My enemies became my companions

Chapter 473: Empty Building (Two in One)

There was a wind suddenly blowing, it was all north wind. Cangwu Peak is one of the thirteen peaks in the north. When winter comes, the sounds of birds, insects and snakes disappear. The fir trees stand tall like iron, and the sparsely populated areas look like swords and tombs.

Even the wind that blows through this place is often dead silent.

Undoubtedly, the environment is too quiet and it is not a place where one can stay for a long time, but for Yin Tingxue, life in Yinjian Mountain is very simple and extremely stable.

There is no need to worry about too many things every day. The work to be done is nothing more than memorizing and practicing. In free time, you can read books, play with dogs, and chat with Master Zhou from time to time. Occasionally, you will be scolded, and the day will pass. Yin Tingxue lives here alone and there is not a single day that she is not satisfied with.

But Chen Yi's arrival broke all this.

It was like adding a touch of overly strong color to an impressionistic landscape painting. Yin Tingxue found it difficult to adapt to it. The girl had been celibate for a long time. Ever since Chen Yi started having sex, she had been wanted for three consecutive days. Everyone knew that man was lustful. Even though his behavior was gentle, Yin Tingxue could not bear it. The girl was too frail and felt dizzy when she was reading.

There was a wind blowing in the nameless school. Yin Tingxue lowered her head, and the book in front of her fell under her eyelids from time to time. Her eyelids were twitching, causing her face to droop lower and lower.

A one-armed girl walked into the school and saw it with a sidelong glance.

Snapped!
Yin Tingxue suddenly woke up after being patted on the back, and exclaimed:

"Ah, my husband, don't do it anymore..."

Zhou Yitang paused and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Yin Tingxue felt a chill on her neck, shrank back, and her cheeks flushed red.

She turned her head carefully and said, "It's... Master Zhou."

Zhou Yitang said: "I think you are really a fox spirit. I can't even tell whether you are a man or a woman."

Yin Tingxue's face turned even redder. She was too embarrassed to say anything, so she had to hold up the book to half cover her face.

"Keep reciting." The one-armed woman didn't bother with her and turned to leave the school.

"and many more."

Zhou Yitang was called and turned around, and saw a pair of big almond eyes revealed on the yellowed edge of the cover of "The Miraculous Scripture of the Divine Mantra of the Northern Emperor", and she was looking at her without blinking.

"what's up?"

"I..." Yin Tingxue paused, "I didn't doze off on purpose."

"Ah."

"He was too demanding, it's not my fault."

Zhou Yitang said: "I know."

Seeing that the one-armed woman didn't care much and seemed to be used to it, Yin Tingxue couldn't help but ponder it for a moment.

"It's okay, I'll leave." Zhou Yitang turned around again.

"But you don't know..." Yin Tingxue said shockingly: "He called your name when he wanted me."

The one-armed woman landed on her toes suddenly and almost stumbled.

She turned around.
"What did you say?"

Master Zhou really cared.

Yin Tingxue blinked, the scripture in her hand covering most of her expression.

In fact, what she said was not without purpose. Chen Yi loved to play a lot. In bed, he would occasionally deliberately call her the wrong name. He called her Yin Weiying, Zhu E, Qin Qingluo, etc., but he would never call her her right name.

Seeing Zhou Yitang staring at her, the girl lowered her almond-shaped eyes and said with a bit of loneliness:

"I am the second person he thinks of."

"Eating from the bowl and looking at the pot." Zhou Yitang sneered.

Yin Tingxue squeezed her face out of the book and said, "But, you don't know...you don't know how much he misses you."

Zhou Yitang's face froze slightly.

Yin Tingxue continued, "When we are together, we always talk about you and nothing else. He feels lost every time. You don't know how much he relies on you."

Zhou Yitang listened to every word of the girl, and his eyebrows drooped slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

In fact, there was no need for Yin Tingxue to say it, the one-armed woman could more or less sense Chen Yi's need for her. Even though this rebellious man would disobey her in every way, he would always do what she wanted when the critical moment came.

They were too similar. They knew what each other wanted just by looking at each other, which made things very awkward. It was like this in their previous life, and it was even more so in this life... It had never changed, and she was unwilling to change.

Yin Tingxue said at the right time: "He misses you a lot. He misses you first and me second. Why do you always have to be so stiff? He relies on you so much. Anyway, when the time comes, he will always do what you want."

Zhou Yitang was speechless, he didn't know what was going on in his mind, he just felt it was fluctuating. A gust of wind ruffled the quiet lake of his heart, ripples appeared and spread out.

He always relied on himself.
…Is that so?
At that time, she possessed Min Ning and asked him about things related to each other. Even if he had thousands of complaints, how could he complain if he didn't rely on her? The one-armed woman calmed down and inadvertently recalled that she was confused at that time and had sex with him.

Seeing that the time had come, Yin Tingxue's ear twitched slightly, and she blurted out the words she had prepared: "I told Master Zhou before that if you want to manipulate him, you have to be gentle, right?
But things are precious because they are rare. Actually, if I am obedient like this, he will still bully me. But look at you... you have such a cold personality. If you are a little gentle, he will be very happy even if he doesn't say nice things to you. "

Zhou Yitang knew what Yin Tingxue meant, but he still asked, "Is it true?"

Yin Tingxue thought of a metaphor seriously: "It can go from Wudang in the north to Shaolin in the south."

The one-armed woman smiled, turned around and left the school, leaving Yin Tingxue alone.

After half a day, Yin Tingxue finished memorizing the book and left the school by herself. There were not many people on Cangwu Peak. Although Zhou Yitong occasionally supervised her to see if she had memorized it well, it was not often. She mostly relied on her self-discipline.

Yin Tingxue thought of Zhou Yitang's departing back and muttered to herself in her heart. Perhaps Master Zhou heard her.

Thinking of this, Yin Tingxue curled her lips and revealed a slightly cunning smile.

I can use Chen Yi to mediate between Zhou Yitang and Chen Yi, and make them all like me. With Senior Sister Lu, wouldn't I have a good life every day?

And no one will find out about this little cleverness...

Yin Tingxue couldn't help but smile as she imagined Zhou and Chen being obedient and follow her orders.

She walked towards the small building with the book in her arms. After she had taken a few steps, she suddenly heard a noise behind her.

Click.

Then, Yin Tingxue stopped and turned back suddenly, and Chen Yi's face appeared in front of her.

Yin Tingxue was startled and the book fell to the ground. She quickly picked it up and continued, "You...why are you here?"

She swallowed and looked at him gloomily.

"Why are you so nervous? I came to see you because I thought of someone." Chen Yi paused and asked, "How is Min Ming?"

In the past few days, whenever Chen Yi went up the mountain, he argued with Zhou Yitong about Lu Ying. Apart from that, he focused all his attention on the little fox and even forgot about Min Ming's existence.

And because of Min Ming's personality, she is a person who is easily forgotten. Although there was a murder weapon, it was wrapped in clothes after all, and no one had really seen it.

"What do you want to do with Sister Min?" Yin Tingxue asked first, and then explained: "She is now doing odd jobs."

Yinjian Mountain is the largest female Taoist sect in the north, with hundreds of disciples from all the peaks inside and outside the sect. As a result, the corresponding menial team needs to be of nearly a hundred people. After all, just the "eating and drinking" item requires a lot of manpower. Even if the Taoists can practice fasting, it is only after they have achieved success in their cultivation.

Apart from women from decent families, most of the servants on the mountain are female relatives of the inner disciples. Given Zhou Yitong's status, it is not difficult for him to arrange a job as a servant for Min Ming. However, there is no need for him to arrange it personally, but rather the order from the master.

Chen Yi nodded slightly and said, "Okay, I'll go find her later."

"Why did you go to see Sister Min?" Yin Tingxue asked curiously. "I heard from Min Ning that she can make Kongming lanterns, so I asked her to teach me." Chen Yi said.

Kongming Lanterns…

Yin Tingxue's eyes lit up. Without even thinking, she knew who this gift was for...

As if he noticed Yin Tingxue's movements, Chen Yi immediately said, "This is for you."

"Given to me?"

Yin Tingxue was slightly puzzled, but then she suddenly realized.

"Yeah, it was given to me."

"It's good to know."

"Then...then I want to draw a flower on the lamp."

"What flower?"

Yin Tingxue said as a matter of course: "Peony, I like peony the most."

Chen Yi turned his head away, not knowing what to say. He just smiled helplessly and responded.
"Ah."

.........

Night falls over the capital.

As soon as winter came, the Jingren Palace would light up the floor heating early to keep it extremely warm. The palace maids who went back and forth between the palace walls did not wear thick clothes, as their clothes would be soaked with sweat after running a few times.

A group of people hurriedly walked through Yuanchun Hall, where a grand banquet had been held years ago. The female official Suxin walked in front, holding a report in both hands, and crossed the palace wall to the outside of Jingren Palace.

In the dark night, while waiting for the palace maid to report, Su Xin took a deep breath, wiped the sticky sweat on her neck that she couldn't tell whether it was hot or cold sweat, and was then summoned into the palace.

"Madam, the reports from the south have arrived. They are all about the White Lotus Sect."

In the deep and dark hall, the queen sat at the desk, shrouded in darkness. She casually pushed away the red jade Pixiu that was used as a paperweight, and there was no emotion in her eyes.

Su Xin took a breath nervously.

She didn't know if it was her illusion, but over the past year, Empress An's aura had become increasingly overwhelming. During court sessions, all officials bowed their heads before the densely packed wide curtains. The Empress Dowager gave people a sense of majesty that they needed to look up to.

"You've seen it, so just give me a general idea." A voice came from the desk.

"Yes," Su Xin paused and explained, "The White Lotus bandits have been wreaking havoc in Huguang for more than two months. Dong'an, Ningyuan, Lingling and other counties in Yongzhou Prefecture have all fallen into the hands of the White Lotus. Going up the river to Hengzhou Prefecture and Changsha Prefecture, although the two prefectures have long been under martial law, the bandits are fierce. Three counties in Hengzhou Prefecture have fallen, and only one county in Changsha Prefecture has fallen into the hands of the White Lotus. However, the figures of the White Lotus sect members have appeared in Ji'an and Fuzhou to the east of Changsha, and Longhu Mountain has been closed. I am afraid that the White Lotus bandits are active in a place farther than what has been said!"

"What a great rebellion in Huguang," An Hou's expression remained unchanged, and she gently handed a letter to Su Xin. "This is a joint letter of request for merit from the left and right governors, the provincial governor, and several commanders of Huguang."

She paused and said in a deep voice, "They are all great victories!"

Su Xin looked down at the contents of the memorial, her pupils shrank slightly, and she said in disbelief: "Yongzhou Prefecture has been recovered? How could it be so corrupt?!"

Empress An on the seat burst out laughing. It was unclear whether there was anger in her smile or not. She only said slowly, "The White Lotus sect is in chaos because the leader got some opportunities and inherited some traditions. We can just destroy them. It's just a superficial problem. The local officials are bullying the superiors and the subordinates. It's a deep-seated problem."

Reporting a defeat as a victory is not uncommon. It happened during the reign of Emperor Taizu. However, reporting a great defeat as a great victory is another matter altogether. Su Xin had been assisting the Shangshu Neisheng in handling government affairs for a long time. She had never imagined that the local areas of Dayu could be so corrupt. Even Huguang was like this. What about the Guangdong and Guangxi areas further south? I was afraid that one day when the enemy troops arrived at the capital, all places would still be victorious.

"Su Xin, tell me, what should we do? I'd like to hear your advice."

“…the emperor should order the dispatch of the imperial army to suppress the White Lotus Rebellion.”

"The Ministry of War belongs to King Jing."

"Then..." It was common for the imperial edict to pass through the six ministries. Su Xin immediately woke up as if from a dream and said repeatedly: "In extraordinary times, for extraordinary matters, we specially dispatched foreign generals to supervise the military, and sent troops south to wipe out the White Lotus bandits, and even... arrest the officials of Huguang, and clear up the chaos in Huguang to show the world."

"You have been with me for many years and are very sensible. You should secretly draft the imperial edict... no, the royal edict. As for the list of officers and soldiers, just prepare a copy for me." The voice was calm, as if explaining something very ordinary.

But Su Xin knew that in the past six months, many generals with the surname An had appeared in the capital's imperial guards.

The Ding'an Party was busy fighting for the power of the court, and Dayu had been at peace for a long time, so they were completely unaware that under the protection of the Lin Party, the An family had been rooted in the imperial guards for many years. When these An family members went south to suppress the bandits, by the time they succeeded, their power would shock the court and the country. Even if King Jing and others reacted and wanted to curb their power, it would be too late.

"If you have nothing else to do, go down."

Su Xin did not retreat, and said, "I have something else to report."

"explain."

"The New Year is approaching, and the matter of this year's private banquet still needs your attention and decision." Su Xin spoke every word carefully.

The man in front of the case was indeed silent, shrouded in silent darkness.

Su Xin couldn't help but shiver. She naturally knew what had happened the previous year, and she knew even more clearly that the person who committed the crime of disrespect was still in exile and his whereabouts were unknown.

After a long while, Queen An stood up and slowly walked out of the shadows, saying, "Let's go to Yuanchun Hall and take a look."

Su Xin stopped trembling, but she was not clear about the meaning of the words.

This statement is indeed ambiguous.

However, as a female official, she always knew that there was no need to speculate at such times, so she responded, "Yes."

Yuanchuntang was located in the inner court and the harem, so there was no need to set out. Empress An walked first, followed by Suxin, and then several palace maids, all the way to Yuanchuntang.

The pace is slow, slow enough for people to leisurely appreciate the waxing and waning of the moon in the sky.

Queen An always looked at the moon, her brows still the same.

As we approached Yuanchun Hall, palace lanterns were lit up, illuminating the interior. The red and purple pillars supporting the walls were dazzling and bright. The Shura battlefield on the mural was still vivid. There was a thick layer of dust on the round table in front of the painting, but the layout was still exactly the same as before.

Queen An stopped and looked at the round table. She said, "Put out the porcelain plates and cups."

As soon as he finished speaking, the palace maids did as they were told and immediately placed the table according to the specifications of the porcelain plate with gold chopsticks at the head of the table, and the porcelain plates with silver chopsticks at the other tables.

Queen An stared for a long time, and after a while, she slowly sat down on the main seat.

From this point of view, on her left were Imperial Concubine Dong and Lin Wanheng, directly opposite was Yin Weiying, on her right were Yin Tingxue and Donggong Ruoshu, and in the middle was him...

The palace lanterns are full of splendor.

The banquet seems to be still vivid in my mind.

"he died."

Su Xin suddenly heard the voice and raised her head. Before she could respond, she heard another sentence.

"Just treat him as dead," Queen An said slowly, "this way I will miss him more."

Su Xin didn't dare to answer.

The bright moon hangs in the night sky. The palace lanterns reflect on the surrounding walls and diffuse to the rims of the cups. A palace maid pours wine at the right time. Ripples are rippling in the cups, and the face of Empress An is reflected in the cups. The light falls into the cups in tiny pieces, outlining the banquet, which is the only beautiful scene in my memory. At that time, it was a chance for a good weather and a family reunion.

After a long time, the queen of this country sighed and said, "It's a new year again."

This year's Lantern Festival, the moon and lanterns are still the same...

But the house is empty.

(End of this chapter)