Watch the sea

Qing and Princess Chang woke up at noon the next day.

When the nun who took care of the princess sent someone to report, Su Lang and Xing Hun were investigating in the monastery where the empress dowager stayed.

Those who were killed in the meditation room that day were not only the Empress Dowager Zhong, but also the nuns and maids who served the Empress Dowager and the imperial guards on duty in the courtyard, except for the emperor Ming Yu who disappeared.

The Tianzi Yingwei had collected and examined all the corpses as soon as they arrived at Nanshan.The fire did not have time to burn everything, and most of the corpses still retained their original appearance before death.All the imperial guards didn't have any scars left by fighting and resisting on their bodies. They were all killed with one knife, and they couldn't even find obvious expressions on their faces, as if they were standing still and being slaughtered.

The shadow guard said that it was Qi Jin who sealed the acupoint in the front, and the long sword cut the throat in the back. Judging from the sword marks, it is indeed possible that Ming Yu's Hao Kong Ningbi was left behind.

After listening, Xinghui raised his eyes to meet Su Lang's, frowned and shook his head.

This time, the imperial guards who guarded the Empress Dowager Nanshan were all first-class masters in the Hall of Martial Arts. It is not impossible to restrain one or two guards, but to prevent them from detecting and resisting in time, they must be restrained in an instant. everyone.

Don't say that Yu is still in the same way, even the two of them in the Guiyi state dare not say that they can have such abilities.The only one who can do this is the one behind Ming Yu.

Su Lang was only suspicious before, but the Princess Qinghe who came to Nanshan for no reason, the emperor's guard Mingyu who disappeared without a trace, the imperial guard who failed to resist half a point, and the queen mother who was terrified before her death, all kinds of clues were in the end. Pointing to a person——Yan Zhefei, the master of Qianyong Realm.

If she was the one who did it, King Jing must have known about the queen mother's accident, and it would be impossible to take the queen mother's coffin to Yinghai.

The guards who had been guarding outside the monastery hurried in at this moment, and Princess Qing and the eldest princess had already woken up.

Hearing this, Su Lang glanced back at the burnt monastery, and said to the shadow guard: "There is no need to send people to guard it, just let the people from Nanshan come over to repair it."

The shadow guard was a little puzzled, but he still nodded as he thought about the Fuyun Diji in Su Lang's hand.

Standing outside the monastery are the imperial guards and imperial guards who guarded the Empress Dowager Zhong who came to pay respects to the Buddha in Nanshan. It is not an exaggeration for people.

Su Lang stopped in his tracks, glanced at them one by one, and finally landed on the commander of the guards, and suddenly said lightly: "You are here at Nanshan to pay respects to the guards Qing and the eldest princess. The emperor's guard Ming Yu has evil intentions, The next crime is to assassinate the princess and harm his colleagues. His Majesty has already known about this, and the imperial capital will issue a warrant for his arrest in a few days. If you do not do enough to protect the princess, you will be questioned when you return to the imperial capital."

The commander of the guards was taken aback for a moment, and it took him a while to realize what Su Lang's unreasonable words meant. Half of his foot had already stepped into the Palace of the King of Hades, but after Su Lang's words, he regained his spring. The commander of the guards almost couldn't hold back the wetness in his eyes. With red eyes, he clasped his fists to Su Lang and said yes, and the guards of the imperial army behind him also saluted.

The expression on Su Lang's face was still indifferent, looking down at the commander of the guards, he repeated in a cold voice after a long while: "Remember, it's the guards Qing and the eldest princess. You have been in the imperial capital for a long time, and the reason for the trouble comes from your mouth is not I don’t understand, if one person says a wrong word, the others will suffer, His Majesty only gives you all one chance.”

Without waiting for them to respond again, he walked over with Xinghui Chaoqing and Princess Chang.

Su Lang seldom reveals the coldness of a superior person on weekdays. Xinghui glanced at him sideways, reached out and tapped the Floating Cloud Jiji hanging on his waist, and asked in a low voice: "You cut it first and then play it, so you are not afraid of your majesty's accountability." ? Although there are princesses, I thought they would still die."

Su Lang shook his head, the aloofness on his face just now disappeared without a trace, and he said in a gentle voice: "No, many of the emperor's personal guards are descendants of aristocratic families, they cannot be easily wiped out, if one hair affects the whole body, if these people All of a sudden something happened, but it will arouse the suspicion of many aristocratic families. The queen mother died unexpectedly. They were originally condemned to death, but now they are given a chance. As long as they want to live, no one dares to reveal half of it. I just beat Don’t worry about someone who doesn’t want your own life.”

Xinghui couldn't help looking at the sky and sighed: "A knife and a piece of candy make your heart as deep as the sea."

After hearing this, Su Lang didn't feel any discomfort on his face, he only held Xing Hui to stop, seeing that there was no one around, he suddenly leaned over and lightly pecked Xing Hui's lips, and asked him with a smile: " Is it sweet?"

In broad daylight, the world is bright and bright, this person...

Xinghui's face suddenly turned red, and he turned around and wanted to go forward.

But Su Lang still pulled him to stand where he was, seeing that he didn't answer, he leaned over and kissed him again, but this time he didn't leave him immediately, but instead opened his lips and teeth to linger deliberately, staining the square inch with his own. breath, but then suppressed his smile, looked serious, and asked again solemnly, as if he would not let him go without answering.

Xinghui's eyes wandered, he turned his face sideways, and said in a very low voice: "Sweet."

Only then was Su Lang satisfied, squeezed his palm, and bent his eyes: "The knife is to protect you, and the candy is only for you, okay?"

……

Princess Qinghe's face was still as pale as paper, she woke up and was anxious to see Su Lang and Xing Hun, so the nun in Nanshan Temple had to help her put on her clothes, and half leaned on the bed.

Qinghe backed away from the left and right through the curtain, and did not speak until Xinghui, Su Lang and herself were the only ones in the meditation room.

After listening to Xinghui talking about Dongjun Ling, she still couldn't let go of her heart, so she didn't answer Xinghui's own injury, but the first sentence she said was: "Yes. I killed Queen Mother Zhong."

Before she lost consciousness, the moment she saw Xinghui and Su Lang in the deserted Taoist temple, she knew that the emperor's brother knew about the Queen Mother's accident.But the people who came to kill her were Jiang Jincheng's secret guards, and Ming Yu, who witnessed the death of the Queen Mother, was with them. This matter must not be hidden from King Jing for long. Once it is spread, things will go to the worst , There must be someone to bear the crime of killing the Queen Mother.Even if someone believes that the imperial concubine Huiyuan came back from the dead, and that concubine Yan Gui is the lord of Qianyong realm, she cannot be selfless enough to identify her mother and concubine, but the suspicion of ignoring filial piety and killing her aunt cannot fall on the emperor's brother, so— —

"It can only be me." Qing He said.

Su Lang put down the teacup in his hand, noncommittal, but said something impossible: "Princess, the Empress Dowager is in good health in the imperial capital."

Qinghe was stunned for a moment, almost thinking that Su Lang didn't know what happened in Nanshan, so he didn't have time to think about it, so he said anxiously: "The Queen Mother is in Nanshan..."

Su Lang interrupted her: "Princess, when did the Queen Mother come to Nanshan?"

Qinghe was stunned suddenly, and immediately realized the meaning of Su Lang's previous words.

She heard Su Lang's plain but firm voice through the curtain, which confirmed her guess: "There is indeed a noble person from the imperial capital who came to Nanshan, but it's not the Queen Mother, but Princess Qinghe."

The sword wound on his chest was still hurting, not only did Qing He not feel relieved, but the worry between his brows became even more worrying: "But King Jing..."

Su Lang's tone was gentle, still downplaying: "Princess, the reason King Jing took the initiative in this situation is because the empress dowager's trip was secretive and low-key, only her majesty and Nanshan Buddhist Temple fully knew about it, and the empress dowager was guarded by the emperor's guards And the Forbidden Army of the Imperial City. Once something happens to the Empress Dowager, even if it is the lightest thing to say, it will be Your Majesty's dereliction of duty as a son of man."

"And what really made His Majesty passive was not the Queen Mother's death itself, but Nanshan's blockade of the inner temple. Many people already know that a nobleman from the emperor has come to Nanshan. King Jing will not suddenly jump out blatantly and be the first The person who said the Empress Dowager died, because he was also worried that we would say that he was a thief calling for a thief, so he would only come to Nanshan to create an accident, and lure those who knew about the nobleman's trip to speak for him."

He paused for a moment, met the princess' eyes through the gauze curtain, and suddenly changed the tone of his words, saying meaningfully: "But a rebellious minister and a traitor are a rebellious minister and a traitor, and they can't become a teacher of justice. In this situation, King Jing has indeed He has the upper hand, but he absolutely shouldn't, and the last thing he should do is to attack the princess."

"One careless move, the whole game is lost. This move was made by himself. Since he dared to do it, he has to bear the consequences of failure. Now the situation has reversed. He wants to use the excuse of killing his aunt to attack His Majesty, but the one who killed his brothers He also cannot bear the crime, so even if he knows some truths, he still has a hard time saying it.” [1.]

Qinghe thought for a long time, and finally heaved a sigh of relief, understanding the meaning of Su Lang's words.However, before her chaotic and restless mood completely calmed down, she suddenly thought of something again, unconsciously grasped the brocade quilt on her body, and asked with some difficulty: "Even so, the queen mother must not stay in Nanshan, isn't it just for you to come here?" In order to bring the coffin to Yinghai before King Jing, but now I have delayed you..."

Xinghui smiled slightly when he heard the words: "The plan can never keep up with the changes, and some things have long been out of Yinghai." He paused, and suddenly said solemnly: "Princess still don't understand, you are not anyone's drag , you are the turning point that no one thought of in advance, that is, you can turn the situation from passive to active by surprise." [1.]

When Su Lang and Xing Hun walked out of the princess's Buddhist temple, the sky turned cloudy not long after Nanshan cleared up.

Early summer is a rainy season, with dark clouds over the Nanshan Mountains of Ningzhou, and the imperial capital, which is thousands of miles away, is also about to experience storms.

Chu Heng had knelt for two hours in the ancestral hall of Zhong Pinghou's mansion.

The ancestral hall enshrines the ancestral tablet and the family tree all the year round, and a few quietly burning long-burning lamps could not dispel the unique coldness in the ancestral hall. Chu Heng did not place a futon under his knees, and knelt directly on the cold bluestone floor.

A few days ago, he was hurriedly called back to the imperial capital from Huai Ze City by his father Zhong Pinghou Chuhong's family order, but it rained on the road and delayed him. He returned to the Hou's mansion this morning wrapped in wind and rain, but he didn't want to take a sip of hot tea , with Chu Hong's face sinking like water, he was punished to kneel down in the ancestral hall.

At that time, the eldest son Chu Chen, the first sister Chu Xuan, his sister Chu Xin, and his younger brother Chu Yan were all there, but they all looked at him with a little evasion, and even a slight fear. Chu Heng probably knew that it was because What's the matter, his family members obviously knew about his stay in Huai Ze City, but he didn't expect it to be so soon. When Huai Ze City was not known by many people, the family had already received the news.

The muffled thunder rumbled in the depths of the clouds, and Zhong Pinghou Chuhong stood in front of the ancestral hall, looking at this son who should have been familiar and friendly, but now he was alienated and alienated, for a moment he couldn't tell whether it was the anger caused by deception or mistakes. Some, still unbelievable shock and ensuing ecstasy prevailed.

He stared at the back of Chu Heng kneeling on the ground, silent for a long time.Until a dull thunder rolled out of the long-silent clouds, and the first drop of rain fell into the pond outside the ancestral hall. Chu Hong finally walked in.

He was not in a hurry to ask questions, he just took the sandalwood from the altar, and inserted it into the incense burner respectfully, until the incense was half burned, then he looked away from Chu Heng, looked at the ancestral tablet in the ancestral hall and asked Chu Heng: "Do you know what the word 'family' means?"

Chu Heng lowered his eyes, and his voice was flat, without any ups and downs: "Father wants to hear what I have to say? The rise and fall of family honor and disgrace is more important than everything else?"

Chu Hong's heart suddenly became angry: "I think you have stayed in Lishan for a long time, do you still remember your last name?"

Chu Heng knew the meaning behind Zhong Pinghou's words, but he didn't answer. Ling Ye's figure suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.

He was not young enough, his spiritual bones were not visible, and he was an outcast at home. At that time, did his father and his family ask him what his last name was?Family ugliness should not be publicized, so only he knows that his biological mother sent him to Lishan Mountain when he was four years old, not to learn martial arts, let alone because of his natural bones, but to survive.

His surname is Chu, but he almost died in the Chu family just because of his "poor" qualifications.Ironically, it is also because his surname is Chu that he cannot be more talented than the prince of the Hou family, otherwise he would not be able to survive in the Chu family either.

He has been in Yiye Gucheng for 16 years, and his family and his father have never asked him a word.

Later, he returned home at the age of 20 and was sent to the Hall of Martial Arts by his family. Only he knew that the reason was not that his younger brother Chu Yan was in poor health, but because he was an outcast.At that time, did his family and his father think about how he could survive in a place like the Hall of Martial Arts, where martial arts geniuses are everywhere?

He didn't want to resent anyone, and he didn't want to blame anyone for these injustices, but Lishan was his mother's home, and it was also his home. mountain.

Cangwu City in Yunzhou has been arrogant for so many years, but it is because of Cangwu Wuzun Fang Hongzhen. He does not want and does not allow Zhongli to become the second Cangwu City just because of him.

"I know what father means, but the person kneeling in front of you today is Chu Heng from the Zhongli Chu family, not Lishan Junji Wuyue." He paused, his voice was very soft but could not be refuted: "Chu Heng has always been surnamed Chu, But Lishan Dongjun’s surname is not Chu.”

The heavy rain that had been brewing for a long time poured down in a thunderclap, and the lightning that tore through the sky illuminated the two figures kneeling and standing in the ancestral hall. He was furious, and slapped him hard.

This slap was so heavy that Chu Heng's head was turned to one side, his side face turned pale for a moment, and then there were a few red and swollen fingerprints, and traces of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Chu Hong didn't give him any face as an elder brother, his younger siblings were in front of the ancestral hall right now.

Chu Heng knelt down quickly, lowered his eyelashes and said nothing.

Chu Hong's eyes were completely reddened by his indifference, he pointed at Chu Heng with trembling fingers, and shouted out hissingly: "Come here, pass on the family law!"

Standing in front of the door, Chu Xin finally couldn't bear it any longer, stepped in, knelt on the ground and cried, begging Chu Hong to take back his life.

Before Zhong Pinghou could sternly reprimand him, Chu Heng's brows were instantly stained with seriousness, and he turned his head slightly, and said in a cold voice, "Shut up, Ah Xin."

"elder brother……"

Before the girl could finish speaking, the steward of the mansion suddenly walked over in the rain, stopped in front of the ancestral hall, glanced at Chu Heng who was kneeling on the ground, raised his head and said cautiously to Chu Hong: "Master, the palace The emperor's shadow guard came to pass the decree, and the second son Xuan immediately entered the palace to face the saint."

The author says:

[1.] The meaning of the two sentences of Su Lang and Xinghui, and why the princess is a turning point, and why Su Lang can say that the one who came to Nanshan is the princess, will be explained later, and I can’t finish writing a chapter~

【2.】Even if Su Lang knew that Yan Zhefei was the murderer, everything was conjecture based on various clues, and he didn't have any evidence.