nine words

"Are you afraid of me?"

Chu Jiuge never expected that when he was alone with the two of them, he would actually ask this sentence.

The night was deep, the moon hung high, Chu Jiuge turned his back to Xie Sui, lit a candle with flint, the soft fire light illuminated the quiet palace, it was really cold here as always.

"Maybe I should ask you, did you ever regret sending me to someone else's bed?"

Even though he knew that the man in front of him was not He Liangjin whom he loved so much, even if everything he did was for He Liangjin to become a wise king above ten thousand people.

"Regret. I also thought about it, as long as you say no, I won't force you."

"But for your desire for power, you still keep using me."

Chu Jiuge didn't dare to look into Xi Sui's eyes, he was afraid that the coldness in those eyes would pierce his heart...

Chu Jiuge loved, hated, and even thought of killing Xun Sui. He hated this tyrannical personality so much that he controlled He Liangjin to do evil, but finally realized that all of this was because of his incompetence. Before all this happened, things were far more rosy than they are now.

With a long sigh, "I'm not afraid of you, I'm just afraid that you will leave..."

"Leave? Where can I go?" Xi Sui smiled softly and opened his arms towards Chu Jiuge.

Chu Jiuge was a little surprised, and couldn't believe that the tyrannical mischief was really in front of him. At the same time, he felt that the warm hug was too far away, so he didn't dare to go forward for a while.

"Come, come to me."

Calling again, Chu Jiuge finally couldn't resist the gentle temptation anymore, went forward, and hugged his lover tightly.

He has been waiting for this hug for more than ten years...

Since Xun Sui ascended the throne, he has never been close to him, and only when he feels extremely insecure, he would hope that the person beside him is not a high-ranking king, but just an ordinary person.

"Would this be a good start..."

"Yes. I will always pay back what I owe you. Is it enough for the rest of my life?" Xi Sui gently caressed Chu Jiuge's slightly dry hair, wishing to integrate him into his bone marrow and never separate him again.

A few days ago, when Xu Changqing arrived in Lin'an, he gave Xi Sui a beautifully carved wooden box. Before that, he had never revealed to anyone that Qishi had been divided into two in the early years, and one half was hung on the Yan Wang made accessories on his body, and the other half was hidden in the underground palace under the king's city.

"He said that you also drank the water of Wangchuan, if Qishi can make you treat him kindly, then please take it."

Back then, it was Zi Sui who sent Chu Jiuge to Xu Changqing's bed with his own hands. Now Xu Changqing is still infatuated, but he still believes that only Su Sui can give him happiness, so he paid tribute to Qi Shi, hoping to give him a peaceful life.

Xi Sui knew that he had done many evil things involuntarily in the past, slandering Chu Jiuge, and now he is not qualified to ask for his forgiveness.But at least...give him a chance to make amends.

As for Chu Jiuge, he has worked hard for many years in order to see him rule the world with his own eyes. Even though he is disheartened about love, he still firmly believes in his ability to become emperor.

"In the past, there was Han Zigao who served the emperor loyally, and Anling in Longyang lingered on the couch of dragons, but I was just a lowly peasant. I never expected to stand by your side, nor did I ever think of forgiving your faults. In the future, I will still be by your side Support, but I dare not mention my feelings again."

He doesn't know his pain, he can't empathize with him, but he can feel the despair of being hurt by the one he loves. If the roles are reversed, if Chu Jiuge loses him, maybe he doesn't even have the courage to convince himself No.

At this time, thousands of words should be turned into the voice of the heart, flowing quietly in the cold room.

"...It's good that you're back."

Chu Jiuge was tired of thinking about what made Xun Sui have a strong will to control his personality. At this moment, he just wanted to indulge in this tranquility and fall into a deep sleep without waking up again.

Hua Yilian was still lying on the roof of Weiyang Palace, looking at the incomplete crescent moon, her neck was resting on her arms, and she was biting a sugar figurine in her mouth.

He has been watching the moon in this Nangong for 20 years. No matter how difficult the world is, the moon's cloudy, sunny, waxing and waning are always the same, and have never changed.Just like the two in the palace, no matter what they go through, they will eventually get back together.

Although Hua Yilian hates Chu Jiuge, he does not support Chu Jiuge to return to his brother. No matter what Wang Chuan Shui or multiple personalities, at least hurt the fact that Chu Jiuge is willing, if this is okay Regardless of previous suspicions, his love is too great.

"Is it okay to bother them like this?"

"You came up with a calm face." Hua Yilian didn't even look at Yu Jingnian who had climbed up to the roof, until the latter passed a bunch of candied haws in front of him, and his eyes showed brilliance. He took the sugar-coated red fruit in his mouth.

...Yeah, it's completely cold, and even the candied haws won't melt.

"What are you doing here, looking for abuse?"

Yu Jingnian smiled, "I didn't want to fight with you."

"Who said you won't feel bad if the two people below are warm after a fight?"

"Why should I feel uncomfortable?" Yu Jingnian was astonished, and now it was Hua Yilian's turn to stare, took a few bites hastily, swallowed the red fruit, and asked, "Don't you like him?"

"Perhaps, that's why I'm more happy to see him and his loved one achieve positive results."

Hua Yilian felt that this man was unreasonable, even he couldn't stand the person he liked being possessed by others.Thinking of this, perhaps the reason why he hates Chu Jiuge is that he has been occupied by too many people, just like Diaochan Xishi served many people because of the war, and in the end there was Fan Li who was willing to stay with her for life, but he It's mental cleanliness, it's unbearable.

"That's why he likes to wear heavy makeup and dress up like an actor on the stage, so that no one can see through his heart. Even if he tears, he can hide under the makeup as much as possible, which can better reflect his humble identity."

As for Chu Jiuge himself, why doesn't he hate this kind of himself? He is not a noble person. He has lived so far only because he has not died. Thank God for letting him see the prospect of being self-sufficient and no longer tyrannical. Otherwise, he might really It won't be long...

"As for how to manage the local affairs of Yan State and Qi State, you have a clever plan, so let's hear it."

Chu Jiuge looked at the side face buried in the memorial, and finally believed in Chu Zhiyi's vision. If it was He Zipei, it would be impossible for him to review the memorial so meticulously, and even ask his opinion.

"In terms of geographical location, Yan State is in the south of Qinhuai, while Qi State is in the north of Qinhuai. In comparison, Yan State is closer to the southern state, and the geographical conditions are more similar. The people depend on food, and the past dynasties have always emphasized agriculture. In order to suppress business and stabilize people's hearts, the first thing to do is to solve the land problem, and the well field system must not be implemented, but the tenancy system can be paralleled with the southern country. In this way, the people have the enthusiasm for farming, and the biggest problem is solved."

Xun Sui nodded in agreement. In terms of governing the country, whether it was many years ago or now, he would ask Chu Jiuge for advice. Not every time the advice he gave was very reasonable, but it was indeed of great help to appease the people.

"This statement is reasonable, then the canal will be dug to the territory of Yan Kingdom in the near future to prevent natural disasters and man-made disasters."

Chu Jiuge shook his head, pulled out a map from the desk, pointed to the South China area and said: "Yan State is located in the south of Qinhuai River, and the Jiangnan area rarely lacks water, so most of them are mainly rice planting. A few years ago So the reason why the canals were built to bring the water from the Yangtze River into the southern country is because the southern country is farther south than the Yan country, and the climate is hot, even if there is a lot of precipitation, it cannot keep up with the speed of evaporation."

"Then what do you mean to say that such a labor-intensive project of digging a canal should be given to the drier region, that is, the state of Qi?"

"That's right." Chu Jiuge pointed to the North China area again, "However, the Qi royal family has just been wiped out not long ago, and it takes time to appease the people. There is no extra manpower to build such a large project. Moreover, the overall terrain of the Central Plains is high in the northwest and southeast. The trend is low, and it is too difficult to dig canals. As for agriculture, Qi has long been accustomed to a slightly dry farming method, so most of the drought-tolerant crops such as corn are grown, and there is no need to consider digging canals for the time being."

Chu Jiuge's political views have always been beyond the reach of courtiers, so reusing him will definitely make him even more powerful.

"So at the moment, what do you think is the most important thing for us to do?"

Xun Sui finally got to the point. Chu Jiuge took the brush stained with cinnabar from his hand, and drew a long red line along the Qishui, then dipped it in thick ink, and drew another line on the western border of Qi State. .

Now Xun Sui also understood what he meant.

"Stop the invasion of foreign enemies, strengthen the defense, prevent the Ulan people from crossing the Qishui, and move the border of Qi State to the west, that is, the direction of Chu State under the condition of deception. Because King Ke of Chu is useless The people on the border often feel insecure, so most of them have gone to the interior, and the border has not been defended by troops, as long as the border is moved westward without anyone noticing, a lot of land can be added without fighting." Said. Then, Chu Jiuge smiled like a child who succeeded in pranking, showing his white teeth neatly, as if he had returned to the time when he was young and ignorant.

Once upon a time, it was this smiling face that attracted the lonely He Liangjin.

As a young master who is not valued, he is lonely, despised, and even his relatives are unwilling to say a word to him.

Only that young man, that young man with bright eyes and a beautiful smile, would run towards him with his bare feet on the cold bluestone slab, and say to him, "Don't cry, I'll take you to the theater, see After that, you won't be sad."

In the Year of Dancing Spoons, that was the only play they had ever seen. The title of the play was "The Story of a Thousand Gold: Farewell My Concubine"...