bastard returns

After a while, Huyan Yuanchen was the first to break the silence. He coughed lightly, his expression seemed a little embarrassed, and there was an apologetic look in his eyes, but he was interrupted by Ning Yuan as soon as he opened his mouth: "If If you want to apologize, you don't have to."

Huyan Yuanchen showed a wry smile, "You are really angry."

"Angry? No, I'm just confused." Ning Yuan's voice sounded very calm, neither high nor low, but there was a slight alienation in it, "When you left Huajing, you said it very well, and you will as soon as possible Turning back, it ended up being there for more than a year, and there was no news, even if you ran into a situation where you were at your wits’ end, it would never happen, and you didn’t even have a chance to send me a letter.”

"I'm just afraid that you are worried." Huyan Yuanchen said with a helpless face, "With your personality, if you know my situation, you must be unable to ignore it, but the danger of this matter, if you get involved So what to do."

"So you think that as long as you keep it from me, you won't get me involved? I think you forgot about Lao Chi, as long as I want to investigate, there is nothing to hide. Don't you always treat me as a I'm a fool." The more Ning Yuan said, his tone became harder and harder, "Since you are so afraid of implicating me in your affairs over and over again, and you are not sure to completely hide me, then it is better to just cut the grass and roots, and everyone will be different in the future. It's relevant, naturally I don't bother to take care of your affairs anymore, wouldn't it be better."

Huyan Yuanchen's eyes widened, and without thinking, he hurriedly said: "How can this be!" He looked at Ning Yuan's face, and found that Ning Yuan was really angry, but he didn't know that it was Ning Yuan's unintentional words. Kuaiyu still had this calculation in the other party's heart, and became anxious for a moment, he couldn't help getting up and walking in front of Ning Yuan, and grabbed his wrist, "It must not be like this, you are just angry with me, how can you say that?" If you say something like this, whatever you want to do, even if you want to, I will not agree!"

Speaking of excitement, Huyan Yuanchen couldn't help but strengthen his hand, Ning Yuan seemed to be in pain, his face turned pale, but he kept pursing the corners of his mouth and didn't speak.

Huyan Yuanchen is not a person with rough lines. Even though Ning Yuan's reaction was subtle, he still caught his eye. He couldn't help being stunned, and he also understood that maybe his strength in his hands was strong, but although he was strong, But Ning Yuan is not a thin and weak person, although he looks weak, his internal strength is not much weaker than him, how could he not be able to bear even this little strength.

After noticing Ning Yuan's strangeness, he didn't open his mouth to ask, but quietly probed Ning Yuan's veins. After a while, his face changed suddenly, and the eyes he looked at Ning Yuan were more shocked than before, "Ah Yuan, where is your inner strength!"

No wonder Huyan Yuanchen wasn't surprised. After investigating, he discovered that Ning Yuan's pulse condition was extremely weak, as if his body had suffered some severe injuries. Under his surprise, a trace of inner nerves spread into Ning Yuan's body quietly, and Ning Yuan's pulse condition was as a result. The meridians are all empty, and there is no trace of true energy.

Huyan Yuanchen almost immediately thought of whether Ning Yuan had a fight with someone and was seriously injured, which made him look like this.Because there are not many ways for martial arts practitioners to destroy a body's internal strength, there are only a few methods in total, either by cutting off the meridians and destroying the internal strength, or suffering a serious internal injury when fighting with others, resulting in the loss of internal strength, there is no third one. possibility.

Obviously, in Huyan Yuanchen's heart, Ning Yuan has no reason to abolish his martial arts, so there is only the second possibility. Thinking that Ning Yuan might encounter some extremely powerful opponent, he even lost all his internal strength, Hu Yan Yuan Chen was afraid for a while, if the opponent was more powerful, wouldn't it be possible for Ning Yuan to lose his life for it?

Thinking of such consequences, Huyan Yuanchen's hands and feet were cold, and he couldn't hold back any longer. He threw his whole body down and hugged Ning Yuan tightly, with an anxious look as if Ning Yuan was going to disappear in the next moment.

"Damn, how could such a thing happen!" Huyan Yuanchen panted hard, the sound of inhaling seemed to be pulling a bellows, and his voice was hoarse by more than one level, full of self-blame, "It's all my fault, all of it Blame me, if I stayed by your side, I would never let anyone do such a cruel thing to you..."

Ning Yuan just let him hold him quietly. He was not surprised that Huyan Yuanchen would suddenly react like this. Just now when the other party tried to probe into his meridians with true energy, Ning Yuan knew that Huyan Yuanchen What Yuan Chen wanted to do, he simply let him go and let him investigate, with Hu Yan Yuan Chen's ability, of course he would soon find out that he is in a miserable state where there is nothing inside, and how can he calm down, he will definitely think that he has encountered something A tough opponent, who was forcibly broken up by others.

But he didn't mean to point out the reason at all, instead he said bluntly: "Yes, it's all your fault, if it wasn't for you, how could I have become like this, compared to almost losing my life , it’s relatively light when all the internal strength is dissipated.”

Huyan Yuanchen's breath was stagnant, and Ning Yuan's ambiguous words confirmed his guess. He turned his face, grabbed Ning Yuan's shoulders with both hands, looked directly into the other's eyes with gloomy eyes, and asked, "Who made the next move?" Could it be that eunuch surnamed Qi?" In Huyan Yuanchen's eyes, Hua Jing was capable of injuring Ning Yuan like this, and there was no one else except the Eunuch Qi next to the eldest princess.

Ning Yuan shook his head, and asked instead: "What can you do if you know who it is, would you leave everything here to avenge me? If not, then it doesn't matter if I tell you or not."

Huyan Yuanchen was blocked for a long time and couldn't speak, and he didn't know how to tell the difference, his face turned red and pale at times.

Ning Yuan looked at him, although his face was still expressionless, he was already smiling in his heart. He was right before, if it wasn't for Huyan Yuanchen, he wouldn't have taken the risk and risked his life by dissipating all his internal energy He gave birth to a baby in the body of a man. Of course, he has no intention of telling Huyan Yuanchen the whole thing now. Put aside whether the other party believes it or not, and look at the appearance of Emperor Xia and Huyan Yuanchen just now. Apparently he was going to stay in Yanjing to help Emperor Xia fight against the Queen Mother. Even if I told him, not only would it not help the current situation, but it would also distract him, so it's better not to say it.

"Ah Yuan, I..." After Huyan Yuanchen's face changed for a while, he seemed to have finally made up his mind, and was about to speak, but suddenly saw Ning Yuan's face with a smile.

After holding back for so long, and seeing Huyan Yuanchen's embarrassing appearance, Ning Yuan didn't know whether it was enough to tease him, or he couldn't help it anymore. It didn't count if he laughed out loud, but he couldn't stop for a while until he couldn't stop laughing. waist.

Huyan Yuanchen looked at him suspiciously, and after a while, he seemed to understand something, but it was true that Ning Yuan lost all his internal energy, so he froze there at a loss.

"If I said that I asked Mr. Yuzhu to destroy my internal strength, would you go to trouble Mr. Yuzhu?" After a long time, Ning Yuan stopped laughing and straightened his waist.

Even though Huyan Yuanchen realized that Ning Yuan was probably deliberately making fun of him before, rather than actually encountering any dangerous things, he reluctantly breathed a sigh of relief, but he still couldn't turn the corner when he heard such a statement, " You mean Mr. Yuzhu? What's going on here?"

"Since you can hide from me for more than a year without a trace, why should I tell you the reason? If you want to know, you will know when the time comes." After Ning Yuan finished speaking, he raised his head to Looking in the direction of the wooden ladder, it turned out that the two people upstairs heard the voice downstairs and walked down slowly.

The expressions of Huyan Yuanchen and Ning Yuan, one was nervous and worried, while the other was calm and breezy. Emperor Xia couldn't help showing curiosity, but Sikong Xuan shook his head knowingly. Knowing Ning Yuan's private affairs, and seeing the appearance of the two of them, Ning Yuan must have lost his temper with his brother Huyan.

"Uncle Emperor, it's getting late, the Queen Mother might be suspicious, it's time for you two to go back." Emperor Xia urged.

Huyan Yuanchen nodded, and knew that no matter how doubtful he was, now was not the time to break the casserole and ask the bottom line. Anyway, when the matter was over, he would figure out exactly what happened to Ning Yuan. Let's see After glancing at Ning Yuan, he put on the tightly-covered helmet again and returned to the back of Emperor Xia.

Eunuch Fan, who had been by Emperor Xia's side all the time, immediately stepped forward to open the locked door, and a group of people walked out one after another.

As expected, the palace servants who pretended to be cleaning outside the attic still didn't leave, they looked towards this side unscrupulously, watched the person come out, and quickly lowered their heads to avoid it.

Emperor Xia didn't say much, and left directly with Huyan Yuanchen and a group of guards. Before turning around, Ning Yuan clearly saw Huyan Yuanchen subconsciously turned his head and looked at him again. Through the mask, the worry in his eyes did not go away. The last pimple in Ning Yuan's heart also calmed down.

Speaking of Ning Yuan's bit of resentment towards Huyan Yuanchen, it's just that he hasn't given him any news for such a long time. Now that he has confirmed that others are safe, and knows that he has other affairs, Ning Yuan is not unreasonable A hypocritical person, if he understands the reason, if he scares him like this again, the relationship between the two will be considered even.

But thinking about the baby, Ning Yuan couldn't help frowning again, and when the matter is over, he still has to think about how to explain this matter to Huyan Yuanchen clearly.

When Sikongxuan and Ning Yuan returned to the posthouse, there was already an eunuch waiting there, saying that they came here at the order of Empress Dowager Xia, and before asking for the matter of Yanzhou and getting a definite answer from Emperor Zhou, everyone in the posthouse can You can move freely in Yanjing City, but you can't leave the city. The reason given is that the two countries are in an emergency situation. Before the end of the mission, it is safest to stay in the city.

Ning Yuan and the others didn't seem too surprised by this. From the moment they entered the city, they knew in their hearts that it was impossible for the Xia people to let them leave at will.At the same time, the eunuch also gave each of them a badge, saying that if any patrolling soldiers asked for interrogation during the trip, they would need to show their badges to show their identity. Say more.

After delivering the things, the eunuch left the post house, returned to the palace in a carriage, went to the Empress Dowager's Hall to report to the Empress Dowager Xia, and then did not immediately return to the inner guard to rest, but instead came to a delicate palace not far from the Empress Dowager's Hall. In the side hall.

The side hall was built in a small garden. It was extremely quiet and luxurious. It was obviously not a place for ordinary people to live. The eunuch turned left and right in the corridor familiarly, and finally stopped outside a big house.

The door of the room was not closed tightly, but was half-opened, and one could see clearly that there was nothing else inside, only a spacious white jade pond embedded in the center, steaming with steam, it was actually a bathroom, and there happened to be a man's body in the water Back view, fair skin, broad shoulders, long hair reaching waist, with a square towel gently wiping her arms.

"My lord." The eunuch bowed his waist and said respectfully, "According to my lord's order, the servant has already delivered the things to the posthouse."

"Very good, have they accepted it?" The man who was taking a bath turned his face to the side, it was Sikong Xu.

"They didn't know the mystery, so they accepted it." The eunuch paused, and then said: "It's just that my son, I don't understand one thing. Didn't the empress dowager just order you not to neglect that King Xi before Yanzhou is in your hands?" , why bother, son..."

"When did I say I would neglect His Highness King Xi?" Before the eunuch finished speaking, he was interrupted by Sikong Xu: "His Royal Highness Xi is a distinguished guest, and he is a guest of the Empress Dowager, so naturally he should greet you well. For others, the Empress Dowager did not say that they should be treated equally."

"My lord, what do you mean..."

"I have already obtained the tacit consent of the Queen Mother. Naturally, King Xi cannot move, but there is an attendant next to him who has a feud with me. If I attack this person, the Queen Mother will not interfere." Sikong Xu chuckled.

"It turns out that this is the case, the slave understands, the young master has the favor of the empress dowager, and it is easy to handle a servant." The eunuch flattered him, and said: "Young master, please hurry up and take a bath. The Empress Dowager has already ordered the slaves to bring the young master to make wine for the Empress Dowager before dinner, it is too late."

"Understood." A trace of disgust flashed in Sikong Xu's eyes, but his tone was not in the slightest slack, and his movements were a little faster. Wearing nothing, she walked out with the eunuch covered in moisture.

****

"Bijiu?" Ning Yuan half covered his lips and looked at Eunuch Fan in front of him, "I really never imagined that the dignified prince would be so downcast that he would even do such a thing."

It was already midnight at this time, but Yan Fei suddenly found the post house, and Ning Yuan immediately brought him to Sikongxuan's bedroom.

Yan Fei was dressed as a watchman. Obviously, he had changed his disguise to meet Ning Yuan and the others without alarming others. This was what Huyan Yuanchen meant. After all, the daytime was too short, and there was no time to explain many things. Huyan Yuan Chen was carrying an "arrest warrant" on his back, so he could only send Yan Fei to come quietly in the dark, and tell Ning Yuan and others about the things in Yanjing that they had no time to talk about during the day.

Ning Yuan's first question was naturally to ask what kind of tricks Sikong Xu was doing in Yanjing, but Yan Fei's answer really surprised him.

It turns out that Sikong Xu is not only the favorite male favorite of Empress Dowager Xia, but he can do some things that even male favorites don't bother to do, and he can do them without shame. This wine is one of them.

The Empress Dowager Xia has been widowed for several years. Now that she is in power and at the prime of her age, she naturally prefers the affairs of wine pools and meat forests in private. Of course, her male favorite is not only Sikong Xu, but Sikong Xu, as the prince of the Zhou Dynasty, can be in such a short period of time. To gain her favor within a short period of time is naturally because Sikong Xu's methods are very tricky, and Bijiu is one of them.

The so-called method of secreting wine is to let an adult man wash his body, take a strong love potion, and then put his whole body in a tall wooden barrel. The wooden barrel is divided into two layers, the lower layer is filled with wine, and the man stands The upper layer is covered with a lid, leaving only the head outside. There is also a one-inch square hole on the side of the man's waist on the wall of the barrel, just enough to allow the man's lower body, which has become tall due to the love potion, to stick out of the barrel. .

At the beginning of wine brewing, first heat it under the barrel with a slow fire, and the wine in the lower layer of the barrel will evaporate when heated, but because the temperature is not high, it will condense on the upper man's body soon, part of it drips back to the lower layer, but another A small part will flow out of the barrel along the man's lower body, and finally drip into the wine glass that has been placed under the hole.

The wine that drips down the man's lower body is called Bijiu. It is said that because the wine absorbs the Yang energy from the man's body, the woman can nourish yin and nourish the spirit after drinking it. Even ordinary faces would not be willing to do such a thing, except for Si Kongxu, who not only dedicated this absurd method of producing wine to the Empress Dowager Xia, but also was willing to act as the person who produced wine for her, so that he could be especially loved .

Of course, this kind of favor is also relative. In the final analysis, it is just a humble body raised by the Empress Dowager Xia for pleasure. When the Empress Dowager is happy, he can naturally live a good life. Well, maybe the Empress Dowager Xia will not let them walk out of the palace wall for the sake of her reputation outside the palace.

Yan Feidao: "That person is very good at pleasing Empress Dowager Xia now, because he had a lot of trouble with Mr. Ning in the past, and the young master was worried that that person would take advantage of the situation to make trouble, so he ordered me to come over and mention Mr. Ning. Unfortunately, the emperor The situation of the young master and the young master is worrying, and we have no means to spare, otherwise the subordinates would not have come here in such a sneaky way."

"I'm really surprised. Even though I knew that the man's ambition and aspirations are different from ordinary people, I don't want to be able to bend and stretch to such a field." Ning Yuan shook his head with some sighs, and after a while, he took out a piece of waist from his sleeve robe. The card arrived in front of Yan Fei, "Look at what this is."

"This is the nameplate." Yan Fei only glanced at it and said: "It is a kind of identity certificate issued by the imperial court to the nobles in the city. With this nameplate, it represents the status of the nobility, and can enter and exit many places that are not allowed by ordinary people. When the inspecting sergeant saw the nameplate, he didn't dare to bother him."

Ning Yuan nodded, as if he understood clearly, then waved his hand again, signaling Yan Fei to listen to him, and then whispered something in Yan Fei's ear like this.

Yan Fei's eyebrows twitched, "Is that true?"

Ning Yuan said: "Although it's just my guess, it's always right to be careful. Sikong Xu must have known that I entered the capital with His Royal Highness Prince Xi, and he hated me so much, how could he not attack me? Maybe other troubles will arise by taking this opportunity, when you are by Hu Yan's side, you might as well be careful, and if you find something troublesome, you should immediately find a chance to let me know, understand."

"I understand this, of course. Besides, if they really have the heart, they might take the opportunity to plot against His Majesty. I really have to guard against it." Yan Fei nodded solemnly, and left immediately.

At this time, Sikong Xuan seemed to have just recovered from the shock of his fourth brother "brewing wine" for the Empress Dowager Xia, showing a contemptuous expression while asking curiously: "What charades are you playing with Brother Yan? Could it be that my fourth brother really has the guts to take revenge on our envoys?"

"Your Highness, your status is precious, not to mention that the Empress Dowager Xia seems to value Yanzhou very much. Before you get what you want, it will not hinder His Highness's comfort, but I am different. Your fourth brother and I have big Liangzi If you say that he won't take the opportunity to make trouble with me, I won't even believe it." Ning Yuan sneered, "Maybe he will even speak to the Empress Dowager Xia and play a trick that I want to assassinate their Majesty, killing two birds with one stone. Not only can I take advantage of the situation to get rid of my enemy, but also toss that His Majesty, and help the Empress Dowager Xia to gain more power."

"How could they do such a thing!" Sikong Xuan was startled, "Although Da Xia is at odds with the empress dowager, the emperor is the empress dowager's biological son after all, and tiger poison doesn't even eat his son!"

Ning Yuan shook his head and said, "I'm just making an analogy. It's true that a tiger's poison does not eat its young, so even if Empress Dowager Xia wants to seize power from Emperor Xia and control the government, she should not do anything to hurt Emperor Xia. It’s almost like further elevating the emperor’s power, or directly pulling his son off the dragon chair, and then replacing him personally, so if I don’t take precautions in advance, I’m just planning for a rainy day.”

Sikong Xuanqi said: "But Emperor Xia is a rightful son of heaven, even if the Queen Mother is greedy for power and wants to tear him off the dragon chair, if his name is not right and his words are not right, won't he be classified as a rebellious party by the people of the world?"

Ning Yuan smiled, "It must be when Emperor Xia was still the 'righteous' emperor, you said, if something despicable happens to Emperor Xia, which shames the royal family and the ancestors, the Queen Mother Xia If we take the opportunity to unite with the confidants of the court and China to launch an attack, will Emperor Xia's dragon chair still be able to sit firmly?"

The corner of Sikong Xuan's mouth pursed, looking at Ning Yuan's deep eyes, he suddenly realized that a huge cloud had quietly dispersed over Yanjing.