long friend

"When did you know?"

Xiao Qichen asked Su Yan pretending to be calm while eating the sweet cake that was dug out from the kitchen.He didn't sit on the edge of the bed, but moved a stool next to Su Yan. The servants of the Hou's mansion didn't come to disturb them. Candles were lit in the wing room at dusk, and he could see Su Yan's expression in the mottled light and shadow.

Su Yan thought for a while and said, "Before, when I was about to die. I can't say."

When dying, there will be a strong desire to survive, and you will involuntarily grasp the most important things in your short life, like a drowning person clinging to a life-saving straw.

"Didn't you never know if you didn't get hurt on this trip?" He wanted to ask, but it was too damaging to the atmosphere, so he changed it to an impolite but euphemistic way of saying it, which sounded like he was complaining.

Xiao Qichen chewed the sweet cake aggrievedly, and said in a vague voice, "It would be nice if you got hurt sooner..."

Everyone said that His Highness Six was articulate and never embarrassing others, so he obviously did it on purpose now.Su Yan choked on his saliva, coughed until the sky was dark, and he held his wound and took a long breath.

He waited for the sharp pain to subside, refused to admit defeat, and retorted: "What about you?"

Xiao Qichen said: "...when you got married."

Su Yan suddenly became speechless. This was a past event that none of them were willing to bring up.

Xiao Qichen blinked his eyes, as if he wanted to give himself some support, so he held Su Yan's finger placed beside him: "Xie Hui said... only when he saw that he had entered the bridal chamber with someone else, did he realize that it was him."

It sounded reasonable and well-founded, Su Yan thought for a long time, but said: "...It sounds like it's all my fault anyway?"

Isn't it your fault?

Feeling guilty, Xiao Qichen didn't dare to say anything, quickly withdrew his hand and lowered his eyelids, and concentrated on eating the rest of the sweet cake. During this time, he didn't ask Su Yan "Are you hungry", but just told him to drink water.

After all, he didn't stay in the Hou's mansion for a long time, stealing half a day off, and there were still things waiting for him to deal with in the palace, not to mention that Su Yan's injury was not healed, and he fell asleep soon after concentrating.He really wanted to kiss Su Yan again, but finally endured it, as long as they chat like this, Xiao Qichen will be happy for a long time.

After Su Yan fell asleep, Xiao Qichen got up and prepared to go back to the palace. After thinking for a while, he picked up the brush placed on the table and dipped it in ink, wrote the word "King" on Su Yan's forehead, and then made a face at him.

"Come see you tomorrow." He said, and put the brush back into the pen holder.

Tianhui, who stood outside the window and had a panoramic view of all this, thought silently, "Your Highness is really a childlike innocence."

Without the slightest sense of being regarded as a half-grown child, Xiao Qichen returned to Chenglan Hall steadily, and then jumped back to the main hall three times in one step, preparing to have a good dinner in the evening in order to celebrate the substantial progress in his relationship with Su Yan.

But he didn't want to see an unexpected person in the main hall, Xiao Qichen suddenly turned cold.

"Brother Huang, why don't you go back home when it's dark?" He picked up his disguise again, finished speaking as calmly as possible, walked over and sat down at the table, lest Xiao Qiyu see that his feet were a little weak.

Xiao Qiyu looked around the decorations of Zhou Chenglan Palace with great interest, and commented: "Qichen, the decorations in your palace seem to be old, did Empress Ronghua like them back then?"

Xiao Qichen didn't reply. When he and Xiao Qiyu were together, they were always silent.Xiao Qiyu knew his temper, so he didn't force it. He got to the point and said, "Did you go to Su Yan just now? You really can't bear it."

His heart sank, wondering why Xiao Qiyu knew that Su Yan had returned to Jinling, so he said, "It has nothing to do with you."

"I knew he was injured as soon as he was injured. There are several of my eyeliners in the Xiaoqiwei." Xiao Qiyu said slowly, "Ah, don't look at me with that kind of hatred, it's not to spy on him, those people are my subordinates ——Su Yan recruited soldiers from the seven counties in Hebei, and my fief Handan is also among them, so some of the recruits are the guards of the palace."

Xiao Qichen sneered inappropriately: "Brother Huang, you have a happy cooperation with each other, but you hide everything from me... Isn't it appropriate?"

Xiao Qiyu calmed down: "Don't you also hide a lot of things from me? Let's get even."

"It's okay." Xiao Qichen said, "But you waited so long, did you just want to tell me that Su Yan was injured?"

Xiao Qiyu: "I think you're feeling hard - didn't you read the note I handed you before the meeting today? Why are you arguing with me? Isn't now the best time to attack? Xiao Qichen, you only worry about Su Yan alone. "

He is jealous.Xiao Qiyu was like this, he considered himself the proud son of heaven, so he couldn't see Xiao Yan showing the slightest appreciation or approval for anyone else.

Xiao Qichen said sideways: "I'm afraid that I won't lead the army."

Hearing this, his imperial brother frowned impatiently. Xiao Qichen had a full view of his expression, knowing that in Xiao Qiyu's eyes, he had completely reduced to an image of children's selfishness, and was very satisfied.But he didn't show it, and pretended to be puzzled: "Otherwise, Brother Huang wants General Wang Zhen to go?"

The commander of the imperial army, the son of Da Sima, sounds very logical.

However, Xiao Qiyu showed a trace of hesitation: "Lord Sima...Wang Di, he doesn't want his own son to go to the battlefield, probably because of Su Yan's lingering fears. Even scouts can sneak into Yanmen Pass, do you think it's scary?"

Xiao Qichen poured him a cup of tea: "Actually, there is another person, you and I both know."

"What?" Xiao Qiyu smiled, "Tell me to die?"

These words were sharp and mean, but when Xiao Qichen heard them, it seemed that they were no different from the usual greetings.With a steady smile on his face, he put the teapot aside, and said to him from left to right: "Now there is no one in the court to contend with you, and the call for Li Chu is actually very high, but the emperor has not made any moves yet." , just lacking a convincing reason.”

Seeing that he was not angry at all, Xiao Qiyu became interested, and raised his eyebrows: "Oh?"

Xiao Qichen said calmly:

"Isn't the only disadvantage of the emperor's brother is that he is a concubine? To get your father to seal the East Palace to you, he will naturally have to pay more than Xiao Qiping. He has had a golden spoon in his mouth since he was a child, and he is different from you and me... But now? In terms of state affairs, Brother Emperor, even if you don’t talk about dealing with it, your achievements in supervising the country these days are obvious to all. Most of the courtiers are facing you, and you have all the government affairs and contacts. Think about what you lack the most? Hmm... I think it should be military merit Bar."

Xiao Qiyu couldn't hold back his teasing expression, his eyes were sharp, and he couldn't maintain his relaxed sitting posture.

"In terms of military merits, princes have always been weak. In my dynasty, after becoming a king, I live in Jinling and have little chance to get in touch with military affairs. Besides, my father wants to take the power of the general into his own hands, let alone distribute it to others. The foreign army and the Taiwanese army are directly under the emperor, and the elite cavalry guards are commanded by the general of the Fuguo, so if the prince wants to make military exploits and impress him, it is as difficult as going to the sky like ordinary people who have been extremely talented officials for ten years in the cold window."

Xiao Qichen spoke every word to him in a slow and orderly tone, which unknowingly made Xiao Qiyu forget the important point.

He originally intended to "discipline" Xiao Qichen, so how could he offer advice instead, and he couldn't find any faults? !

This thought was fleeting, because Xiao Qichen had completely led his attention away, and Xiao Qiyu was made very uncomfortable by his sudden pause, so he couldn't help but say: "...Then what do you think?"

Xiao Qichen smiled deeply: "Ayan is injured, and will not return to the front line in a short time. If the Turks just happen to call at this time... Isn't it a godsend opportunity for you?"

After he finished speaking, he showed Xiao Qiyu an impeccable and kind smile, and he could see the obvious wavering on the other side's face.

When sending Xiao Qiyu away that day, he felt that something had changed quietly.

After closing the door of Chenglan Palace, Xiao Qichen let out a long breath of relief.Tian Hui turned out from the corridor without losing the opportunity, and asked, "Your Highness is so devoted to King Zhao, aren't you afraid that you will take it seriously?"

"I have a sense of propriety." Xiao Qichen said, "He is not easy to be fooled, sometimes he won't believe if he doesn't show his sincerity."

Tianhui seemed to understand, she just nodded, she didn't seem to trust Xiao Qichen's explanation: "I thought His Highness... wanted to compete with King Zhao."

"I can't grab it, so I have to play dirty." Xiao Qichen said with a smile, "If you want to face it, I can't fight him. So I avoid the edge for the time being and don't confront him head-on. What I did was to make him feel... I Whether I can't help myself when I'm threatened, or help him sincerely, I will not, and dare not, harm him."

Tianhui: "Then how will His Highness deal with himself then?"

"He will gradually think that I'm dead—Xiao Qiyu never put me in his eyes, and this is what I want." Xiao Qichen said, picking up an exquisite decoration in Chenglan Palace and looking at it, " Let him fight, let him rob, let him go to the battlefield—anyway, he will die in the end."

As soon as he finished speaking, a bolt of lightning exploded in the air, followed by thunder rumbling.Seeing Xiao Qichen put the ornament back to its original place, Tianhui turned around and lit the lamp: "Do you think I'm cruel?"

"Killing brother sounds disgraceful, and you will also meet His Majesty's Ni Lin, which is not the best policy." Tianhui hesitated for a moment, and then asked a question, "If you had a choice, would Your Highness take this path from the beginning? ?”

Half of Xiao Qichen's face was warmly surrounded by candlelight, he straightened up and sighed, "But I don't have a choice."

He has only the darkest way to go, and every move is a dangerous move.

"Tianhui," Xiao Qichen smiled, with light beating in his eyes, "I'm very happy now, let me calm down for a while—I'm going crazy with joy."

The thunderstorm poured down, and the damp breath spread in the air.Lixia has just passed, and the overwhelming rain has washed away the immature leaves on the leaves. The new leaves have drank enough of the rain, and the green is shining and full of vitality.

In the days that followed, Xiao Qichen ran to the Hou Mansion all day long, not afraid of criticism at all.When Li Rong was still around, he often visited, and there were rumors in Jinling that the Sixth Highness might have secretly tied up with the young wife of the Houfu.But these rumors gradually disappeared after Li Rong died of illness, and not a word of them reached Su Yan's ears.

They didn't do anything out of the ordinary, and everything was as close as they were when they were fifteen or sixteen years old.Xiao Qichen occasionally seized the opportunity to kiss him once or twice, which made Su Yan push him: "Don't make trouble."

It was early in the morning when Su Yan was able to go to the ground. He tentatively walked around the house, and went for a few laps in the courtyard. It was fine.At this time, tourists came to visit, and the first person Su Yan saw was actually Xiao Qiping.

Counting his fingers, he probably hadn't seen each other for more than two years, Xiao Qiping didn't care about world affairs, and Su Yan was tired of fighting later, so he didn't have the chance to greet him.

He leaned against the door and saw Xiao Qiping being supported by Cuiyu standing in front of him: "Mingyu, are you better?"

Most of the people who called him Biaozi were casual acquaintances, and Xiao Qiping was much less familiar with him when he called him by his name.Seeing Cuiyu helping him step into the house, Su Yan moved the stool over and was about to take over, but Xiao Qiping brushed his hand away lightly as if he could see it suddenly.

Aware of Xiao Qiping's resistance, Su Yan no longer insisted: "Your Highness came suddenly... is there something wrong?"

"Qichen went to Bowangyuan for dinner last night." Xiao Qiping said, "He hasn't been that happy for a long time, and maybe he hasn't talked to me about his own affairs for a long time."

It was only then that Su Yan noticed that Xiao Qiping's usual gentle expression seemed to have suddenly disappeared.He lowered his eyelids, his pupils were still deep and without any light, but his expression was haughty and indifferent, which made him feel strange and a little fearful for no reason.

"Although Qichen and I are half-brothers, he has helped me a lot in his own way over the years, so I have long regarded him as the only real brother in my heart."

Su Yan nodded in agreement, and secretly wondered: "What does this have to do with me?"

As if anticipating what he was thinking, Xiao Qiping changed the subject: "...so when he told me that he was not wishful thinking, but that you two were in love with each other, I was shocked."

Su Yan stood up abruptly, and turned over the chair behind him. The unhealed wound was affected by his movements, and there was another burst of heart-piercing pain.Su Yan bowed his waist, raised the chair and sat down again, and adjusted his breathing for a while. During this period, Xiao Qiping always looked at his position as if there was no wave in the ancient well.

Knowing that he couldn't see, Su Yan inexplicably felt a kind of "old Taishan" pressure, sat upright and said: "Your Highness, do you have something to say, you are like this... I'm not used to it, and I don't like to guess other people's minds. "

Xiao Qiping said: "The hearts are connected, and then? Tell the world?"

Su Yan frowned and said, "Qi Chen and I haven't talked about anything else...It's very comfortable to stay with him, but I..."

He was speechless for a long time, Xiao Qi calmly waited for a while, his tone was softer than before: "Hearing him happily say that you also like him, I am moved by your rare friendship. But you have Ma'am, there is also a son who is learning to speak. This is the truth. I don't mean to offend. In this situation, Qichen is obsessed and refuses to give up. And now you finally gave him a response... That's the end of the story, you know Do I mean?"

Su Yan clutched the hanging cuffs, and the soft fabric was deformed by him: "I don't quite understand. Ah Chen is not someone who can give up everything for me, he has a measure..."

"Wrong," Xiao Qiping interrupted him sternly and mercilessly, "he can give up everything—why don't you admit that you are really that important?"

Hearing Su Yan's sudden heavy breathing, Xiao Qiping said: "He's just opened his heart, the first time his heart moves, and his feelings will be extraordinarily intense, even like moths to a flame. If he was more rational, I wouldn't come to you on purpose today... Ayan, if you really understand him, you should know this. So... let it go?"

Saying these words, Xiao Qiping was also very sad.

Nowadays, Xiao Qichen and Xiao Qiping, who have a clear distinction between public and private in everything, chat with Xiao Qiping, and the three sentences cannot be separated from "the future", and all "the future" revolves around Su Yan without exception.

Xiao Qiping very selfishly entrusted his unfinished regrets to Xiao Qichen. From his tone, it seemed that Xiao Qichen was obsessed with ghosts, thinking about a stable life wholeheartedly, maybe he was bewitched.

Of course, many people would like to see Xiao Qichen like this, but is it still the Xiao Qichen he knows?

When that time really comes, will Xiao Qiyu let him go?

"Your Highness, what do you mean?" Su Yan forced a smile, trying to make the topic easier. He hadn't seen Xiao Qiping like this for a long time, as if he had returned to the first time he met him in the East Palace when he was a child.

Xiao Qiping said: "Qichen wants Jiangshan, if you can't give it to him, at least don't become his hindrance."

Su Yan opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't refute every word Xiao Qiping said.

"...This is my very selfish idea," Xiao Qiping looked a little embarrassed, "but you and I both want Qichen to be well. You are responsive to him, and now you are doing me a favor—don't use your emotions to ruin him."

On a sunny morning, even the air smells sweet.Su Yan repeatedly tore his cuffs uneasily, Xiao Qiping knew how to speak to make him understand, even if he couldn't see Su Yan's current movements, he could still feel from his breathing frequency that his state of mind was extremely oppressed and would soon collapse.

But Su Yan didn't break down after all, he took a sip of water, pinched his palm to find his reason, and moved closer to Xiao Qiping without any trace: "Your Highness made a mistake in one place."

Xiao Qiping raised one eyebrow in doubt: "I would like to hear more about it."

"What you're afraid of is that I'll ruin Qichen," Su Yan said in a deep voice, and the complex emotions that hit him in the chest and made his limbs weak for a while finally eased, "Yes, I prefer Achen, but I understand it too late. I'm sorry for delaying others. The expectations of my family also ruined myself... After failing so much, I found out that there is still someone waiting for me. He is indeed the culprit, but I can't hate him, not only that, but I am willing to spend the rest of my life with him——Your Highness, In other words, would you let go easily?"

The sky was bright, and Su Yan looked out the window. He didn't have the habit of closing the door. He easily caught a glimpse of the trees with soft branches outside through the window frame. A bird stopped on the treetop, shaking its light blue feathers.

Xiao Qiping slumped his shoulders as if giving up: "I'm different from Qichen, I couldn't act emotionally from the beginning. The matter has come to this point, it's good to have a clear heart."

When he walked out of Su Yan's room, the blue bird passed by from nowhere and landed on Xiao Qiping's shoulder without any mistake.He noticed something different, and stretched out his hand to touch it, the bird rubbed against his palm affectionately, and pecked a few more.

Cuiyu pulled Xiao Qiping's sleeve: "Your Highness, it's a bird, do you want to drive it away?"

Feeling the cold but lively little animal in his palm, Xiao Qiping lowered his head and smiled: "No, let it follow if it wants to. I'm relieved now, I don't need to be so meddlesome. Go home, Zipei will wake up if he doesn't see me. in a hurry."

The author has something to say: Tomorrow the college has some business to go out, it is still the same, I will update QUQ when I get back at [-]:[-]