The Heartthrob System cultivates brotherhood online

Qin Wen's health has been getting worse since he fainted in the court last time. Even if he forced himself to attend the morning court, the officials could tell from his increasingly irritable temper and frequent coughing. For a while, everyone in the court was in danger.

The two stood outside the hall waiting to be summoned. Not long after, the hall door was pushed open from the inside, and an unexpected person came out.

—— Censor Wen.

The middle-aged man in purple official robe had a solemn expression on his face. He looked the man in front of him up and down. A hint of caution and barely perceptible pride flashed in his cloudy eyes. Li Tingyan caught it and quickly lowered his eyes. Both parties greeted each other.

Li Tingyan looked at the other person's hurried back and felt heavy-hearted. This old man must have known something, and he had an expression of arrogance that he couldn't hide.

As soon as Wen Yushi's position was vacated, the cold and indifferent atmosphere in the hall floated out, making people sober. Walking into the corner, the dead air became more and more obvious. In his peripheral vision, he saw the emperor in thin casual clothes sitting on the dragon throne. This person had an abnormal blush on his face, and his eyebrows were a mixture of fatigue and excitement, creating a weird sense of contradiction.

Why did Qin Wen light such incense?

The coughing sound above became heavier, and Fugui hurried to pour tea for the emperor.

"Your Majesty, please pay attention to the dragon's body."

Before Li Tingyan could salute, Qin Wen waved his hand and asked him to come to the desk. He half-knelt, in front of him was a green inkstone with ink already ground, and a white pen holder holding a brush dipped in ink.

"Your Majesty, this is......?"

"My dear, you are my most trusted person. I am going to entrust you with a very important task, which concerns the Qin Dynasty."

Qin Wen's eyes were heavy, and his sharp gaze seemed to pierce through Li Tingyan. The latter fell to the ground, and a voice came from below him: "I am terrified and do not want to betray your majesty's trust. I will not refuse even if I die."

"Fugui," Qin Wen said expressionlessly, "help the Left Prime Minister to grind ink."

Fugui looked at the inkstone, hearing the emperor's unquestionable tone. He spread out the cut bright yellow brocade in front of Li Tingyan, then took the ink stick and began to grind.

Li Tingyan widened his eyes and looked up to meet Qin Wen's majestic gaze, "Your Majesty, this..."

"I read and you write, just as you see it."

Li Tingyan felt a sense of depression in his heart. He picked up the pen and dipped it in ink. He took a deep breath and exhaled. His hands gradually calmed down.

When he lifted up his sleeves, he almost spilled the ground ink. Fugui was startled and hurriedly held the jade inkstone. Li Tingyan reacted, sweat on his forehead, and temporarily gave up adjusting his sleeves, protecting the jade inkstone and putting it back to its original position.

"Thank you, father-in-law."

"Zuo is very happy."

This little episode did not attract the emperor's attention.

The emperor's cold and stern voice came to his ears. If he listened carefully, he could detect the unstable atmosphere in it. Li Tingyan concealed the cold light in his eyes and wrote every stroke without error. The square regular script appeared on the brocade.

"...The eighth prince Qin Yuze is benevolent and brave, and is blessed by heaven... I specially pass the throne to him, hoping that he will be a wise ruler who loves the people... The other princes should assist him and must not disobey..."

"The fifth prince Qin Yu'an is very intelligent and has won my heart. I hereby confer the title of Prince Duan on the fifth prince Qin Yu'an. I hope that he will perform his duties conscientiously, be loyal to the emperor and love his country, and do his best for the prosperity of our dynasty."

"The seventh prince Qin Yufu... was canonized as Prince Jing..."

There were three imperial edicts in total, each of which was a conferment of title. Once issued, it would determine the future fate of each prince.

The enthronement was as expected. The last imperial edict was the one granting marriage between Li Tingyan and the Sixth Princess. He did not expect that he would be able to write the imperial edict regarding his own marriage in his lifetime.

After writing just a few words, Li Tingyan's hands almost cramped. After he put down the pen, the sweat on his palms lingered. Fugui brought the imperial edict to the emperor. Qin Wen looked through it and nodded. He held the jade seal and pressed a few red seals.

Then Fugui rolled up the imperial edict, placed it on a wooden plate and carried it away.

......

On the day Ling Si returned to the capital, the emperor sent Qin Yu'an to the capital to welcome him. Almost everyone agreed that the fifth prince would be the final crown prince.

The common people were bustling around, with happy faces, lining the streets to welcome the Yongchuan Marquis back to the capital. The common people were like this, they loved whoever was good to them, and they didn't care about this person's insignificant hobbies, and even if they talked about it in the past, it was mostly just curiosity and gossip.

Qin Yu'an saw a group of figures from afar. The young man in the lead was wearing a blue uniform. Slowly, the dot grew bigger until it occupied his entire sight.

master......

It seemed that the young man was the only bright spot in the capital. Without him, Qin Yu'an felt lonely. Until now, just a figure made him feel warm in his heart, as if he had someone to rely on and a pillar behind him.

-

Ling Si first went to visit the Princess of Yongning County, and was then summoned into the palace.

At that time, the emperor was in the imperial garden, accompanied by the queen and Jiang Nanxi. After not seeing each other for many days, Jiang Nanxi didn't expect that the first person she saw would be Ling Si, but she was also happy.

The next moment, Ling Si was heard bowing and calling her by her title. If they were in private, they could still call each other brother and sister.

When they reached a pavilion, the Queen said she was tired and said goodbye to the Emperor. Jiang Nanxi also left with the Queen, leaving Qin Wen and Ling Si alone in the pavilion by the lake.

The breeze blew, stirring up ripples on the lake, and the entire lake looked like it was sprinkled with fine gold.

Ling Si and Qin Wen reported the situation in the south. Qin Wen kept nodding his head, his face expressionless, but his words were full of praise. After the polite conversation, the pavilion fell into silence, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind and the sound of the lake water rushing against the shore.

After sitting quietly for a long time, Qin Wen finally spoke: "Marquis Yongchuan has worked hard over the past few months."

"For the sake of the Great Qin and Your Majesty, I will not decline death."

There were exquisite snacks in front of him, but Ling Si had no appetite. Li Tingyan sent back a letter saying that Qin Wen had already drafted an imperial edict, which meant that he would not live long, otherwise he would not have been so anxious to appoint a crown prince. He was also worried that his sudden death would cause chaos in the court.

Qin Wen looked indifferent as he looked at Ling Si: "What reward does Yongchuan Hou want for your return this time?"

Ling Si clasped his fists and said, "I have no shortage of money and cloth. Jiang Chen is my husband. I hope Your Majesty will not feel offended by me. Concubine Chun is also my sister. Today I went to visit the Princess of Yongning. She missed her children very much and wanted to enter the palace to accompany Concubine Chun. I am willing to use my political achievements to ask for a favor."

Qin Wen looked at him for a moment, a little smile appeared on his face, and he reached out and patted his shoulder: "I don't think you are offended. After all, you are still my sworn brother. It's just that this little grace, is it unfair to you?"

"For me, nothing is more important than my family's happiness."

"Marquis Yongchuan is still a person who values ​​relatives. If that's the case, then I will approve it." He said to Fugui who was standing beside him, "Talk to the Queen about this matter so that she can be prepared."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Fugui turned and left.

Soon, Qin Wen spoke up: "Marquis Yongchuan, who do you think has the potential to inherit the throne among my princes?"

The emperor's gaze was as if it had substance. Ling Si frowned, "Your Majesty is in good health and is in the prime of life. The matter of appointing a crown prince can be considered slowly in the future. I don't know the princes well, so I dare not make rash comments. Naturally, it is most appropriate for Your Majesty to consider it."

With a clatter, the teacup landed on the table. Qin Wen snorted and laughed, "It's late. Many people in the court are watching. I can see it clearly."

He sighed softly: "I am still old, and I cannot compare with you young people. The court will still be ruled by young people in the future."

"Your Majesty," Ling Si was shocked and spoke in an anxious tone.

Seeing his anxious look, Qin Wen laughed out loud. His voice was deep and hoarse after being ill. "Marquis Yongchuan is still so impatient."

He kept talking to himself: "The seventh and eighth brothers are not worthy of being used. The fifth brother, on the other hand, is like me in my youth, but he is too pure-minded, frank and naive."

After saying so much, if Ling Si really didn't know that he had already issued the imperial decree, he might really believe that he liked Qin Yu'an. After all, he was also a veteran actor, and his admiration for Qin Yu'an didn't seem fake.

Perhaps his admiration was real, and his evaluation that Qin Yu'an was not fit to be emperor was also true.

Ling Si did not agree with his words, but lowered his head and listened quietly. After a while, the emperor's words were interrupted and a man's clear voice came from outside the pavilion.

Familiar and unfamiliar.

-

"Your Majesty, I, Li Tingyan, pay my respects to you."

Qin Wen saw the handsome man bowing outside the gauze curtain and leaned forward slightly, "Stand up. Come in."

Ling Si looked at the newcomer and clearly caught the shock in his eyes. But in a moment, the man's emotions were completely calmed down. Ling Si showed an impatient expression at the right time. After all, in his eyes, Li Tingyan and Prime Minister Wang were birds of a feather. Even if the Wang family was in decline, Li Tingyan was there, and Prime Minister Wang was like a shadow following them, and they couldn't get rid of him.

The Ling family and the Wang family have been at odds for a long time.

Qin Wen had seen enough of their reactions and introduced Li Tingyan to Ling Si: "Marquis Yongchuan, Li Qing grew up in the south. You have been there for half a year, so you should have a lot of common topics."

Ling Si couldn't hide the expression on his face, his brows were full of impatience. He had never concealed his "real" emotions in front of Qin Wen, and this was also one of the aspects that Qin Wen had control over him.

"Your Majesty, I have been traveling for many days and am already exhausted. Please allow me to leave."

He doesn't even want to give face.

Li Tingyan had a gentle and decent smile on his face. He took advantage of the gap when he turned sideways to greedily scan the young man's body. After seeing Ling Si's cold face, his smile froze. This was not an act.

The time they had to reminisce about the past was very short. In the past few years, except for the morning court sessions, he had hardly ever met Ling Si alone in private.

This person never contacts him on his own initiative. Should we say that he trusts him or that he is too careless?

As soon as Ling Si finished speaking, he immediately showed an understanding expression and said to the middle-aged emperor in the first seat: "Your Majesty, the Marquis is tired from the journey, it's time to have a good rest. There will be a lot of time for in-depth exchanges in the future."

Qin Wen nodded, agreeing with him: "I was not thoughtful enough, how about I order someone to send you out of the palace in a sedan chair?"

Not really.

Ling Si immediately stood up to express his gratitude, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. No need to trouble. My carriage is waiting outside the palace."

Li Tingyan still stood in the middle of the pavilion in the same posture as before. The lake breeze blew up his sleeves and hit the arm of the young man who just passed by. He gently patted the place that was touched, not looking as gentle as his face.

Li Tingyan kindly reminded the young man of his fatigue, noticing the tired look on his face. "Marquis Yongchuan, take a few more days off and don't go out these days."

Ling Si naturally thought that he was mocking himself for frequenting brothels. He snorted briefly, quickened his pace, and created a gust of wind.

There was a familiar woody scent at the tip of his nose. When Li Tingyan withdrew his gluey gaze, he heard the sigh of the emperor above.

"Left Prime Minister."

Li Tingyan pulled himself back to his senses and said with a serious expression, "I am here."

"Even if you don't like him, you can't show it too obviously. He is my sworn brother."

The emperor's voice was cold, but there was no hint of blame in his tone. Li Tingyan apologized, "I know I was wrong."

.......

When we reached the palace gate, we heard a lecture not far away, followed by a deafening response.

Sure enough, a group of Jinwu Guards in black uniforms were listening intently to their leader's speech. The man's voice was cold and low, and he used his inner strength so that it could be heard from farther away.

Unfortunately, his carriage was not far away from them and had to pass by the Jinwu Guards.

Ling Si walked in another direction, thinking that he would ask the servant to call the carriage back after returning home, and it would be acceptable to walk for a while.

After walking a few steps, Chu Wang's voice came from behind: "Marquis Yongchuan, your carriage is on the other side? After going to the south for several months, you don't even know the direction?"

badass.

Ling Si could only turn around and pass him by, "I must have seen it wrong."

The Jinwu Guards had already dispersed to patrol various places. It was obviously still some distance from here, so how did Chu Wang get here without anyone noticing? He must be too tired, so he didn't sense the latter's breath.

He walked by with his head lowered, and caught a glimpse of the man's cold, delicate jaw and tightly pursed lips from the corner of his eye. The next moment, his arm was grabbed.

"I haven't seen you for a long time, so why don't we have some time to catch up?"

The tone has an inorganic coldness, and the graininess in it is like bumps that appear out of thin air on a smooth mirror, which has an awkward feeling.

The ancients liked to reminisce about the past, and Chu Wang also developed this habit.

But he is so tired.

"Another day."

After all, the two of them are still in a cooperative relationship, and the closeness of this cooperation depends on Chu Wang's final mood.

That’s right, in the next life, Chu Wang is still so presumptuous. Ling Si is not sure if he can help her. Perhaps the best result is to let the man remain neutral.

Chu Wang had always been dissatisfied with his style, or rather, few people in the capital were satisfied with him. Sometimes he thought it was a means to confuse the emperor, but many times it was more like Chu Wang's original emotion, watching him go in and out of those places with undisguised annoyance.

His arm loosened and dropped again. Ling Si was stunned for a moment and looked at him for the first time. There was an inexplicable concentration in the man's eyes, like a quiet lake with the ice and snow just melting and the waves sparkling.

"Have a good rest." The words came out one by one.

"Thank you."

Ling Si stepped onto the carriage.