Chapter 4 God’s Token
A thick layer of wax hangs on the edge of the candlestick.
There was a "puff" sound in the hall, and the moth hit the lampshade outside back and forth. Zhu Gongdao squinted his eyes slightly, and flicked the moth away with a flick of his finger.
Beside the host, the wine fell into the wine glass with a "swishing" sound, splashing some water stains. Su Chen picked it up and handed it to Zhu Gongdao: "Want a glass?"
The latter took it back Looking at it, he leaned on the spear and shook his head.
"It's boring."
Su Chen took a sip, and in the voice of the servant announcing the time outside the yard, he turned his head slightly and lowered his voice: "Why hasn't His Majesty shown up yet?"
"I don't know. , but I can feel that His Majesty is here."
Zhu Gongdao was indifferent and answered questions. Su Chen exhaled, stood up and asked him to go to the back to get a stick of incense. After lighting it, he walked over. In the middle of the hall, he bowed three times to the outside, suppressed distracting thoughts, looked at the night outside with concentration, and called softly:
"Su Chen, the Marquis of Ding'an City, asks to see the Han Emperor!"
The sound of rustling treetops shaking and caressing.
A gust of wind blew up in the courtyard, causing a pair of red lanterns hanging under the eaves to sway back and forth. Su Chen watched the smoke from the incense in his hands disperse and fly outside, when suddenly a coughing sound came from the right side. came from the end of the corridor.
Ahem!
Before Su Chen stepped out of the hall, the lanterns under the eaves suddenly became bright and dim. Looking from the hall to the row of window lattice on the right, a black shadow reflected on the paper window slowly and smoothly came out.
‘So spooky? ’
Thinking of the dream within a dream he had yesterday, Su Chen's face looked a little ugly. If it was a ghost movie... Before he could figure out the terrifying and gloomy image in his mind, a figure appeared at the door.
The old man in simple gray robes and white beard and hair, leaning on a cane, seemed to be walking and floating. He crossed the threshold and came in. He smiled when he saw the stunned Su Chen, without imagining it. Instead of being eerie and terrifying, he is more like the kind elders in the village.
"With your incense, I have a chance to come back to the world."
The old man looked at Su Chen up and down, nodded repeatedly, and seemed very satisfied. He walked straight to a seat on one side and sat down on crutches. He came down and said, "Don't think I am the emperor... Come, sit down and talk with me."
"Yes!"
Su Chen cupped his hands and turned back, but instead of sitting in the first place, he sat down opposite Liu Xie. Thinking of the doubts in his heart, he couldn't help but speak first: "That dream last night, your Majesty..."
The old man nodded.
"I fell into your dream."
"Then why did your Majesty want to help me?" To be honest, Su Chen didn't really believe that a little incense would impress the other person. This Han Emperor Xian's speech and behavior from the time he appeared until now are not like a puppet with strings. Whatever Su Chen said, the other party would do it.
"Let me help you... In addition to thanking you for the incense... there is actually another reason." The old man smiled, leaned over and smelled the tea that Zhu Gongdao brought and put on the table, "It smells so good... ...I haven’t tasted it for many years, so it seems that it would be beneficial to come here first.”
Liu Xie praised and saw Su Chen smiled and continued.
"Another reason is like seeing myself in the past..."
Su Chen frowned: "The past?"
"Haha...this period of time When I saw what you did, I remembered my youth." The old man's eyes were slightly blurred and he said softly: "When I was young, I was just like you. I never thought about competing for the throne with my brother. Isn't it just a chair? As long as there is harmony between the brothers, I will be happy... I am very happy... My brother also sat in that position as he wished... Unfortunately, you should know what happened next, so I won't mention it."
" So your majesty helps me? It’s that simple?”
The old man came back to his senses: "It's that simple."
"Does His Majesty have any other subordinates to send to me?" Su Chen looked at the old man expectantly, but the answer he got was Liu Xie laughing. 's shook his head.
He stroked his long gray beard: "You can't control them yet."
"Why?" Su Chen frowned even more.
The old man did not answer, but looked over with a smile. After a long time, he only said a simple sentence: "I am sending Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu, Huangfu Song... these people over. Do you think you have the confidence to control them now?" ?”
Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu?
Su Chen's eyes darkened. Huangfu Song will not talk about it for now. The two people in front of him are both tigers and wolves. It is true that they cannot be controlled at this stage. If they are sent, according to their personalities, it is impossible to say that Ding'an City will become more chaotic. .
"I still have something to ask for." The old man who had been silent for a moment suddenly spoke, interrupting Su Chen's thoughts, "... When I woke up and looked at you, I was actually thinking about one thing. If I had truly taken control of the court, would the Han Dynasty have become different? After the Yellow Turban, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and there were no conquests and wars in the states... But I have never really been an emperor for a day..."
< br>He looked at Su Chen and paused: "I wonder if you can let me fulfill this wish?"
Is this obsession?
Su Chen frowned slightly.
"But I am not the emperor, how can I let your majesty become the emperor for a time?"
"It doesn't have to be the emperor... I just want to experience for myself the heroic spirit of ruling the world. Liu Xie took out a token from his sleeve and put it on the table, "You may not be able to control the tiger and wolf generals, but you can use the hero on this token."
Su Chen stepped forward and took the token. It was oblong in shape and half the size of a palm. The material was similar to Zhu Gongdao's. There were two words on it: God.
"God...could it be that one..."
Su Chen raised his face and was about to ask, when suddenly he woke up from his chair with a sudden jolt. The surroundings were quiet, moths were still buzzing around the lampshade, and the lanterns under the eaves were hanging quietly as usual.
Zhu Gongdao stood on one side holding a spear, not squinting, but the seat where the old man originally sat was empty.
However, the token in my hand proves that what happened just now actually happened.
"Han Emperor Liu Xie really came just now?" Su Chen looked at Zhu Gongdao, who turned his face slightly and nodded silently.
“It’s so mysterious that others can’t see His Majesty?”
Zhu Gongdao nodded again.
"Then he won't see me when I go to the latrine, right?"
The corners of Zhu Gongdao's mouth twitched, and he didn't know how to answer this time. At this moment, a boy came over outside the door and called out respectfully: "Third Young Master, the Marquis is awake."
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Chen He had already come out quickly, walked straight out of the Crescent Moon Gate and rushed to the backyard beside the boy. The two brothers who had received the news also rushed over and were both inside at this time.
The mother, who had been taking care of her until now, stood up with a tired look and asked her three sons to approach the bed. Su Chen squeezed between the two brothers and called out to the figure on the bed.
"Dad."
Su Congfang had just woken up, her body was weak and she couldn't keep up her energy at all. She just curled her lips and fell into sleep again.
But the family was relieved to be able to wake up.
"Mom, go and have a rest. The children will take care of you here." Su Yong supported the woman and persuaded her to be sent out of the room to the maid Chunmei to take her to the side to rest.
When he came back, Su Chen looked at the sleeping old man on the bed and turned around and said: "Brothers, leave this to me. You have to deal with many things in the city tomorrow, so don't stay up late and waste your energy."
"You haven't done this, how can you take good care of dad if you are careless." Su Lie disagreed.
The second brother has a straightforward temper. Su Chen has long been used to it. He smiled and said: "Isn't there a maid waiting outside? I will stay by the bed and wait for dad to wake up. If you need anything, I can just call the maid, I won’t be careless about this little thing.”
Su Yong and Su Lie will indeed have a lot of things to do tomorrow. If their father wakes up now, it means that he will not be alive. The two of them went back to rest so that they could have the energy to deal with the chaos of the assassination tomorrow.
"Well, in that case, just stay here with your father. If anything happens, ask the maid to come and let us know." Su Yong spoke softly, patted Su Chen on the shoulder, and took Su Lie away.
As soon as the person left, the room became quiet.
Su Chen raised his hand and waved his cuffs, and the two maids waiting at the door consciously stepped back from the door and gently closed the door.
The candle flame flickered.
The standing figure slowly walked to the bedside and sat down. He held the old man's hand and was silent for a while: "Dad, what happened today is strange. How did these assassins know that you would come to help?"< br>
Looking at the old man's closed eyes, Su Chen suddenly smiled.
"It's just that there is a mole in the family. After all, not many people can know your itinerary. They will always find out. However, the eldest brother and the second brother like to be upright. It is better for me to do things like dark corners."
Uh...
As Su Chen said this, the old man who was unconscious on the bed suddenly let out a groan. He opened his eyes slightly and saw his little son in front of him. He opened his mouth weakly.
"Su Chen...why are you...here..."
"I will guard dad tonight."
Su Chen smiled and brought the warm soup on the bedside and fed it into his mouth one spoon at a time. "Mom, I've been here all afternoon. The eldest brother and the second brother have things to deal with tomorrow. I'm the most leisurely person in the house, so naturally I should." I'll take care of it."
The old man looked at his son, who was holding a bowl and a spoon, smiling and talking, and suddenly had a ridiculous illusion, which was not at all like the youngest who had troubled him.
"It's hard for you."
"On weekdays, the eldest brother and the second brother are doing things, so I cheat and hide and relax. Now that something happened at home, the son must do his best. "Filial piety." Su Chen returned to his usual expression, "If you don't even have this filial piety, you might as well stuff it back into your mother's belly."
"You..." Su Congfang grinned weakly, not knowing. Why, he didn't feel angry when his son said these bastard words today, "If you keep talking bastard words... stop hanging out with... those people in the city... Dad will feel at ease."
"Well, dad is right, no serious person will hang out with them."
"You bastard, you are the most unserious!"
"Haha!"
Su Chen put the warm soup back to its original place, and the father and son chatted for a while. Seeing that Su Congfang fell into a drowsy sleep again, he sat by the bed and stayed there until the sky became dim and bright, and his mother led Chunmei to take over, and then he got up. Get out of the house.
It’s been a long time since I stayed up all night. I remember when I was fifteen years old in Zuihua Tower.
When I was thinking about it, I had already arrived at the dining room in the front yard. The eldest brother and the second brother had gone out to do errands early in the morning. Only two brothers and sisters-in-law were left. The eldest sister-in-law Yin Suhuan was generous and decent, with a gentle temper. Most of her natal family members were officials in the court and married into the Su family. Finally, he didn't show any other expression towards Su Chen, an uncle who had no 'skills'.
"Wait a minute, Hongzhen and I are going to take care of our father and mother, so don't run around."
"He is the most idle one in the family, what can he do if he doesn't go out on the street?" Hongzhen is the nickname of the second sister-in-law, and her words are very joking.
"I understand."
Su Chen smiled and said, there were footsteps coming from the door of the house, Shisan stood at the door and called in a low voice: "Third Young Master .”
"Two sisters-in-law, please be patient, I have something to deal with."
Looking at the back of the two sisters-in-law who got up and went out, the second sister-in-law Hua Hongzhen curled her lips and said, "Pretend."
"Hongzhen!" Sister-in-law Su Huan put down her bowls and chopsticks and turned her face, looking a little reproachfully.
……
“Any idea?”
After leaving the side hall, Su Chen stood under the eaves in the corner and looked at Thirteen with a tired face. The latter looked around, nodded and whispered: "I have inquired all over the city and found some clues. Some brothers saw the four assassins coming into contact with some people yesterday."
As he spoke, he leaned closer and said a few words in Su Chen's ear.
Su Chen narrowed his eyes, turned around and walked back to the south chamber courtyard, his tone cold.
“Call Zhu Gongdao and come with me!”
(End of this chapter)