Bastards

Cui Yan followed Yang Xuan to a secluded place.

The small courtyard has waterside pavilions, exquisite pavilions, and the small bridges connecting the pavilions in the middle of the lake are all pure white, and the scenery is very pleasant.However, because it was a little far away from the outer court and such a beautiful scene, it failed to become the venue for the autumn banquet, and now it was cheaper for the two of them.

Yang Xuan led Cui Yu to sit at the stone table in the courtyard, while he jumped out of the wall again, and after a while, he came over with an exquisite food box.

Cui Mata smelled the fragrance and asked with a smile, "What is it?"

Yang Xuan opened the food box and took out the contents one by one.

There are no overly bright colors, but the shape is very delicate, not deep-fried, it looks soft and glutinous steamed; thick and thick, tremella pear soup with curling heat; there is also a pot that will be brewed, fragrant Tea that can hardly be held back.

The dim sum is soft, the soup is light, and the sweetness is moderate, neither too greasy nor too weak, plus a pot of tea, no matter whether the tea is good or not, it must be freshly brewed tea... Everything is Cui Mata's favorite.

"That's why you brought me here without saying a word?" Cui Yu looked at the food on the table, very pleasantly surprised, "Thank you!"

Seeing him happy, Yang Xuan personally handed the pear soup with white fungus to him: "Eat it." He never mentioned that it was just an accident.

Not to mention that he just happened to pass by and saw a wretched man looking at Cui Yu with lewd and evil eyes, and wanted to do something, he was very upset, so he snatched him and left.It's okay to snatch someone, so why don't you have a cup of tea... I remember Cui Yu's favorite, it's really the habit of taking care of her personally these days.

The aristocratic family pays attention to rules in everything, especially the dishes. Tremella pear soup is said to be a bowl, but in fact the portion is not much. It just feels refreshing after drinking it. The appetite is satisfied without losing the expectation for the next time. It will not be too full. I feel pretty good.

Cui Yu let out a long sigh of relief, squeezed a piece and threw it into his mouth, just in time to catch the tea handed over by Yang Xuan seamlessly.

"See if you're not in a hurry, and you still have time to eat with me," Cui Yan looked at Yang Xuan with a smile, "Why, someone caught you?"

Yang Xuan raised his eyebrows, and there seemed to be a smile at the tip of his eyes: "Yes. Your method is very effective."

"What about that person?"

"My people took it away."

As long as the person is in Yang Xuan's hands, the matter will be over. Cui Yu didn't intend to continue asking, but only reminded: "Don't let people run away."

Yang Xuan nodded.

The breeze blows slowly, the lush leaves in the courtyard rustle, the mottled light and shadow sway gently, and the fragrance of sweet-scented osmanthus is lingering in the air.

Cui Mata's eyes were foggy, and he felt a little drowsy.

Yang Xuan sat next to him, stretched out his arms, and put his head on her lap: "The autumn feast is not over, it's not good to go back to the room to rest, you should rest."

Cui Yu yawned, not understanding why he fell asleep so quickly, and fell asleep with his head on Yang Xuan's lap.

The bright sun shines on everything on the earth, everything is so clear in the field of vision, and every detail is clearly visible. Yang Xuan saw a halo on Cui Yu's soft and soft face, and the tiny fluff is very cute.

He took off his outer clothes and covered Cui Yu.Seeing that Cui Mata's hand was dishonest, and the position of it was a little delicate, he took this hand and squeezed it to the palm of it.

Unconsciously, the distance between him and the good-looking rabbit is getting closer and closer. No matter how much time, how many barriers and habits that people have never broken, are now willing to compromise for this rabbit.Even if he knew that this rabbit was not simple, he was cunning and cunning like a fox, once provoked, he would definitely cause trouble and danger...

But they follow each other in life and death and trust each other, don't they?

Their trust and dependence on each other is unique.

The good-looking rabbit is the reward given to him by God for his good work all the time.

They deserve to be closer than anyone in the world.

Seeing Cui Yu's silly and defenseless appearance after falling asleep, Yang Xuan couldn't help but smiled and touched Cui Yu's cheek.

The beautiful rabbit is his.

……

After Cui Yu woke up, he was very energetic. Seeing that Yang Xuan's thigh was used as a pillow, he was not at all awkward, and patted Yang Xuan's shoulder vigorously: "Thank you, buddy! Are your legs numb?"

Yang Xuan glanced at him with contempt: "You think I'm you?"

Cui Yu was startled, and then laughed loudly: "How could it be? You are Sha San! You are a strong man who can travel to nine heavens, grasp the moon and go down to five seas to catch turtles. How could he be slept on by a mere mortal like me?" Does your leg go numb when you take a pillow?"

Yang Xuan: ...Sometimes this good-looking rabbit is also short of twitching, which makes people's hands itchy.

Because when we met for the first time, swords were drawn at each other, and the image of his face and body was too miserable to be called good-looking at all. Yang Xuan was too young to be enlightened, let alone the manly aspect, and Huihui might cause ambiguity. In such a situation, Yang Xuan's normal behavior like the above... Cui Yu is really relieved, he feels that in this life, there is no possibility of any accidents between him and Yang Xuan other than "the monarch and his ministers get along", so he didn't deliberately get along with each other. Now, it's getting more and more casual.

What's the matter with pillowing a good friend's thigh, and there is no quilt.He is so pure and innocent in heart, it's okay to be naked and covered with a quilt!

They are all men anyway!

Cui Yu stretched his waist, looked at the sky, and asked Yang Xuan, "What time is it?"

"Probably when the guests should leave."

"Then I have to hurry up," Cui Yan stretched out his hand to Yang Xuan, tilted his head slightly, and smiled brightly and beautifully, "Can you please take me one more time?"

Yang Xuan raised his eyebrows high, noncommittal.

"If you don't speak, you agree!" Cui Yu ran over, took his hand and put it on his waist, and wrapped his hands around his neck, "Please!"

Yang Xuan: ...

……

The process of seeing off guests is similar to that of welcoming guests, but it is not as tiring as welcoming guests.When an important guest leaves, many people will ask to leave together, and the host can see the guest off together.When seeing off guests, the choice of the host family does not need to be the same as when welcoming guests, as long as the etiquette arrives.

The young masters of the aristocratic family had a great time. Seeing Cui Yu accompanied Xie Wen to see off the guests, they were a little bit reluctant. They made an appointment to meet again someday. The cold-faced 'Sha Ge' was also beside him, so he gave up.

The older generation also got something, some were worried when they left, some were calm when they left, and only they knew what was going on in their hearts.

The sky is getting dark and the twilight is closing in.

All the guests left, Xie's family had a hasty meal by themselves, and took care of the rest of the matter separately.The housewives in the back house stared at the subordinates to recycle and check things, while the head of the house sat together and summed up today's affairs.

Xie Yan, Xie Jia and the two elders sat in the main seats, Xie Wen, Cui Yu and Yang Xuan accompanied them.As for Xie Wen's father and uncles, either their status and ability were not enough to be trusted by Xie Yan, or they were unable to participate because they drank too much with the guests today.But Mr. Xie Yan is enough, he is the head of the family, and he has the final say on all the big and small matters of the Xie family. The process is cleared up, the decision is made, and then it is enough to communicate.

The first thing to talk about is Wang Shibaniang's being watched.

Yang Xuan grabbed Li Ji from the Li family outside the wing room. He said that he had a crush on Shiba Niang, but he knew that his status was not good enough, so he had a crooked mind.He got the map of Xie's house, and he heard people say that Shiba Niang is good at painting. On the day of the autumn banquet, he will definitely paint at the rockery at the junction of the inner house garden and the outer court, so he went there and took the paintings away while the girls were surprised. with champagne.But that's all he planned. He never thought about what to do to Shiba Niang on the day of the autumn banquet.

The boy who was caught together got the silver taels and deliberately showed the way, but the person who got the silver taels he described was not found at the autumn banquet.

What Fan Lingxiu saw, the servant who showed the boy the Li family for the first time, was not found either.

The assassin who assassinated Xie Jia couldn't bear Yang Xuan's tossing, so he recruited, saying it was a business deal, and others would give him money to let him sneak into the autumn banquet. If he saw the signal, he would kill Xie Jia.For this reason, he even found an opportunity to get to know who Xie Jia was.

The dead man picked up the business with the order from the underworld, and the money was also paid by the underworld, so it cannot be traced.It's not because Xie's family is incapable. It's easy for a local snake like Xie's family to find such a gangster, but the person who pays the money must have gone through various security disguises, so he can't find it. , the other party may send a scapegoat to deliberately fan the flames, and the situation will be even more chaotic and it will be more difficult to confirm the facts.

Xie Wen Cui Yu was very shocked when he heard that Xie Jia was assassinated, especially Xie Wen, who was out entertaining guests and had no idea that something almost happened in the backyard!Uncle almost lost his life!He immediately stood up, waved his sleeves and saluted Yang Xuan: "Thank you brother Sha for your help in this encounter with my uncle."

Xie Yan and Xie Jia looked at him saluting, and nodded slightly, this salute, as the eldest son and eldest grandson, he should do it.

Yang Xuan accepted it, but it only took a moment for him to wake up.

When the atmosphere was peaceful, Cui Mata frowned and asked, "Where does the signal come from?"

Xie Yan: "It is said that it is a plate of dishes, if it is served in front of him, and it is placed in the shape of a willow leaf, it is time to kill."

"After the murderer framed Shibaniang..." Xie Wen raised his eyebrows, "Is he also from the Li family?"

Xie Yan: "Without evidence, it's hard to make a conclusion."

"Where is my mother?" Xie Wen asked again, "My mother took people to find Shiba Niang, why did she go straight to the wing and found the right direction? Did someone secretly push her hand?"

Xie Yan stroked his beard: "There are many things today, and your mother didn't notice too much. At that time, Shiba Niang's maid came to report in a panic that the master could not be found. One of the guests, a lady surnamed Liu, said that she was happy to see a girl with a similar skirt. I have been in that direction, but this Mrs. Liu is not from either side."

"I saw something." Cui Yan stared, "When Sha San went to arrest people, I saw the behavior of the ladies and ladies on the wall of the wing room. The eldest lady was worried about Shibaniang, so she went into the room with Mrs. Wang's wife, so it's fine. I feel wrong in my heart, and I have some guesses, because I haven't seen more performances from these people, so I can't be sure."

"When I heard the eldest lady talking in the room, the eighteen mothers were fine, and there was no outsider in the room, I saw a lady and a lady exchange glances. Both of them were very surprised, and the lady was more obvious, but The lady shook her head at the young lady, and the young lady stopped talking." Cui Yu recalled the scene at that time, "The young lady's facial features are exquisite, her eyebrows are delicate and her eyes are full of worry, I feel pity for her, and the ladies in her company call her 'Sister Zhiyan' Or my younger sister, that lady is in her 30s, with a long face, slim and tall, the tallest of all the ladies, quite gorgeous... who are these two?"

Xie Wen knew it as soon as he heard it: "It must be Mrs. Lin and Miss! Lin Xianghe's wife and daughter!"

"Lin Xianghe..." Cui Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, and suddenly thought of the mansion newspaper he had read recently: "Is this person related to Lin Xiangyan, the minister of meritorious service in the Ministry of Officials?"

"Exactly!" Xie Wen didn't understand very much, "But the Lin family...has no grudge against us."

Cui Yu said again: "At that time, I also saw a lady with a wrong expression. I was always worried about the eighteenth girl, but when I heard that there was no abnormality in the room, and there was no voice from a foreigner, I was greatly relieved and stroked her chest. She seems to be relieved suddenly, but also a little scared. This lady is a little short and fat, her body is made of silk gold, her face is also full of gold, and she looks very good, as if she is worried that others will not know that she is rich."

This person should want to facilitate the matter between Li Ji and Miss Wang Shiba, and even knew that Li Ji took advantage of the autumn feast to do it, but he didn't want to make things worse, worried that Li Ji would be messed up, and he was relieved when he heard that there was no male voice.

Xie Wen Yilin: "Is the shoe upper also inlaid with gold?"

Cui Mata thought for a moment: "It's true."

Xie Wen curled his lips: "That is Mrs. Li, the mother of Li Shun and Li Ji."

"So—someone wants to take advantage of the troubled waters." Yang Xuan tapped the table with her fingertips, "Making the scene bigger."

Cui Yu nodded: "The Li family's intention to deal with the Xie family is almost on the surface. Everyone knows that to deal with the Xie family, it is normal to win over the Wang family with similar strength. It is normal to use some dangerous tactics. But if others Knowing their specific plans, I want to use them to mislead them at key points..."

Mr. Xie Jia interjected here, the word 'Chuan' between his brows creased even more heavily: "Although Lin Xiangyan is only a servant of the Ministry of Officials, he is very ambitious and resourceful. Now that there is a vacancy in the Ministry of Officials, his seniority is still relatively inexperienced. He is not qualified to compete at first, but if he can be promoted to another level, or if he can grasp more information from the Ministry of Officials, future ministers will value him more."

Xie Wen: "But what does this have to do with our autumn feast—"?

"The King of Yue wants to use the Li family. The Li family has limited capabilities, but they occupy a lot of seats. If you don't fight for it, you will never get it." Cui Yu spoke with a hint.

Yang Xuan followed his words and continued: "When a superior employs people, sometimes he likes to watch his subordinates scramble. Whoever has the ability can take on the big job. The Li family is relying on Yue Wang's power to provoke the Xie family. The Yue king doesn't care, and the Xie family is anxious Even if there is trouble at the autumn banquet, the Xie family will be ashamed if it is not handled well. But if the Li family defiles the Wang family's daughter at the Xie family's autumn banquet... the matter is too big, and the Xie family cannot explain it to the Wang family. If their subordinates do such a thing, The king of Yue is ashamed, he will suppress the Li family, he will apologize to the Wang family, some opportunities will naturally be vacated."

Xie Wen's mind was not slow, and he quickly caught up with everyone's thoughts: "But isn't this also offending the King of Yue? If the King of Yue especially values ​​and loves the Li family..."

Yang Xuan snorted coldly: "The King of Yue is not so stupid." As if worried about misunderstanding, he added, "Anyone who wants to fight for the throne will not be so stupid."

Today's matter, the specific situation, needs to be carefully investigated and straightened out, such as who is the guide boy, who brought the food to the dead man, and how the Lin family's mother and daughter operate... There should be some people mixed in, but there are many guests, and there are also many servants. Xie's family is not easy to restrict, and it is difficult to control people coming and going, unless they are caught on the spot. If the timing is not right, they will slip away immediately , the Xie family had no choice but to investigate slowly afterwards.

But if there is no accident, the general direction found by gathering everyone's ideas should not be wrong.

Some people want to stand out, some people want to take advantage of their gangs to rob, some people are on the water, some people are on the water... The situation that the aristocratic family faces is never less.

Mr. Xie Yan was very calm: "Once the matter is clarified, it's easy to deal with it. What I'm afraid of is that I don't know. Tell me, how do you deal with it now?"

The old man may not have no ideas, but seeing the junior couldn't help but raise some ideas.

Xie Wen frowned and thought deeply: "If you fight against the outside world, you must settle down first. If you have a good relationship with us, you must maintain it. If you have a bad relationship, you must find a way to control it, so as not to cause chaos." But how to control it?

Yang Xuan sipped tea leisurely: "If you can't become a person on board, then grab its vital pigtail. If you give such an order, no one dares not to obey." As for grasping the vital pigtail, it shouldn't be difficult for the Xie family.

Cui Yu forked his hands calmly: "The next step is to tie the sheep to graze, and watch the fire from the other side. Find something for the Li and Lin families to keep them from calming down. They won't have time to stare at the Xie family and just fight each other."

……

The three of them spoke one word at a time, from the general direction to the detailed plan, and after a while, they discussed a set of feasible strategies.The young man's face was flushed, his eyes were shining brightly, and he was full of energy. Everyone was very excited and full of vigor.

The old men Xie Yan and Xie Jia stroked their beards and nodded repeatedly.With such an excellent generation, the court can be expected, and the Xie family can be expected!

After several people finished discussing, Xie Yan threw out new news: "Recently, the river gang is in chaos, and the court officials along the coast are changing frequently, causing countless casualties. Officials who go to Chang'an to serve will be filled by officials here, and security is a problem, and the Xie family can't ignore it."

The Xie family is a local snake. As long as the aristocratic clan maintains its status, even if there is no one in the relevant departments of the court, it can still be given face. Arrangements by officials are just a matter of words for them.The big change of officials is a great time to manage contacts and install their own people.

"Wen'er is getting old, but I can use this to practice. Sha San and Cui Mata are here, so you can discuss things if you have any questions, and come to me anytime if you are in doubt."

Xie Wen was very happy, looked at Cui Yu, then at Yang Xuan.

Cui Yu frowned slightly, and shook his head: "I'm afraid I can't. Now that I've recovered from my illness, I can no longer be lazy. I need to go to Yicheng County to find my father. But—" He looked at Xie Wen, then at Yang Xuan, "You two must be able to do it, right?"

His eyes focused on Yang Xuan.

Yang Xuan himself was smart and capable, but he was too young, and sometimes he couldn't change his mind. After getting along for so long, Cui Yu's self-confidence had affected him a lot. He wanted to see if Yang Xuan could do well.

"Yicheng is not far from Chang'an, less than two days away. If there is anything wrong, it is convenient to find me quickly." This is to comfort Xie Wen.

After Xie Wen was disappointed, he cheered up again, thinking about the horses that traveled thousands of miles in his backyard, and smiled: "I will visit you often!"

Yang Xuan was also disappointed for a moment, but thinking about the recent events... she also nodded.

Xie Yan didn't care about how the juniors got along with each other. On the first day Cui Yu lived in Xie's house, he knew that Cui Yu would not stay for long, and he didn't give up now: "Your father is an official in Yicheng, and you can go to Chang'an to meet the superior. There will be many chances, and you will come with me when the time comes, and you will still live here."

To let him live here is to let his father live here with him, live in the Xie family, and he will bring the face of the Xie family when he goes out, but how can it be difficult to deal with Chang'an's personnel affairs?

This is Xie Yan giving him favors.

Not to mention what I think in my heart, the elders are so kind, naturally I have to thank them sincerely.Cui Yu stood up and gave a big salute: "Thank you so much, sir."

"Well," Xie Yan laughed, "don't be in a hurry, the illness comes like a mountain, and the illness goes like a thread, rest for two more days before leaving."

"Yes."

……

When Cui Yu and Yang Xuan left the study room, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon, and there was a deep silence, and there was no sound.

Just now I talked about a lot of things in the study, especially Mr. Xie Yan said a lot of news that he couldn't get at this level at present. He listened very carefully and was busy remembering it in his heart. He felt as if he had overlooked something related to Yang Xuan. .

But I just can't remember.

"Tired?" Seeing him frowning, Yang Xuan said, "Go back to sleep."

Cui Yu couldn't think of it, so he simply put it aside for the time being, and replied with a smile, "Okay."

Back in the courtyard, Yang Xuan didn't see the little tiger, so Yang Xuan asked a servant, who pointed to the little tiger who was still playing wildly outside the courtyard: "Maybe I slept too much during the day, and I'm very energetic at night, don't worry , I'm on duty today, I'll watch it carefully, I'm sure I won't lose it, I won't be hungry!"

Cui Mata was relieved when he heard that.The little tiger is just at the age when curiosity is heavy and loves to play. It is not when it is hungry or its sense of security is particularly low, and it is not sticky to its owner anytime and anywhere. He is also willing to limit it, as long as it is healthy.

Besides, I'm really tired today...

After washing up, Cui Mata went to bed.

The body and mind are very tired, and they all need to rest, but for some reason, there are a lot of mixed thoughts coming and going, and he lies on the bed tossing and turning, but he just can't fall asleep.

Then, he heard Yang Xuan's deep voice outside the window: "Sleep in peace, I'm here."

Cui Yu almost stood up, how did Yang Xuan know that he was not asleep!It's been a long time!But thinking about it again, Yang Xuan is good at martial arts, because of his friendship in the past, it is not surprising that he has the concern of a superior and his subordinates, and it is normal to notice his movements... It is also normal.

"Yeah." Cui Mata muffled in response, feeling a little embarrassed.I don't know if this embarrassment broke the deadlock, or if Yang Xuan's words were very useful, the drowsiness finally broke through all kinds of thoughts and swept him away.

He slowly, slowly closed his eyes.

Hearing the sound of even breathing in the room, Yang Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, pulled the towel on, jumped up lightly, and left Xie's mansion... He has a lot of work tonight!

The author has something to say: Prince: Guess what Gu is going to do?Guess there is a surprise ▼_▼

Little Tiger: Meow——there was originally a role of the Tiger King today, but the stupid author moved it to tomorrow, so happy... The big devil quietly went out again, and the Tiger King wanted to tell the boss!hum╭(╯^╰)╮

Mata beauty: Zzzzzzzzz...