long friend

The wine he had just drank was completely awake at this moment, Su Yan's eyes were still a little confused, but his mind had already cleared his mind.He instantly understood the words contained in Xiao Qichen and Han Guang's few words, and then his eyes widened in disbelief: "... King Zhao?!"

Han Guang looked around, raised his chin to Xie Hui in doubt, Xiao Qichen said, "It's Mr. Xie's grandson."

So Han Guang was relieved for a while, turned around and opened the door, looked around like a thief, then covered it again, walked over and closed the window.Han Guang sat next to Xiao Qichen, filled the wine glass for himself, and after drinking it all, his eyes turned red quickly, as if he had endured this moment for a long time.

In that incident back then, there were too many strange things, and many people vaguely guessed that it had something to do with King Zhao.His ambition has never been restrained. After removing Xiao Qiping, the most promising person to be the crown prince is Xiao Qiyu. However, although Xiao Qiping is young, he is very cautious in his actions. He does not use anyone related to King Zhao, nor does he have anything to do with King Zhao. Ignore it, so as not to catch fire.And even with the utmost care, Xiao Qiping still lost everything in the end.

It is not uncommon for princes to fight, and the culprit is obvious after the incident, but there are no personal or physical evidence. Even if the city is full of disturbances, Zhao Wang's mansion is still calm, and Xiao Yan's attitude towards Xiao Qiyu will not change because of gossip.

Among all the accompanying readers of Donggong, Han Guang is undoubtedly the one with the deepest affection for Xiao Qiping.He served Xiao Qiping at the beginning, and in the next few years, he was also Xiao Qiping's most trusted person.Even if Xiao Qiping lost power, he still often wrote letters to greet him, even though he never received a reply, and the folk prescriptions sent to the East Palace during the New Year's Day were never broken.

He cared about Xiao Qiping's eyes, but after all these years, he couldn't get better.

"...I went to Yangzhou to take up the post. I am not in Jinling, but I still have my eyeliner and contacts back then. I kept these things from His Highness, and it was very easy to find some clues...I have thought about it a long time ago, but I still—"

Speaking of this, Han Guang choked up, and immediately realized his gaffe, and immediately drank another glass of wine.

Su Yan didn't know what to say, he had vaguely heard Xiao Qichen's words before, and when he thought about Xiao Qiping's appearance in the past, now he was still gentle and peaceful, but he was always lacking in anger.He seemed to have completely resigned to his fate, so his ambitions dimmed. Thinking of this, Su Yan couldn't help but feel pity.

He opened his mouth and said, "...Then, does Brother Han have evidence?"

Han Guang shook his head sadly, Xiao Qichen sighed: "Everyone knows it's King Zhao, without proof, how can we avenge Brother Ping? Could it be that we also bribed his attendants to poison him?"

It was obvious that Han Guang was a gentleman from the bone to the skin, and he was stunned when he heard this.Seeing that there were tears in his eyes, Xiao Qichen said: "Since it is impossible to retaliate with an eye, we have to plan for a longer-term matter. How did he do it to Brother Ping? I don't believe that Brother Yi Ping is cautious. It can leave no trace."

These words woke up Han Guang, and also reminded Su Yan of the past. He was thinking about it, and Han Guang said, "Does your Highness still remember the little eunuch who was finally arrested and committed the crime?"

Before Xiao Qichen could respond, Su Yan rushed, "Is that the one named Ruiqi? Isn't he the murderer?"

"Of course he couldn't escape. I later sent someone to investigate his uncle. He is from Huzhou. His ancestral home is Handan. His elder brother is the breadwinner of the family. When he went out to do business, he encountered bandits, and the family couldn't make up the ransom, so he was torn up. That man Originally, he wanted to avenge his elder brother, but he had too many children to support, and after his sister-in-law died, he sold his youngest nephew to Jinling and moved back to Handan himself.

"After being sold to Jinling, there may have been twists and turns. Rui Qi was finally purged and sent to Lanxiu Palace. Not long after, he made a mistake and was hiding outside crying. His Highness picked him up. Speaking of this, Han Guang smiled mockingly, "I just entered the palace at that time, and I followed His Highness, and I didn't care about anything, I just thought His Highness was really kind-hearted."

Su Yan heard his hidden meaning, and said: "Could it be that from then on, this Rui Qi..."

After all, Lanxiu Palace is the residence of Concubine Li Gui. It is not surprising that King Zhao often visits his biological mother.

Han Guang nodded: "But I'm just guessing, there is no evidence. The poison of His Highness is not actually in the food, but the wooden Guanyin plant in his bedroom in the Eastern Palace—Your Highness, do you still remember when it was delivered? Who gave it to you?"

Wood Guanyin is not a Buddhist statue, but a green plant. The whole body is emerald green and slender, like bamboo, but it is decorated with leaves. It looks elegant and eye-catching.This plant was too conspicuous, Xiao Qichen thought about it for a while, and remembered the cause and effect, and vaguely remembered that there was such a living ornament with a strange name in Xiao Qiping's bedroom.

"... I remember it was given by Mrs. Yin. On Brother Ping's fifteenth birthday, I heard that it was a tribute from the South China Sea. She has always been fond of Fengshui... After getting such a rare item, she quickly gave it to Brother Ping. gone."

Mrs. Yin is the birth mother of the youngest Princess Huiyang. She is a very favored concubine.Xiao Qichen, who doesn't have much contact with her, also knows that she has a good reputation.

Han Guang said solemnly, "It's Mrs. Yin. She may have been framed without knowing it, or she may have other plans. The wooden Guanyin itself is non-toxic, but its torso often secretes a colorless and odorless liquid. From a distance, it looks like Dripping water is very beautiful. This liquid is strange. I searched it secretly for a long time, only to find out that there is a saying in the South China Sea that wood Guanyin and red sandalwood incense are naturally contradictory. If the two are mixed for a long time, a toxin will be produced in the air , causing blindness.”

Xiao Qichen was too shocked to speak, but quickly thought of another possibility.

Su Yan obviously also thought about it, and said first: "The eunuch can't think of such a method. Even if someone teaches him, can he still care about what kind of incense His Highness usually lights?"

"Exactly." Han Guangdao, "His Royal Highness does not like incense. If you want to get close to red sandalwood, you can only dye clothes in advance. After soaking in it, it is much more acceptable than incense, but the effect is the same. I guess the people around His Highness felt that the red sandalwood was calming, so they didn't stop him, but Ruiqi was serving these before...?"

Su Yan continued: "His Highness trusts him very much, but it seems that he doesn't need to do these tasks himself."

Hearing this, Han Guang frowned and said, "This is what I can't figure out. There are many people involved in this matter, and all of them are big figures who have harmed His Highness. Apart from King Zhao, who else..."

He was thinking hard to himself, Su Yan turned his head and glanced at Xiao Qichen, who looked calm as usual, rubbing a peanut in his hand.And Xie Hui also acted like he had nothing to do with himself. He buried his head in the drink without hearing anything about the world, and pretended to sigh: "Your Highness, do you really want to drink this wine? The taste is very spicy, but the aftertaste is sweet."

"The better the drink, the stronger the energy. Save yourself, Brother Zhongguang." Xiao Qichen didn't know who he was trying to say to, his eyes wandered away for a moment, he turned to Han Guang, and said seriously, "Brother Han, according to what you said , Wooden Guanyin was a gift from Mrs. Yin, Rui Qi may belong to Concubine Li Gui, and the two of them have a Zhao Wang tied to their interest chain, so the mastermind behind the scenes must be Zhao Wang, besides this, do you have someone else? Evidence?"

Han Guang choked, and said, "This..."

Xiao Qichen went on to say: "If not, then I can't just talk nonsense. It's been a long time, and brother Ping is still at ease now, no one bothers him, we can check slowly. From now on, I will have more chances to get in touch with the government, and if I need help Even if you speak, I haven't moved out of Taicheng yet, Madam Yin can find a reason to say hello—do you know what I mean?"

He cleared up Han Guang's most tangled point in a few words, and Han Guang suddenly became enlightened, and said, "Then thank you, Your Highness!"

"Mu Guanyin, I think we need to find out from the people around...His Royal Highness Chu," Xie Hui, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, counting them as one with them, and said in an orderly manner, "Red sandalwood and Mu Guanyin, this is also the case. Freezing three feet is not a day's cold. Back then, the empress had such a strong personality, didn't she check everything?"

Several people kept their mouths shut. Everyone knew that the East Palace was almost turned upside down that year. , A small matter made him moody, and even implicated Xiao Qichen.

At the moment, Xiao Qichen seemed to be okay, stuffed the peanut into his mouth, and said vaguely: "Understood, I will ask her some other day. I don't believe that she wants to catch the real culprit who killed Brother Ping, and even bully him." I."

The last three words were soft and smug, and Su Yan almost couldn't hold back his laughter.

Han Guang looked at them inexplicably. He only felt that the Sixth Highness, who was much younger than him, was too calm at the moment, which made him feel too strange.

"In short," Xiao Qichen patted the crumbs that fell on his clothes, and said, "Before there is no definite evidence, everyone should not act rashly. Brother Han, I know you are complaining about him, but acting on your will often backfires."

Han Guang said in a daze: "...Yes, yes, Your Highness taught me the right lesson."

Su Yan couldn't help laughing, feeling that Xiao Qichen's appearance was so cute, he stretched out his hand to rub the back of his head, and murmured, "You..."

As soon as these half sentences came out, Xie Hui's eyes immediately became subtle.However, no one paid any attention to his subtleties. Xiao Qichen pulled Su Yan's hand off and muttered, "Don't touch my head all the time. My concubine said when I was a child that men don't touch their heads. This is a matter of principle. Su Yan, what are you laughing at?" ?very funny?"

He really looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy when he was thinking about it. Su Yan withdrew his hand obediently, his gaze was still soft, staring at Xiao Qichen embarrassedly, his ears warmed up, and he turned his head away and stopped talking.

Outside the Misty Rain Building, the willows are swaying, the night is low, and the stars are everywhere.

Several people bid farewell here, Xie Hui still refused to go back to the prime minister's mansion directly, and made a seven-day appointment with Xiao Qichen, Han Guang left secretly, as quietly as if he had never been here.

"Are you going back to the palace?" Su Yan watched Xie Hui leave, and naturally said to Xiao Qichen, "Shall I see you off?"

Xiao Qichen rolled his eyes, and he swallowed the "no return" on his lips, looked around, and said briskly: "Okay, you can see me off. I want to ride your horse."

When practicing archery, Su Yan's black horse, red clothes and silver armor, and his young man's heroic appearance grabbed the attention of the audience.The black steed was given to him by Su Zhi, named "Jing Fan". According to legend, after being eight steeds, it has not yet reached the golden age of a horse, and it is enough to go to the battlefield.Su Yan took it, patted the saddle, and said, "Go up."

Xiao Qichen has learned riding and archery, but he is obviously far behind Su Yan.It wasn't cool for him to get on the horse, and he was a little nervous when he grabbed the rein. Su Yan smiled slightly, and pulled the rein: "I'll lead the horse for you."

At this moment, he is condescending, and everything he sees is fresh.Going back to Taicheng from Yanyu Tower, you have to go through Zhuque Street. Emperor Taizong abolished the city-wide curfew of the previous dynasty for the convenience of transactions, and opened up a unique area near Zhuque Street as a place for people to spend their nights. four.Nightclubs are open all night, during which the Jinwu Guards of the Forbidden Army patrol to maintain order.

If they want to return to Taicheng, they must pass through Yesi.

When the lights of thousands of houses are on, the lights of the nightclubs are brighter again, the performances of jugglers welcome bursts of cheers, the vendors in the Western Regions sell exotic decorations, the restaurants greet them, and the people flock in an endless stream. of peace and prosperity.

"After careful calculation, it has been 15 years since the world has not heard of gold and iron horses..." Su Yan sighed suddenly, as if he remembered something, he turned around and asked, "Achen, I heard from my father that your name is related to Turkic? "

"Yeah, I grabbed a bow and a pen when I caught Zhou, and the next day there was a battle report that the Turks were defeated by Pingyuanhou and had to surrender. When Pingyuanhou returned triumphantly, he brought a large number of Turks to pay tribute. Royal Father was very happy about the rare treasure, so he named me 'Qi Chen'—whether it is a coincidence or auspicious omen, Royal Father actually dotes on me very much."

Since then, Turkic has been in a slump, but why did he frequently touch the border recently? Su Zhi went to Yunmen Pass to defend the city. If it wasn't for the urgent battle, how could he go to battle in person...

Su Yan was thoughtful, Xiao Qichen patted him on the head, and said: "Isn't it a good thing not to hear Jin Ge's voice? What are you thinking about?"

Mu Guanyin, Zitan, the little eunuch who pleaded guilty strangely, the empress, the East Palace, Xiao Qiping, Ah Chen...

The image of the Turkic people he had seen that day flashed across his mind, Su Yan raised his eyes and saw Xiao Qichen staring at him, the tear mole was particularly bright under the street lights, he was stunned for a while, and shook his head instinctively.

He felt that his mind was getting distracted more and more easily, especially when facing Xiao Qichen, his eyes were too seductive, and he forgot what he wanted to say before he knew it.At times like this, Su Yan would faintly loathe himself, and the culprit who caused his ambivalence was extremely innocent.

Xiao Qichen seems to have thousands of faces, he is humble, forbearing, deep-minded, vigorous, ignorant of the world, pure and innocent.Su Yan always thought that they should know each other best when they grew up together. He was sure that Xiao Qichen could control every change of his emotions, but could it be the other way around?

Take care of Xiao Qiping, show weakness in front of King Zhao, and be good to the emperor appropriately; win over Xie Hui, win over the Taifu, and contact Han Guang.At first glance, these are all coincidences, but in fact, there is no one step that is not subtle, just right, all-round and exquisite, grasping the center of all relationships——

Xiao Qichen wasted his time peacefully in the palace, Su Yan mourned his misfortune and angered him for not fighting; now that Xiao Qichen was about to fight, Su Yan felt that he was too thoughtful and not easy to get close to.

He couldn't help asking himself: "Su Yan, what do you want from him?"

Going around, the sky is full of stars at this moment, and the autumn wind brings the sound of thousands of households pounding clothes in the south of the city, which is incompatible with the bustle of the night.Just now he admired Xiao Qichen's sound thinking because of these "coincidences", but now he was a little confused.

"...It's okay," he finally met Xiao Qichen's eyes and said softly, "Let's go, it's too late."