Chapter 353

Yao Xian Lou is a tower-top building.

The first floor occupies the largest area.

The higher you go, the smaller the area.

As for the top floor, the fourth floor, it has become a small attic, which is also the most noble place.

Even the Emperor of Great Qi is not qualified to go up; it is specially set up for Su Xiang, Su Jing, and the Third Master of the Academy.

Above the third floor are the nine great surnames and members of the royal family, plus more than a dozen high-ranking officials in the temple, totaling only more than forty people.

These are also the most powerful people in Bianjing, and even the entire Great Qi.

Xie Hong and the Old Lady Xie are among them.

The nine great surnames intermarry and are all familiar with each other.

They talk in twos and threes.

Xie Hong looked up and noticed a middle-aged man in the crowd wearing a jade belt and a golden dragon robe. His chin was full of stubble, and his left hand was holding a small jar, teasing the cricket inside, looking quite leisurely, which was somewhat out of place with the people around him.

Xie Hong narrowed his eyes slightly; this person is the Emperor of Great Qi, the nominal owner of this country, Chen Yan.

What a pity!

This Emperor Xianhe is a person pushed to the front by the nine great surnames and is regarded as a puppet.

After the palace coup in the third year of Xianhe, Emperor Chen Yan became addicted to the way of mysterious cultivation and play, the government affairs became worse day by day, and the country's affairs gradually became desolate.

To the right of Chen Yan is a gorgeous and noble woman, wearing a phoenix crown and robes, indescribably upright and elegant, her eyes flowing, talking and laughing with several people around her.

This person is the Empress of Great Qi, Zhuge Nanyue.

Beside Empress Zhuge is Zhuge Ziqing, the person whom Zhao Yang fell in love with, a man with a woman's appearance, noble beyond words.

In addition!

On the left side of the third floor are the people of the temple, sitting with an old man; he is Tang Ziang, known as the sick tiger of the Ministry of Rites.

The people in the court gathered around him.

There were also several people around Xie Hong, the Sima family and the Li family who were on good terms with the Xie family.

The two town-guarding generals of the Li family have been guarding the north for two or three years and have not returned to Bianjing.

Only an old lady of the Li family with a kind face came with two ladies.

The Xie family and the Li family, the two groups of people greeted each other with smiles.

The two old ladies are familiar with each other, so they chatted naturally on the side.

At this time, the Gathering of Beauties officially began.

The stage was brilliant, singing and dancing, adding a bit of liveliness and joy to this banquet.

Many people gathered at the railing of the third floor, admiring the dance of neon garments below.

However!

This Emperor of Great Qi seemed to have no interest in all this; his eyes only had the cricket in the jar, as if he didn't care about the crowd at all.

This Empress Zhuge did not pay much attention to Chen Yan, but instead took Zhuge Ziqing and walked toward the people gathered by the Xie family, leaving only this Emperor of Great Qi alone.

Zhuge Nanyue looked at Xie Hong with a different look in her eyes.

"Mr. Xie, have you been well? It seems that eight years have passed since we met at Qingliang Temple."

"Mr. Xie is still as elegant as ever."

Zhuge Ziqing is tall and slender, wearing a snow-white robe, wearing a jade crown, and his appearance is even more soft and beautiful than a woman.

Especially the cinnabar point in the center of his forehead is like the finishing touch, making him bright and moving, as if he walked out of a painting.

"Ziqing, I have met Mr. Xie."

Xie Hong was dressed in simple cloth clothes, looking at Empress Zhuge with deep eyes, and complex emotions flashed in his eyes, both struggling and helpless.

He bowed slightly and said in a steady and respectful voice: "Xie Hong, I have met the Empress."

The Old Lady Xie standing on the side witnessed this scene, her heart was mixed with five flavors, and she couldn't help but let out a light sigh.

There are too many pasts and entanglements hidden behind this banquet.

She simply left with the Old Lady Li.

The tone was full of concern that had never been in Xie Fu, "Hong'er, mother and Li family sister-in-law are going for a stroll."

Xie Hong nodded.

With the departure of Old Lady Xie and Old Lady Li, only Xie Hong, Empress Zhuge, and Zhuge Ziqing remained on the field.

The atmosphere suddenly became a bit subtle.

Empress Zhuge looked at the back of the old lady leaving, and a touch of emotion appeared in her eyes: "Old lady, still the same as that year."

"If it weren't for her old lady's disagreement that year, maybe I would have to call her mother now."

Empress said this, actually already despising imperial power.

How can an Empress say this?

Zhuge Ziqing on the side didn't seem to care.

The affair between Xie Hong and Empress Zhuge had already caused a sensation in Bianjing that year, and it was almost known to everyone in the nine great surnames.

It was only after Empress Zhuge entered the harem that Mr. Xie married and had children.

This Empress Zhuge has lived in the harem for many years, but has not given birth to a son until now.

Empress Zhuge looked at the gray and black hair mixed in Xie Hong's hair.

"Brother Hong, you have aged a lot."

An extremely intimate address.

There were finally waves in Xie Hong's eyes, and his tone became more gentle.

"Nanyue, you haven't changed at all."

Zhuge Nanyue smiled: "How do you know I haven't changed? In the harem, the deep courtyard is deep, I don't know how many women have been buried here for a lifetime."

"You know my character, I have never been a bird in a cage. What I yearn for is the rivers and lakes, riding a horse and whipping."

"Brother Hong, you taught me to read and write since I was a child, and taught me martial arts to protect myself. Have you ever thought about what I want in my heart?"

Xie Hong heard the words, his eyelids slowly closed, as if recalling the past.

Thinking back then, the three heroes of the Xie family, the eldest brother entered the official career, the second brother Xie Ling joined the army, only Xie Hong stayed at home, serving his mother while studying diligently.

Zhuge Nanyue grew up in the Xie family because her aunt was sick, and the two were childhood sweethearts.

At this moment!

Zhuge Nanyue changed the subject and asked softly: "Brother Hong, have you ever regretted it?"

Xie Hong heard the words and shook his head gently, "No regrets."

The two words were loud and clear, echoing in his heart.

Zhuge Nanyue walked slowly to the railing and looked out, only to see the square stage below, with zones A, B, C, and D arranged in an orderly manner, bustling with excitement.

From such a height, there is indeed a feeling of "climbing to the top, looking at all the mountains."

The people around seemed to retreat tactfully, leaving a quiet space.

Even Zhuge Ziqing not far away just stood far away, silent.

Although people around noticed the conversation between the two, they didn't know why they couldn't hear their voices.

Even if you listen carefully, there is no sound.

Offstage!

Cheers came one after another, the dance of neon garments reached its climax, the graceful dance posture made countless audiences fall in love, and many people stood up and applauded, their emotions excited.

The people on both banks of the Zhi River also cheered.

Zhuge Nanyue's voice was soft, with a trace of imperceptible worry.

"Brother Hong, from the day you stepped out of Qingliang Temple and entered Xie Fu, I guessed it."

"Do you really want to throw yourself into this surging wave?"

Xie Hong was silent for a moment, and finally nodded slightly.

"If not, what is the meaning of the literature and martial arts I, Xie Hong, have learned?"

Zhuge Nanyue sighed, her tone full of helplessness and sadness: "But after today, this Bianjing, this vast world, is afraid that it will fall into endless turmoil, and it will be difficult to see the prosperous world of today."

"Killing one person seems simple, but it is actually like beheading thousands of innocent people."

"Is this really worth it?" She stared at Xie Hong's eyes.

Xie Hong shook his head, his tone heavy, "This world has long been riddled with holes, like a sheep kept in captivity, with no freedom at all."

"If you don't remove the root and only treat the symptoms, it will be futile in the end."

Zhuge Nanyue heard the words, her expression became more worried, and her eyes were slightly red.

"But there are many heroes in this world, why must it be you?"

Xie Hong smiled and said: "Why can't it be me?"

After speaking, the two were speechless.

Zhuge Nanyue suddenly said: "You let Xie Ling suffer a big defeat on the western frontier battlefield, and then didn't return to the capital for many years, actually to leave a way out for the Xie family, right?"

"When the Gathering of Beauties ends today, the world will surely fall into chaos, and then Xie Ling can take the opportunity to raise troops in the west."

Xie Hong just said: "Yes, and no!"

Xie Hong said goodbye and left, brushing past Zhuge Nanyue.

A voice rang in Zhuge Nanyue's ear, "Be careful of Chen Yan."

"He died as early as the third year of Xianhe."

Chen Yan is the current Emperor of Great Qi.

Xie Hong did not stop and walked straight to the side of Old Lady Xie.

Old Lady Xie looked at Zhuge Nanyue, who was still standing on the side, this Empress of Great Qi.

"Hong'er, you don't blame mother."

"Nanyue is a good girl, but it's a pity."

Xie Hong shook his head gently, "Mother, son has never blamed you."

Old Lady Xie said softly: "Hong'er, are you worried about mother all the time this time you go home."

"Hong'er, you have been sensible since you were a child, and mother supports you in everything you do."

"The Xie family bears this cause and effect for you."

A son knows his mother best.

For the youngest son she raised by herself, the old lady had long noticed the difference during this period.

Xie Hong's expression became even more dejected after hearing this.

Old Lady Xie patted Xie Hong's back of the hand and said: "With your character, if Ling'er had such a big thing, you wouldn't ignore it."

"If it is a disaster of extermination, mother hopes that Hong'er will preserve himself. If the Xie family has you and Ling'er, the Xie family will not fall."

Xie Hong's face became more miserable.

At this moment!

The door of the attic on the fourth floor was pushed open gently.

Everyone on the third floor heard it and paid attention to it.

A thin old man, wearing a wide green shirt, his face covered with wrinkles, but he could still see the handsome features of his youth, but now he is like a dead wood in the mountains.

Under the gray and sparse eyebrows, the old man's eyes flashed with a faint luster.

He was walking down slowly with the help of a middle-aged man.

Everyone on the scene had different expressions.

Everyone on the second and first floors of Yao Xian Lou stood up, not daring to speak loudly.

Everyone dared not neglect, all bowed, even the Emperor of Great Qi, Chen Yan, was the same.

The old man is Su Xiang.

Su Xiang walked down the stairs slowly and walked to the first floor.

Everyone stood and looked at the entrance of the first floor.

At this moment!

More than a dozen Confucian disciples with deep auras walked into the first floor.

Everyone had guessed that the Academy had come!

People on the upper and lower three floors were looking for that figure.

Xie Hong looked at a middle-aged man behind several Academy disciples on the third floor.

The middle-aged man was tall and slender, wearing a somewhat white Confucian shirt, with a soft black hair draped over his shoulders, his features were ordinary, I don't know why they were combined on the man's face, but there was an indescribable sense of handsomeness.

"I have met the Third Master."

Respectful voices rang out in Yao Xian Lou.

This person is the Third Master of the Academy, who has not been down to the Academy for decades.

Everyone's eyes were surprised.

It seems that since they started, the Third Master in their memory seems to be like this.

It is rumored that the Third Master was born in a family of wealth and status, and has been well-fed and clothed since childhood.

Su Jing had already walked to the door, looking at this fellow apprentice.

Su Jing is like an old man, but the Third Master seems to be middle-aged.

"Brother, I haven't seen you for many years."

The Third Master didn't speak, and took a group of Academy disciples up the stairs.

Su Jing was not angry, and followed closely behind.

Everyone was amazed, but felt that it should be so.

In Bianjing, who dares to give Su Xiang such a face, except for the several masters of the Academy.

No one dares!

When the Third Master walked up to the third floor, his footsteps paused, and he looked at Xie Hong on the third floor.

He frowned slightly, then ignored it and went straight to the fourth floor.

Su Jing also walked into it.

Everyone downstairs watched the two walk into the fourth floor.

The Third Master of the Academy and the Fourth Master of the Academy.

It was a big deal back then, after the Master searched for immortals in the East Sea for two hundred years, the Academy almost split into two, but it was the "dispute between the third and fourth".

The First Master left Great Qi and became the National Master of Great Sui.

The Second Master has been seriously ill in bed ever since.

Since then, Great Qi has also declined, and there is a Great Sui that can truly compete with it.

The fate of Great Qi for the past two hundred years seems to be related to these two masters.

Now!

After many years, the two met again, and everyone was naturally looking forward to it.

Xie Hong saw this and disappeared into the third floor of the Gathering of Beauties unconsciously.

In the attic on the fourth floor, only two people were sitting opposite each other.

Su Jing sighed, "I didn't expect that there would be a chance to meet with brother calmly in this life."

The Third Master just closed his eyes slightly and ignored it.

After the dance of neon garments on the square stage was finished.

The blue-clothed woman bowed gracefully to the fourth floor of Yao Xian Lou on the stage.

At this time!

A secret aura permeated Bianjing.

Su Jing's face was suddenly shocked, this old man who had never shown surprise, showed shock for the first time.

The Third Master also opened his eyes, his eyes full of disbelief, as if he had sensed something incredible.

This matter was beyond their expectations.

"The God-Startling Array built for seven hundred years... moved."

"The God-Startling Array that the Master painstakingly built!"

The God-Startling Array is something that the people of Bianjing, Great Qi, know, and even the people of the world.

The God-Startling Array was built by the Master to protect the Bianjing Academy. As long as the God-Startling Array is there, even thousands of troops will find it difficult to break into Bianjing.

As long as the God-Startling Array is there, the people are at ease, and Bianjing will always be there.

But Su Jing and the Third Master know the truth is not so?

This is also a secret that their four disciples only learned within a hundred years.

Although this God-Startling Array was built by the Master, it was not to protect Bianjing, but a formation built according to ancient methods.

Its original name is the "Imprisoning Immortal" Array, which is a formation that imprisons immortals in the sky in legends.

Once an immortal enters Bianjing, this "Imprisoning Immortal Array" will start to operate and imprison the immortal in it.

However, it is surprising that this formation has never had any movement since it was built, as if it were just an illusory legend.

How could it suddenly start to operate?

This "Imprisoning Immortal" array is a sacrificial platform, as long as this array starts.

All living creatures in the formation will be swallowed by the formation and turned into nutrients.

But where do immortals come from in the world?

～

Yu Ke looked at Sima Pan in front of him.

(End of chapter)