country

When the little emperor and Xue Poye were talking in the Taihe Palace, in the deserted Wuyan Palace, Liu Ziqian was also having a conversation with the "shadow" Ye Hu'er.

Wuyan Palace has not changed because of the change of emperors, it is still deserted, this palace has not been cleaned for too many years, exuding a rotten smell, it is not that no one passes by in front of the palace, it is just that it is dead when you see it The plaque of the spider web, everyone hastened to leave this place full of weirdness.

Liu Ziqian sat on the stone ridge, looked up at the sky, and was in a daze. His expression looked unusually lonely, as if he had lost something, or rather, lost his soul.

Not far from him, Ye Hu'er leaned against the wall quietly, his eyes were as cold as ice.

"It's been three months." Liu Ziqian looked up at the sky and said softly, "You didn't do any of the things I asked you to do...I just want to ask you, why did you do this?"

Ye Hu'er said indifferently: "You are really calm, and you only asked what's on your mind today."

"Can I not ask?" Liu Ziqian said with a wry smile, "My once most capable assistant has now become someone I don't even know. How can I not ask? Ever since you went to him that night, you The whole person has changed...I want to know the answer."

Ye Hu'er said calmly: "Liu Ziqian, that night, I was saved by your mother, Concubine Lan Gui, and I have always been grateful to her. It's just that she died too early, so I can only repay her kindness in the future." on you." After a pause, a strange smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said, "I even thought about helping you ascend the throne...but...now I'm afraid it won't happen. Over the years, I have killed you Many people, those concubines and courtiers who wronged Concubine Lan have also received retribution, I think your hatred should be lessened."

"You thought about helping me ascend the throne, so why can't you do it now?" Liu Ziqian said with a sneer, "Could it be that the old man is dead and your goal is achieved, so you can't use me?"

Ye Hu'er sneered: "Could it be that you think I've been by your side all the time, and I'm using you as a cover?"

Liu Ziqian glanced at Ye Hu'er and said, "Isn't it?"

Ye Hu'er said lightly: "No one has ever come to this Martial Flame Palace, and for so many years... it seems that no one pays attention to you. I want to hide it. As long as I kill you, I can still stay in the Martial Flame Palace. on."

Liu Ziqian looked cold, and the muscles on his face twitched, but he calmed down quickly: "This is a way. It seems that you don't want to kill me, because you want to have someone to keep you company."

"I'm looking at Concubine Lan's face." Ye Hu'er said coldly: "Now your father is dead, and your biggest enemy no longer exists, so you can calm down."

Liu Ziqian sighed: "It seems that you won't help me in the future."

"That's it, I will accompany you to live in this Martial Flame Palace... For your mother, I will not kill you, but I will guard you and will not let you do anything that harms Zichan." Ye Hu'er said firmly, when he mentioned "Zi Chan", his voice was actually tinged with warmth.

Standing up from the stone ridge, Liu Ziqian limped up to Ye Hu'er with his hands behind his back, and said with a sneer, "So you are afraid that I will hurt your nephew?"

Ye Hu'er did not deny it: "For your mother, I will not kill you, but for Zichan, I will watch you."

Liu Ziqian stared at Ye Hu'er for a long time, then shook his head, and said lightly, "Then you have to watch it."

……

……

General's House.

Xue Poye came to the General's Mansion for the first time. As the most prestigious and powerful general in the military circle of the Great Chu Kingdom, the General's Mansion naturally has a mansion that can match his status.

The Ren family was not a well-known family. The people who lived in the General's Mansion were mainly the direct family members of the old General Ren. There were about 400 people living in the General's Mansion.

The General is stationed on the frontier, and now the General's Mansion in Kyoto is in charge of the General's eldest son, Ren Siguo.

Knowing that Xue Poye was coming to visit, Ren Siguo greeted him right away.

Xue Poye is now the most popular person around the emperor. Although his official position is not as scary as the prime minister, his power is clear to all officials in the capital who know a little bit about things.

The Ren family was in the capital, and they had always obeyed the old general's instructions, keeping a low profile, and the children of the family were not easy to hand over courtiers, so even if someone wanted to go with the general's mansion, under normal circumstances, Ren Siguo would just excuse his illness to thank his guests.

But Xue Poye's arrival, Ren Siguo did not dare to neglect.

After some politeness, Ren Siguo welcomed Xue Poye into the inner hall.

Although the general had a great reputation, the mansion of the general was very simple and unadorned, not as luxurious as the usual mansions of officials.

"I heard the name of Master Xue earlier, and I wanted to visit him a few times, but I was afraid of being presumptuous and didn't dare to disturb him." Ren Siguo was over fifty, with an unassuming appearance and a calm temperament. He said these polite words with a kind smile on his face.

Xue Poye hurriedly said: "The words of Uncle Ren should be from the younger generation. The younger generation is late to see you, please forgive me."

Since the Great General's death, several generations of emperors have wanted to enshrine members of the Ren clan, but they were all flatly rejected by the Great General. So until today, the Ren family has no official figure except the General.

In order to support his big family, the old general agreed with his tribe to do some small business in the capital, and Ren Siguo even had several restaurants in the capital, but he couldn't take advantage of the opportunity to do other unbearable businesses. The tribe can rely on these businesses to be self-sufficient .

Ren Siguo is over fifty years old and has been running a restaurant for decades. According to the general's order, he has never expanded the restaurant. So far in his life, he has not had any official titles.

But no matter who is in the capital, when they see Ren Siguo, they will call "Uncle Ren" to show their respect.

"Mr. Xue is busy with affairs and has a lot of affairs to deal with. The emperor has just ascended the throne, so the burden on Mr. Xue is heavy." Ren Siguo smiled, but he was guessing the reason for Xue Poye's visit in his heart: "Today's visit is already full of glory."

The servant girl brought tea, and after Ren Siguo invited tea, Xue Poye smiled and said, "Master Ren, the general is a soldier, and he always puts things straight and straight. When I talk to Mr. Ren, I won't beat around the bush."

Ren Siguo nodded and said: "It should be like this, it should be like this. If Lord Xue Hou has any orders, if Ren Siguo can do it, he should try his best to do it."

Xue Poye pondered for a while, and finally said: "Master, I heard that you have a granddaughter who is fifteen years old, she is very virtuous, um... but I don't know if it is true or not?"

Ren Siguo smiled and said, "That's right, Xue'er just turned 15 a month ago."

"Haha...!" Xue Poye laughed and said, "It turns out that there is Mingzhu in the mansion. After fifteen years, that is the age to propose marriage. Presumably the general's mansion will be broken by the matchmaker?"

Ren Siguo saw that Xue Poye's speech was directed towards his granddaughter, he understood a little bit, and said with a faint smile: "Xue'er is still young, and the family loves her very much, but he is reluctant to let her out so early. The marriage proposal, There were a few, but I politely declined."

Xue Poye took a sip of tea, nodded and said: "You are right. My children have been raised for more than ten years. Naturally, I am reluctant to let go." It is unavoidable to get married. There is a pearl hidden in the uncle's house, so everyone is peeping."

Ren Siguo laughed and said, "Master Xue is joking, please, please have some tea!"

Looking left and right, seeing no one else, Xue Poye finally said: "Master, Poye took the liberty to bother you today, it's really for the granddaughter's marriage... I want to be a matchmaker in the middle, I wonder if I have the blessing? "

"Oh!" Ren Siguo remained calm, took a sip of tea, and said with a smile, "I don't know which family it is?"

Xue Poye didn't beat around the bush, and said softly: "Poye came here today to propose a marriage for the Holy One, and to be a national media."

Although Ren Siguo had a vague premonition, he was still taken aback when Xue Poye said it, his expression became serious, and he said in a low voice: "Master Xue, this...is this a joke?"

Xue Poye said seriously: "Master, this matter is a state matter, no matter how courageous Po Ye is, he would not dare to make fun of state affairs."

Ren Siguo fell silent.

Although he is not in the officialdom, he knows more about the affairs of the officialdom than ordinary officials.

Today, Xue Poye suddenly came to propose a marriage. It seems very unexpected, but when you think about it carefully, it is inevitable. Now that the new emperor has just ascended the throne, the whole court seems to be quite calm, but no one can understand the calm lake of the court. When is broken by stone.

What the new emperor has to do now is to try his best to win over the forces of all parties, coordinate and balance, and keep a low profile. The recent appointment and dismissal of some officials seems to be that He Ruhui of the Ministry of Officials is conducting personnel transfers, but blind people can also see that it is The new emperor and Xue Poye are behind the manipulation, and it is just a means of cultivating power.

But there is no doubt that it will take a very long time for these newly cultivated forces to truly achieve the powerful forces required by the new emperor.

Prince Yin and Prince Fu both have their own old ministries. The centipede is dead but not stiff. Although Emperor Deqing lashed out at the killer, there must be things like removing tree trunks and losing branches. These people's hatred for Emperor Deqing, It will definitely be transferred to the new emperor.

There is also the prince who is far away in Yunzhou. Although he has been deposed, who can guarantee that he will not make a comeback and make trouble again.

In addition to these forces, there are other hidden forces, each of which is a huge threat to the new emperor. Under such circumstances, it is also reasonable for the new emperor to win over the general through political marriage.

This is of course of great benefit to stabilizing the imperial power and enhancing the power of the new emperor, but in turn, it is not a great thing for the Ren family.

In a way, it's a combination that benefits both parties.

General Ren is old, and he is working hard at the border. No one knows when he will go. If the general leaves, the entire Ren family will not have a single official, and even the business will only be small to maintain the government's expenses. In this way, the business can be regarded as powerless and powerless, leaving only a famous reputation, so how the Ren family will survive in the capital in the future has become a big problem.

In Kyoto, without power, just relying on reputation is not enough to survive well, unless the Ren family is willing to change from a prominent general family to an ordinary commoner.

Such a huge change is hard to accept. Even though the Ren family kept a low profile under the general's family rules, it is undeniable that there are many people who want to be officials.

If they marry the emperor, then the Ren family will be relatives of the emperor and have a foothold in the capital. Even after the death of the general, the Ren family will slowly infiltrate into the court... This is not a bad thing.

Xue Poye was sipping tea, and glanced vaguely at Ren Siguo who was meditating from the corner of his eyes, knowing that he was weighing the pros and cons. There is no doubt that the pros outweigh the cons, so Xue Poye believed that this door Marriage shouldn't be a problem.

"Master Xue." After a long time, Ren Siguo said cautiously: "Xue'er is a child whom my father loves very much. About her marriage, I will answer after I ask my father for instructions. See...?"

Xue Poye knew that this matter must be judged by the general after all, so he hurriedly said: "It should be, it should be. Come here today and don't disturb. After the general agrees, we will handle this matter for the Holy One."

He didn't want to stay any longer at the moment, so he wanted to say goodbye. Ren Siguo sent him directly to the gate with great enthusiasm.

Of course Xue Poye could see that no matter what the general meant, this uncle definitely agreed with this matter.

……

……

The General Guard's Mansion at night is peaceful and secluded.

Xue Poye originally wanted to go to Xiao Suzhen's courtyard, but he suddenly stopped walking halfway.

During this period of time, under her own training, Xiao Suzhen has become quite active in bed, and she is willing to try many new tricks with Xue Poye, making Xue Poye linger in it, deeply enjoying it.

It's just that she has been in Xiao Suzhen's room for several days, so she has neglected Yuezhu, so she turned to walk to Yuezhu's garden.

The lights in Yuezhu's house were already turned off, Xue Poye sighed, this little girl couldn't be idle, he picked her up to the capital to let her enjoy the blessings, but within a few days, Yuezhu Xue Poye could not stay idle, so Xue Poye had to let her take care of Ziyanfang's accounts. Yuezhu was very happy, she had something to do, and she was the best at it. She was the best at doing something for Xue Poye. Hope to do.

He knocked lightly on the door, but no one answered, Xue Poye frowned, could it be that Yuezhu had already fallen asleep?

It seems that Xiao Nizi is too tired these days, and she will have to persuade her to rest for a few days when she is about to leave for Xiao Suzhen's side. The door was pushed open a crack.

"This girl." Xue Poye smiled bitterly: "I'm so tired that I even forgot to close the door." Gently pushed the door open, walked into the room, and closed the door behind.

A faint fragrance floated in the room, Xue Poye took a deep breath, and said softly: "Yue Zhu, are you asleep? Your husband is here."

After speaking, no one answered.

Xue Poye was a little strange, Yuezhu was always very vigilant when sleeping, even if she was fast asleep, she would be able to detect as long as there was a sound, why did Yuezhu still not move when she was born screaming.

Borrowing the dim light from the window, Xue Poye touched the edge of the table, touched the tabletop, picked up the flint, and was about to light the lamp, when suddenly there was a flash of light, and the room was already lit up before he lit the lamp.

Xue Poye heaved a sigh of relief, and said with a smile: "Silly girl, so you are teasing Mr. Xianggong." Turning around, he saw that the lamp had been lit on the dressing table behind.

Looking around, Xue Poye's face darkened instantly, he clenched his fists, and said coldly: "It's you?"

There was actually a person sitting beside the dressing table where Yuezhu usually dressed.

That man was extremely handsome, wearing night clothes, he was Qing Lianzhao's military advisor Hua Xian.

Xue Poye thought of Yuezhu for a moment, turned his head away, and saw Yuezhu lying on the bed, covered with a quilt, sleeping deeply, not knowing that there were many people in the room, Xue Poye knew that it must be Hua Xian who did it. Yuezhu will be at a loss if he has his hands and feet.

"Master Xue is a dignitary in the court, and there are sedan chairs in the mansion. It's really a spring breeze." Hua Xian smiled and said: "Master Hou works hard every day, it is still really difficult to see you."

"The dignified Qinglianzhao army division, sneaked into my wife's boudoir in the middle of the night, Hua Xian, are you going too far?" Although Xue Poye was extremely angry, at this moment, Jean calmed down on the face, and his voice was very soft. Cold and very unkind.

Hua Xian said indifferently: "Master Xuehou's mansion is surrounded by hidden Habayashi guards, and there are so many masters. I am afraid that this is the safest place."

Xue Poye sat down on the chair, facing Hua Xian, with a sneer on his face.

Hua Xian sighed, and said: "Master Xue, it seems that you still have a lot of opinions on me, hey... I am a military adviser after all, and Master Xue called me by my name, which is breaking the rules. I know, I'm afraid something is not good."

Xue Poye let out an "oh" and said, "Is there a rule in the gang rules that brothers in the meeting are not allowed to enter the boudoir of their fellow robes' wives at night?"

Hua Xian smiled, did not answer, and said leisurely: "Looking at Master Xue's appearance, the poison of Bi Youjing seems to have been cured."

That time when Xue Poye knew that Mingxu would cure the poison of Biyou Jing, he immediately forced Mingxu to prepare the poison. Although it was not completed in three to five days, it only took half a month to prepare the antidote. Xue Poye After taking the antidote at night, the green oil on his body disappeared early.

Looking at Hua Xian, Xue Poye felt an indescribable disgust.

"You came to see me, you couldn't be because of Bi Youjing?" Xue Poye said calmly.

Hua Xian rubbed the corner of his mouth and said with a smile: "Since the matter is over, that's all. Master Xue has a lot of capable people, but I miscalculated. In fact, I am only doing this for Master Xue. You fell into it because of the glory and wealth of the imperial court, that is a big pit of fire."

Xue Poye sneered and said: "The military advisor has worked hard, it seems that Xue still wants to thank the military advisor."

Hua Xian waved his hand and said, "That's not necessary. I'm here today to introduce someone to Master Xue... It's not a day or two since he wants to see Master Xue."

"Who?"

I heard a voice from the side saying: "I!" In the voice, a man turned out from the side, with a burly figure and a beard of an anaconda. Under the light, his skin was extremely black, and he was wearing light blue clothes. , like a rough man.

The man's smile was extremely affectionate, and he smiled at Xue Poye: "Master Xue Duo, hello, I'm Yang Yao!"

Yang Yao?

The name seems strange, but it seems very familiar.

Xue Poye frowned, thought for a moment, and his body shook violently.

Yang Yao!

Uncle Shu mentioned it when he was at the Hongyan Pagoda, and the current Qinglianzhao's chief rudder seems to be called... Yang Yao!