long friend

Su Yan's abnormal daze that day disturbed himself, and Xiao Qichen noticed it.He didn't ask any more questions, but smiled cooperatively, got off his horse, and followed Su Yan, pretending to watch the excitement at both ends of the street, and stopped talking to him.

What Su Yan thought was basically written on his face, it was clear at a glance, and he didn't even know how to put on airs.Seeing that he had something on his mind, Xiao Qichen reckoned that it might have something to do with what happened that night, so he was guilty and didn't dare to provoke him again.He wondered in confusion, could it be that Su Yan also saw something like Brother Heping?

He is still young, and the worship of power has just been projected from the upright Taiji Hall, so he can't pursue it without distraction for the time being.Xiao Qichen has too many things in his heart, it's not so easy to cover everything.

Su Yan sent him to Donghuamen, the general of the Forbidden Army recognized Xiao Qichen, and took the initiative to mobilize a team of troops to escort him back to Chenglan Hall.

His figure became smaller and smaller until he couldn't see him anymore. Su Yan got on his horse, patted Jing Fan's head and said "go", the horse moved in response to the sound, and trotted all the way to the direction of Hou's mansion.

Compared with its predecessors, the current owner of the Pingyuanhou Mansion does not strive for merit or discuss politics, nor does he like to attend the private banquets of princes and nobles, it seems a bit too quiet.

The courtiers used to call Su Zhi the "Great General". These three words were always ridiculed in the Taiping era, but Su Zhi accepted them all and didn't bother to argue.He was stationed at the edge of the northern border a few days ago, and he seemed to smell the restless smell of the northern wild wolf from the air, and he did not relax for a moment.

The defense of Jinling was entrusted to Shen Chengjun and Su Yan, and Su Yan let Shen Chengjun be the master.He stationed Xiaoqiwei in Nanyuan, and he also lived there.Seeing that Su Yan was young and hadn't come home for a long time, Shen Chengjun was extra lenient to him and let him go home to play——Shen Chengjun still didn't take Su Yan seriously.

The current housekeeper of the Hou Mansion is surnamed Wang, and the whole family calls him Uncle Wang.When Su Yan returned to the mansion, he deliberately led the horse in through the side door, tied Jingfan to the stable, and quietly went back to the room by himself.

Mrs. Pingyuan Hou has become an exquisite decoration, chanting scriptures in the Buddhist hall all day long, even more than when she was a girl.Su Yan changed his soft armor, untied his hair, and tied it back into a bun. He picked out a long gown with soft lines, and headed towards the Buddhist hall, preparing to report to his mother.

There was an ever-burning lamp there, and in the past year, it seemed that the wife had finally accepted the news that her other son was dead, and set up a memorial tablet in a dignified way to enshrine it.Su Yan walked to the entrance of the Buddhist hall, but he couldn't move. He heard his own mother talking to the memorial tablet, and felt uncomfortable for a while.

Su Jin was more obedient, smarter, and more likable than him. She acted like a baby in front of her parents all day long, but she was actually a bit like Xiao Qichen.No wonder Xiao Qichen made Su Yan feel close from the very beginning.

Later, after Su Jin was gone, Su Yan tried to comfort his parents, but with little success.He had no choice but to keep silent, allowing himself to grow into what Su Zhi said was "not good at words, perverse and dull".

He finally didn't go in, stood silently for a while and then left.A maid came up to him and asked him if he wanted something to eat. Su Yan shook his head, only to feel that Xinfeng's wine in Yanyulou had a strong aftertaste. He lost his temper too many times tonight. It's time to sleep peacefully and forget about it. These are unsatisfactory.

But Su Yan's mind was too disturbed, and he slept all night with nightmares.

However, Shen Chengjun came to Hou Mansion early in the morning. Uncle Wang recognized the young general, and immediately called Su Yan after letting him in.With two bruises under his eyes, Su Yan was obviously a little depressed.

Seeing his appearance, Shen Chengjun smiled and said: "Didn't you say that I went to the Yanyu Building with my friends yesterday to catch up on the old days. It's been a long time since I haven't seen you, so I drank too much?"

Su Yan didn't bother to explain, nodded feebly, and said, "Brother Cheng Jun, why did you come to me so early?"

"Yunmenguan was attacked the night before." The smile on Shen Chengjun's face was still on, but his voice became colder first, "The commander led 300 people out of the customs, and the Turkic people who were ambushed not far away made a plot. , slightly injured."

Su Yan was completely refreshed: "Where's the battle report?"

Shen Chengjun said disdainfully: "When the adults with corpses and vegetarian meals reach His Majesty, the enemy may have already invaded. The battle report will be sent back directly from Yunmen Pass by Zhang Li, and I will send someone to intercept it in Xuzhou." He shook his head. Shaking the envelope in his hand, he continued, "Let's go, go face the saint, Situ Changshi and those useless things may still be dreaming!"

Since ancient times, "reconciliation between generals and prime ministers" is only a rare case after all, and even if generals are harmonious, the people below are often at odds with each other.In his early years, Daliang valued martial arts over literature, so the civil servants looked down on military generals from the bottom of their hearts, thinking that they had strong limbs and simple minds, and they could do nothing but fight farts.

So on the way to court, Su Yan heard that Shen Canjun was like a censor, and he visited all the officials—up to Prime Minister Xie Ke and Da Sikong Zhong Mi, down to Zhongshushe where Xiaoqiwei passed the message a few days ago People, all were not spared.

When I met Xiao Qichen in front of the Tai Chi Hall, Su Yan's left ear had just been baptized by the strange theory that "the emperor's relatives and relatives don't have any good things", and he was suddenly a little out of shape.It was Xiao Qichen who came forward with a smile and said hello first: "Ayan, why did you come to court today?"

Su Yan said: "No... I'm just here to accompany Shen Canjun to deliver the battle report, and I'll wait outside later. This is His Highness Six."

When Shen Chengjun saw the "legendary" Sixth Highness, he only saluted politely, and then said to Su Yan: "I'll go and say hello to Lord Sikong first, you wait for me at Xiyemen, and we will go to the army together later." middle."

After saying this, he hurried away.Xiao Qichen recalled Shen Chengjun's words for a moment, and said in surprise: "What battle report? The front line is fighting?"

The return of the Turkic protons from Nanliang was just over a month away, and the general’s memorial to the Northern Territory had just been sent to the imperial court, so why did things suddenly change?Xiao Qichen looked at Su Yan worriedly, but Su Yan's expression was heavier than his, and he explained: "I don't know either, Shen Canjun just mentioned that it happened the night before."

Just as he was about to say more, Xiao Qichen caught a glimpse of a few people walking from a distance, quietly pushed Su Yan, and said politely in that direction: "Brother Yu."

"Qichen came earlier today than yesterday." The male voice was quite pleasant, with a bit of teasing, "Have you eaten yet?"

"I eat at Chenglan Palace. I'm already in the palace, so it's convenient to come and go. Brother Yu's palace is in the east of the city, so it's much more troublesome to come here, and he came earlier than Tai Tuo. It's not hard work." Xiao Qichen's final voice Picking, it sounds a little arrogant, but I don't think it's offensive.

The man said: "Take fun of me again? If you praise me a few more times, I'll be in a trance."

The voice was so close at hand, Su Yan raised his eyes and saw that the visitor had indeed arrived beside them.

The person who came had straight eyebrows, a luxurious hair crown, and an air of grace. He was Zhao Wang Xiao Qiyu.He himself has nothing to do with "violent gods and evil spirits". He was wearing a court uniform that day, and his demeanor was even more in full bloom. At this moment, he was greeting Xiao Qichen warmly for a moment, and even raised his hand to pinch his face.

The degree of brotherly respect between these two people doesn't seem like a play on the spot at all. If Xiao Qichen hadn't quickly rubbed the place where he pinched after Xiao Qiyu left, Su Yan could hardly figure out the love and hatred in it. Enmity.

He poked Xiao Qichen: "He has a good relationship with you?"

Xiao Qichen shook his head, and said, "I don't know what he's thinking, he probably thinks... I'm too young."

That's right, there was almost a generation difference between them, Xiao Qiyu's eldest son and Xiao Qichen, to put it presumptuously, could be called "similar in age".Su Yan said "Yes", and seeing the courtiers arriving one after another, he felt that he couldn't stay longer, and said to Xiao Qichen: "Then I'll go to Xiyemen first, and if I have something to do later... I'm not at home, I'm in Nanyuan."

Xiao Qichen nodded and wanted to say something, but Su Yan turned his head and left.

"He's avoiding me a little bit." Xiao Qichen thought, "Do you think I'm too duplicitous?"

He thought about it for a while, until he stood in the Tai Chi Hall, still wondering whether Su Yan was too naive or whether he really had a problem. Xiao Qichen didn't care what other people said. He stared at his toes, and finally felt that he still wanted to talk to Su Yan more. chat.

He didn't listen much to the court meeting, and only caught a little bit of the tail at the end of the court meeting. From Shen Chengjun's battle report, he got a glimpse of what the senior ministers were arguing about today.

A group of Turkic cavalry suddenly attacked the city at Yunmen Pass, but Su Zhizheng was not expecting to garrison it himself, and immediately led his troops to fight out.Su Zhi was led one mile away, there was an ambush all around, the two teams fought hand to hand, Su Zhi was slightly injured, and retreated back to Yunmen Pass, and the enemy seemed to want to take advantage of this moment to sneak attack.

After interrogation, the captured hostages confessed that they were not the subordinates of the current Turkic Khan Huyantu, but the faction of the eldest prince who had been exiled.Su Zhi didn't know whether to fight or treat it as an accident, so he sent someone to send back the battle report quickly, asking Xiao Yan to make a decision.

When Xiao Yan first came to the throne of God, he was very ambitious. He beat the Turks with his fists and trampled on Nanzhao. ambition.

Back then, Xiao Yan had already made a decision to send troops to suppress the situation when the commander in chief was attacked. But today, after hearing these battle reports, he only said to Shen Chengjun: "Once in a while, it may be that the situation of the Turkic tribes was not stable. If there is another Invasion, I hope the general will stick to Yunmen Pass and not rush in. The 20-year peace between the Turks in Nanliang has not yet ended, and it is too dangerous for both sides to start a war first."

Xiao Qichen saw that Shen Chengjun was obviously dissatisfied, but he still took the order to retreat.

The former emperors of Nanliang made many choices between civil servants and military generals, and offended both sides. It seems that the emperor who has been in power for 30 years has also begun to seek balance in the Tai Chi Hall.

It was rare for the court meeting to not be too noisy. After the end, Xiao Qichen was full of thoughts about what he had promised Xie Hui before, and hurried to the inner palace of Taicheng.He had just taken two steps, but was stopped by a shout. When he looked back, the person who was catching up was actually Xiao Qiyu.

Normally, Xiao Qiyu doesn't pay much attention to him—to be exact, except for the one on the dragon chair, Xiao Qiyu doesn't pay much attention to him—but today he not only greeted him first, but now he is another Xiao Qichen was full of doubts as if he was gossiping with his brother, but he still cheered up and smiled at him.

He knew that when he laughed, people would be defenseless, so he said obediently, "Brother Yu, what's the matter?"

"Someone sent some things to my house a few days ago." Xiao Qiyu put his arms around his shoulders and said, "It's all from the fief Handan to honor me, and the others are not rare items, but that Ganoderma lucidum is indeed rare Treasures. Brother Huang remembers that you were in poor health when you were young, if it is still too late, I will send someone to send the ganoderma to your palace?"

Xiao Qichen gave a "thud" in his heart, but the smile on his face was still maintained, and he turned around lightly to break free from him: "I appreciate Brother Yu's kindness, but I don't seem to be able to eat these great tonics. There was a Spring Festival before, The emperor rewarded my concubine with ginseng, and concubine mother thought it was rare, so she cooked soup for me herself, but I got nosebleed that night after drinking it, which frightened concubine mother very much."

"Is that so... That's really a pity." Xiao Qiyu said regretfully, and patted Xiao Qichen again, "Yesterday I entered the palace to greet you, but I was scolded by my father again, saying that I was too indifferent to my brothers. Thinking about it, I only have two Brother, for some reason Qiping has always been estranged from me, you have to give me a chance to be a big brother."

Xiao Qichen thought to himself why he felt estranged, don't you understand, but he said: "Okay, I will never forget to trouble Brother Yu."

Xiao Qiyu laughed loudly: "If you really need something, I will do it for you."

He was happy talking, and Xiao Qichen's mind flashed, he quickly adjusted his innocent expression, and said: "Speaking of... Brother Yu, you know a lot, and I really have something I want to ask. Over there in the South China Sea There are many exotic flowers and plants, and there is a plant called Muguanyin, do you know?"

Xiao Qiyu was taken aback for a moment, then frowned slightly, and said, "Wood Guanyin? It looks like pruning bamboo, with leaves, and white flowers with a light fragrance. If it is placed indoors, the trunk is often covered with water drops--if it is this thing, I have seen it before. On the one hand, it is indeed beautiful, but I heard a person say that this thing cannot be used with many incenses, and it may cause discomfort to the human body, so it can be viewed from a distance and not be used. If you often incense in the palace, you should not covet "beauty" ', move to your bedroom."

"Yes, I only read it in the book, thank you brother Yu." After Xiao Qichen answered politely, Xiao Qiyu happened to be stopped by someone over there, so he said a few more words to Xiao Qichen before saying goodbye.

There were only a few people left in the square in front of the Tai Chi Hall, Xiao Qichen stood where he was, his brows were deeply furrowed, and he fell into deep thought.

"He really said that?" Su Yan asked after hearing what he repeated.

Xiao Qichen took a sip of tea, and was almost vomited by the taste of the tea in the Nanyuan military tent. He wiped the corner of his lower lip, and said, "Looking at him like that, I'm really worried that I'll play with it. But since I know, It’s even more inseparable. I went to the palace to ask the queen, and although she was reluctant, she still told me some things about that year.”

Su Yan took out an oiled paper bag from close to her body, opened it, squeezed a piece of candy for Xiao Qichen, and listened to him continue.

"The Empress said that after that incident, almost everyone around Brother Ping was replaced, except for his wet nurse Auntie Cuiyu and the girl from the house, and Wan Qing, who had served him since childhood, followed him to the palace. Others, either were dispatched to Huanyi Division and Yeting, or they found a reason early and were expelled from the palace."

Su Yan held his chin and said, "It's a bit difficult to find out."

Xiao Qichen said: "It's hard to find out, but I think there are two people worthy of careful study. The nurse and the close girl sound like they belong to us, but they are also the easiest to attack. The concubine of the house... Knowing brother Ping is Ignore her for the recent matter. The little eunuch got involved, but I don't know who drove it. This person must have some kind of connection with King Zhao or Concubine Li... There is no need to rush this matter. By the way, Shen Canjun is back today Are you angry?"

Su Yan wondered, "How do you know?"

"When the father said he would not fight, his face was not very good-looking. Although I don't know anything about military affairs, I also think it is a bit inappropriate to back down at this time." Xiao Qichen held the candy in his mouth, and his speech was a little vague, He picked up the pen and paper on the table to scribble and change, and asked casually, "Is he like this in the army?"

Su Yan shook his head: "Shen Shen is very steady in the army. My father always said that there are two kinds of people in the army. They are the generals, who are obliged to charge when the two armies meet. The commanders, who plan strategies and win the battle thousands of miles away." .Shen Chengjun is a handsome talent. But he is still too young to hold his breath. My father thinks that dealing with other people in Jinling can sharpen him."

Xiao Qichen nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly became interested: "Then what are you?"

Su Yan was overwhelmed by his question and said after a long time: "... I'm probably a mediocre person who is better than just eating and waiting to die, right? Dad's expectations are too high, and I can't meet them now. He wants me to take over the seal, but It was too difficult for me."

"Don't listen to him, you're fine." Xiao Qichen stretched out his hand and stroked his cuffs, his movements were casual, but his words were very firm.

The two talked for a while, Shen Chengjun came to Su Yan to discuss military affairs, Xiao Qichen knew he had to avoid it, so he quickly stuffed something into Su Yan's hand and ran away.After Su Yan and Shen Chengjun finished speaking before going out, the garrison soldiers said with a look of embarrassment: "Your Highness the Sixth Highness insists on riding Jingfan away, and the humble position can't stop it..."

Su Yan opened his palm, and Xiao Qichen inexplicably stuffed a note into him. When he opened it, the first few strokes in small letters were more scribbled than before:

"After dusk, Xiashan Academy is waiting for you."

Staring at this note for a long time, not knowing when he wrote it, Su Yan went to look at the vacant space in the stable and shook his head helplessly.

The author has something to say: I made up Muguanyin, there is no such thing!