion. Gu Mang's injuries were too serious. He had to close his door to heal him. Everyone held back. No one could get close to the treatment room.
On the third day.
The sun shined in through the window lattice. As time went on, the dark shadow slowly flowed on the ground. Mo Xi sat in front of the sandalwood desk and looked at the stack of letters in front of him.
This stack of letters had been read countless times by Mo Xi in these three days. They were the thread reports that Gu Mang sent to the emperor from Liaoguo in recent years. They had always been carried by the emperor in his spatial bag.
In five years, the paper of the earliest letter of the thick stack had ink stains that were already faded, and the latest had also turned yellow on the edge.
The only constant was the above running script, which was the handwriting that Mo Xi couldn't be more familiar with. The strokes were slightly inclined, some scribbled, and the ends were habitually slightly curled.
"My Lord, I have entered Liaoguo. Liaoguo's guoshi is very wary. I am in a bit of a dilemma recently. But now everything is safe and there is no need to worry about it. Greetings to the emperor."
"Emperor, After the autumn harvest Liao plans a heavy attack on Lan City in the north of Chonghua. Lan City has a large number of people…"
"Emperor, I'm stationed on Tiandang mountain with Liaoshi. Now I'm a Liao general, and battle is inevitable. Seven days later, we will attack Lancheng and fight fellow soldiers of Chonghua. This is an unavoidable move. Gu first apologizes and kneels down."
There was even a letter from Gu Mang to the emperor after the water battle of Dongting.
The handwriting of that letter was scribbled and even a little shaky. It seemed that Gu Mang was too excited to write it calmly. Through the words of that letter, he could see his anxiety at that time——
"It was necessary to put a knife in his heart. It was really that Marshal Mo was too naive and stubborn. I hope you can take good care of him. In addition, Gu has a request. I'm deeply in love with Commander Mo Xiong. I'm afraid I can't fight against him again... "
Every time Mo Xi saw this, he couldn't help but imagine Gu Mang's mod when he wrote this letter. In the end, it was just too painful to forgive himself.
One by one, in addition to reporting on Liaoguo's demonic magic, the most common thing Gu Mang said in his letters was how many people he killed and how many cities he destroyed during the war. It was not so much to confess his sins to the emperor, but for his life account.
By the fifth year.
All of a sudden, Gu Mang stopped calculating. Perhaps he finally knew that no matter how he counted them, those people had actually died under his hands, and he could not retrieve them.
At the end of each letter, where he signed his name, he wrote a small "guilty official, Gu Mang, bowing down."
Mo Xi caressed the handwriting curled up in the corner, guilty official Gu Mang… He stroked it over and over, tears flowed down like this, dripping on the four words of self abasement and self reproach.
He turned to the last letter.
In that letter, Gu Mang wrote a few simple lines, explaining how the emperor had to take him with the demonic test as the reason.
Gu Mang wrote, "Five years ago, when I first came to Liaoguo, they hardened me, poured wolf blood, and carved a demonic spell on my bones. However, five years ago, my mind became more and more out of control. I have been aware of Liaoguo's intention to act. They should soon separate my divine sense, destroy my memory, and send me back to Chonghua as a gift of peace. I have no need for you to take pains to cure my blood stained body. If you really feel pity for my suffering, please take me back to prison, analyze and research, so as to get the method early to break the way of burning the country. In this way, my wish is enough."
At the end of the letter, there was still a line of humble words.
-
Guilty minister Gu Mang bows down.
In Rosefinch Hall, the last words of the emperor were still in his ear. "Fireball, do you know what it's like for me to see this letter?"
"In his first letter five years ago, he told me that Liaoguo was a little bit embarrassed by him, but everything was settled so that he didn't have to worry about it. But five years later, he realized what Liaoguo might do to him next, and then he told the truth of that year. It turned out that what he said was "a little bit difficult" was hardening his body and cutting his bones with demonic energy."
"Now do you understand? The reason Liaoguo sent him back was that the magic spell and demon blood pressure in Gu Mang's body couldn't live any longer. Nobody knew what Gu Mang's divine sense would become when it was completely swallowed up by the demons, and they dared not kill this strange devil. So they sent him back to Chonghua."
After a moment, he spoke again.
"Fireball, you have no choice. Even though the demonic research is cruel, it's the only way that I could think of. Maybe you can save him. Otherwise, on the day when the evil breath breaks out in Gu Mang's body, either Chonghua or Gu Mang will become irreparable..."
A knock came on the door. Mo Xi suddenly came back from the hard memory. He raised his hand and quickly wiped off the wet tears, put the letter away, and then said, "Come in."
Li Wei went in.
These days, only he could enter the room without being driven out. Li Wei said, "Lord, good news! The man has been saved!"
Mo Xi immediately got up and wanted to run outside. Li Wei said hurriedly, "He is still sleeping. Pharmacist Jiang told me not to wake him up. In addition, Pharmacist Jiang is waiting for you in the backyard. He said he would like to talk with you about something."
Beside the lotus pool in the backyard of Xihe mansion, Jiang Fuli sat leaning against the pavilion post. He looked at the lotus flowers in full bloom, and there were some light and shady colors flowing in his eyes that others could not figure out. He seemed to be thinking about something that puzzled him. His brow was slightly low and his lips were tight.
Mo Xi walked along the winding corridor path and came to him. "Pharmacist
Jiang."
He didn't know if it was because he really was too tired from the three-day healing, or for some other reason, but Jiang Fuli didn't regain his mind immediately. He stared at the fish swimming in the lotus pond.
"... Pharmacist Jiang."
After the second call, Jiang Fuli woke up slowly as if from a dream. "Oh, it's you. You're here."
At the moment, only Gu Mang was in Mo Xi's mind, so he didn't pay attention to Jiang Fuli's strange appearance, but asked, "How is my shixiong?"
Jiang Fuli said, "It's a little complicated. You don't have to be too nervous. Sit down and I'll tell you."
Mo Xi was really fidgety, but if he didn't sit down, Jiang Fuli won't bother to talk. He couldn't help but sit opposite Jiang Fuli.
"I'll ask you first," Jiang Fuli said. "Did Gu Mang recover more than half his memory before Zhou He performed the demonic research?"
He went straight in without denying it.
"I am not involved in the imperial court. You can be relieved that I don't care. I am just curious. He lost his soul. His memory can't be restored to that extent. I don't know what happened when you went to bat island and what made him like this?"
Mo Xi replied, "Time Mirror."
Jiang Fuli was silence for a moment and said, "No wonder. Then I get it."
"Let me talk to you like this, Xihe Jun. It is true that the Time Mirror can restore Gu Mang's divinity and memory, but the soul of a human being cannot be replaced after all. What the Time Mirror does is 'flashback,' not real recovery."
"Flashback..."
"Not bad," Jiang Fuli said. "It's like looking back. It won't last long. After a month or two, all the memories that came back from the Time Mirror will disappear." He paused and continued, "I'm sorry, but I can't turn it around."
As a matter of fact, Mo Xi had long been expecting it. Shangao shouted "flash back" when he used the Time Mirror technique on Gu Mang's memory. At that time, he had only heard Shangao say it. However, when he got this confirmation from Jiang Fuli's mouth, his heart still sank.
Mo Xi lowered his eyelashes and whispered, "I know… Thank you very much."
"I take people's money not their thanks. Gu Mang's other injuries are no longer a problem. Just rest assured, the general will recover slowly. But I have to remind you of one thing," Jiang Fuli said, his face suddenly serious. "His spirit can never bear big stimulation."
Mo Xi's heart suddenly pulled up, and he asked, "He is still ill?"
"How could he be alright?" Jiang Fuli held out three fingers and raised them in front of Mo Xi. "First, his soul is not complete. Second, it was forced by the ancient mirror to stimulate the flashback of a memory. Third, Zhou He dissected his brain… Let me tell you that, Xihe Jun, you Gu Shixiong is really very strong. If even on of those things happened to other people, they would have collapsed and gone mad."
Every time he listed something, he would bend down one finger. When all three fingers were bent down, Jiang Fuli, such a proud man, could not help sighing, "He has borne all three, but he has not lost himself."
The wind blew through the lotus pond and the water was sparkling.
Jiang Fuli turned his head to look at the rippled surface of the pool and whispered, "Actually, as a doctor, I'm curious. I don't know what kind of mental obsession can make him so indestructible."
"..."
After being silent a while, his apricot eyes watched the gathering and separation of the fish in the lotus pond.
Suddenly Jiang Fuli said, "Xihe Jun, I have to ask you, Gu Mang is actually a spy sent by Chonghua to Liaoguo, right?"
Mo Xi suddenly looked up at him. Jiang Fuli spent three days of energy. He was too tired. He leaned lazily on the pavilion post, squinted his eyes sideways, and looked at the lotus pond with multiple lines. He said slowly, "Don't worry, I didn't peep into his heart when healing. What's more, his spiritual power is so strong, even if he was tortured by pouring water on him, what he says may not be the truth. I just feel that way, so I'm asking. You don't have to answer me."
Mo Xi closed his throat and said, "You… Why do you think so?"
"Very simple."
Jiang Fuli said, "A traitor who cannot bear the blow and falls into the way of killing and revenge will never have his will. I have no evidence, and I have no intention of getting involved in the court, but as a doctor, I can confirm that he is not a villain."
The sun came to Jiang Fuli's eyes and polished his face so that it was no longer as rebellious as usual. At the moment, Jiang Fuli seemed to be sighing and gentle.
And his gentle appearance made Mo Xi feel a little familiar.
"Take good care of him, Xihe Jun. Now, his divine sense is like cracked ice. If he has to bear a fourth heavy mental injury,"Jiang Fuli said solemnly, "he will lose his mind. Until then, unless he finds the two pieces of his soul, he will go down to the world and I can't save him."
That night—
A curved hook was hanging in the sky. The sky was full of stars. The milky way was like a long sword and a dragon. The shining glow flowed over the dark blue night sky.
This night, many people in Chonghua city had their own problems.
In the palace, the emperor was curled up the soft curtain of furs in Rosefinch hall. He closed his eyes and stroked the string of spiritual beads on his wrist.
At Yuefu, Murong Chuyi went to Yue Chenqing's bedroom, hesitated for a long time, and finally raised his hand to knock on the door. But after waiting for a while, there was no response, so he gently pushed the door. He saw that there was an unlit lamp in it, and the pillow mattress and desk were neat, and Yue Chenqing was not among them. At this time, the servant came and told him that Yue Chenqing had gone to the snow place of Xuegong River to learn skills. Murong Chuyi didn't speak. After a long time, he closed his eyes.
In the pharmacist's mansion, Jiang Fuli was in a hurry to pack up and said that he wants to travel far away, but his wife was standing by the door. She seemed to have something to say, but she didn't say it after all.
At Wangshufu, Murong Lian lied on the bamboo couch in the courtyard and sipped floating life like a dream from his pipe. The mist slowly came out of his mouth and blew to the paulownia flowers in full bloom. Murong Lian bit his pipe, stretched out his hand and looked at his fingers. His eyes were bright and dark.
And at Xihe mansion—
After such twists and turns and bloodbaths, everything finally returned to a short peace. Gu Mang was lying on the big bed of the master's bedroom, covered with a thin quilt, still awake. Mo Xi let the servants all retreat, and he was alone at the bedside.
He was very patient, and he didn't care that Gu Mang slept too long, or that Gu Mang occupied his bed - that was what he had promised to give Gu Mang.
"I promised you a home." Mo Xi held his hand, pulled it over, leaned to his lips and kissed him gently. "I'm sorry, Shixiong, I've kept you waiting too long."
The person on the bed was very obedient and lied down, the thick eyelashes hanging to cover his eyes like a small fan. At this time he no longer needed to pretend, no longer needed to endure, no longer needed to work hard. He looked so tired and thin. Mo Xi stared at the man in front of him. He couldn't remember his brother Gu Mang's healthy, strong and sunny appearance at first. Time had destroyed him too much.
Mo Xi put his head down, buried his forehead deeply in Gu Mang's cool palm, and said in a low voice, "Shixiong, you are home now."
Warm tears ran down his cheeks and soaked his fingers.
He seemed to be awakened by such murmuring and deep feeling. After a few moments of silence, Gu Mang's fingertips suddenly moved slightly, and then he opened his eyes.
— ------------------
The author has something to say: duck is still outside today! I can't touch the computer until tomorrow. I love you!!!