dim lights

When Qi Shiyu returned to the capital, he did not enter the palace immediately, but went back to the palace first.

There are few people in the north gate of Wangfu, and the Canglong Lake is just outside the gate.Canglong Lake is privately owned by the royal mansion. It is located in a remote place with luxuriant forests, and there are many rare and exotic animals. It is guarded by the mansion soldiers on weekdays, and no outsiders will set foot in it.

Deep in the forest, behind the shadows of trees, there is a small courtyard.The small courtyard is only one entry and one exit, there is no plaque, and some lingering flowers are planted by the wall, which has not yet reached the season of blooming, and there are only large green leaves.

No one would have thought that this uninhabited place in the wilderness is the secret secret pavilion in Prince Xuan's Mansion.

When the hidden guards in the courtyard saw Prince Xuan, they immediately stopped what they were busy with and saluted to him. Several people went in and informed the Pavilion Master.

The old pavilion master assisted the Qi family for three generations, and trained countless loyal secret guards for King Xuan. Now that he is old, he only lives in this small courtyard and hardly cares about other things.

Qi Shiyu brought Shen Tingyun into the courtyard, told Shen Tingyun to wait outside, and went straight into the study.

There are already several people sitting in the study room. If the Holy Majesty were here today, he would be amazed at the identities of these people—the people in the room were all facing the humerus, and some even belonged to two factions. Sitting together talking and laughing.

Seeing King Xuan, everyone stood up and saluted.

"This king has been away from Beijing for more than a month, is there any new progress?"

Liu Hong, Minister of the Ministry of War, said: "It's a happy event. The news just came yesterday. Now the Mobei Army is under our command. As long as His Highness gives an order, they can surround the imperial city."

"I heard that the king sent the most easily concealed guard in the dark pavilion, and tried every means to put the real general of the town under house arrest. Only then did he get the military power in Mobei."

It was only then that the old pavilion master slowly opened his mouth: "Thanks to His Highness's blessing, it went much smoother than expected."

"You are worthy of being the master of the pavilion, and the subordinates you have raised are considered exhaustive." Qi Shiyu chuckled a few times, "Everything is ready now, just waiting for the right time. It is so smooth, it is not in vain for my father and son to plan for many years."

"My lord has been hiding his powers and biding his time for so many years, and he has assumed some absurd and lustful reputations for nothing, and now it's finally time to make things happen." Liu Hong said.

The old pavilion master asked: "I just don't know when His Highness will return Yun'er to the dark pavilion? I am old and only have this closed disciple who inherits the mantle. Letting him stay by His Highness's side and only serve as a bodyguard would be wronged by Yun'er." .”

Mentioning Shen Tingyun, Qi Shiyu's face darkened, and said: "Tingyun has his own plan, stays by my king's side, at least he has a decent status on the surface, and he can be promoted in the future. Sir, wouldn't it be better for you to have a shadow and your descendants than to keep a shady identity in a secret cabinet?"

The old pavilion master's cloudy eyes stayed on Qi Shiyu for half a moment: "I hope that what the prince said is exactly what he thought, and don't disappoint that child's pure heart for His Highness."

Shen Tingyun squatted outside the door and waited for the prince. The colleagues in the dark pavilion hadn't seen each other for several months, and they all came to say hello.

Shen Tingyun greeted them absently, staring at the door of the study, unwilling to leave for a moment.

He didn't know what the prince and the pavilion master said in the study, but he felt a little uneasy, as if there was some terrifying conspiracy hidden behind this door.

After waiting for a long time, Shen Tingyun heard the prince calling him in the study, so he went in immediately and asked the prince for instructions.

The room was empty, only the old pavilion master and the prince were sitting opposite each other.

"The owner of the pavilion asked this king to ask what you mean, stop talking, and talk about it, do you want to go back to the dark pavilion?"

Shen Tingyun was brought into the dark pavilion by the old pavilion master back then. He grew up with the old pavilion master. The old pavilion master treated himself like a teacher like a father. The only thing he was dissatisfied with was that he was too affectionate, suitable for being a subordinate but not suitable for leading the secret pavilion , That's why I deliberately sent myself to follow the prince to practice.

Now that I have been with the prince for almost three years, after the year of crowning, it is indeed time to gradually take over the dark pavilion.

Seeing that Shen Tingyun was hesitant and reluctant to open his mouth, Qi Shiyu was rather happy, and comforted him: "What do you want to do, where do you want to go, just tell the truth."

Shen Tingyun shook his head, he didn't want to go back.

Although the Dark Pavilion is the place where I grew up, staying in the Dark Pavilion can indeed help the prince more, but I can't see the prince all the time.Shen Tingyun didn't want to go to a place without a prince.

Shen Tingyun kowtowed to the old pavilion master, and then said: "Subordinate... If the prince does not dislike it, the subordinate wants to stay with the prince."

Qi Shiyu gave the old pavilion master a "look" look, turned and walked out of the study, Shen Tingyun was about to follow, but was stopped by the old pavilion master.

The old pavilion master said: "I know that you stay by the prince's side, not for the sake of glory and wealth, but for the sake of the master..." In the future, if Prince Xuan really gets what he wants, when the power is overwhelming, the secret person who will help him succeed The pavilion will definitely become a place that everyone in the Jianghu court fears, an ordinary guard, no matter what, can't compare with the master of the dark pavilion.

"In the future, after what?" Shen Tingyun was puzzled, "The prince will also be the prince in the future, what will be the future?"

Seeing that the little guard still knew nothing about King Xuan's plan, the old pavilion master suddenly felt a little bit of a cloud: "That's right, with your temperament, you haven't made any progress in the past few years. Even if the dark pavilion is entrusted to you In the hand, it is useless."

Shen Tingyun lowered his head: "I am ashamed of being cultivated by the pavilion master, but my temperament is hard to change. I have also tried to learn to be scheming, but in the end I couldn't learn it."

The old pavilion master sighed and told Shen Tingyun to leave.

Shen Tingyun left the study, but Qi Shiyu was not there, so he asked his colleague, the prince, where he had gone.

The colleague said: "Just now someone came to report that Eunuch Nuanyan personally delivered the decree, saying that His Majesty urgently called the prince into the palace. The prince can't wait for you, so he went first with the eunuch."

Shen Tingyun was suspicious, and chased him for a long distance, but he couldn't find any trace of the prince, so he could only give up, prepared his horses and chariots and waited outside Hanxuan's gate.

The sun slanted westward until the key was released at the palace gate, but the rain did not come out at the same time.

Shen Tingyun hurriedly went to ask the guards guarding the palace gate about the situation of the prince.

The Yanren shook his head: "How can a slave know about the matter between the prince and His Majesty. Maybe it is His Majesty who is interested in letting the prince stay in the palace overnight. I don't know."

Shen Tingyun was skeptical, but couldn't find a better explanation, so he could only take the coachman back home.

When it was time to go to bed, Shen Tingyun lay on the couch feeling flustered, he couldn't tell what was strange, so he got up and looked at the moonlight for a while.

The wind blows the curtains and the rain begins to fall at night. Then Shen Tingyun suddenly remembered that if His Majesty really stayed overnight tonight, the prince is careful, and he will send an internal supervisor to inform the whole palace, so that the whole palace will not be worried by keeping silent.

Thinking of this, Shen Tingyun suddenly sat up.

The prince must have encountered troubles in the palace. As the prince's personal bodyguard, I failed to accompany the prince into the palace today. It was a dereliction of duty. Now that the prince's safety is uncertain, how can I wait outside the palace with peace of mind?

Shen Tingyun quickly dressed neatly, relying on his good time, ignoring the night curfew rules in Kyoto, and left the palace.

Ji Minggui drank a few cups at night, fell asleep, and was grabbed by someone.

"Shen Tingyun, your uncle! Are you sick!!" Ji Minggui was too sleepy to keep his eyes open, and yelled at Shen Tingyun.

Shen Tingyun sat on Ji Minggui's bed without notice, covered his ears and said solemnly: "No uncle, the family is dead, and there is only one younger brother left. I don't know where he went."

Ji Ming Guiqi didn't want to hit one place, but he had no choice but to hit him again and again, so he could only resign himself to his fate, put on his outer robe, and asked the other party why he came.

Shen Tingyun recounted the matter of the prince, and then said: "On weekdays, the officials who have good friends with the prince are all contacted by Cang Ming, but Cang Ming was left in Weizhou. As a guard, I can't see those people at all. , it may be too late when they find out and look for someone important to His Majesty."

Seeing that Shen Tingyun was so anxious, Ji Minggui stopped joking with him, and said sternly: "Just wait another day, maybe the prince was really stayed in the palace by the emperor, and he forgot to tell someone when he was drunk. If The prince has not returned to the mansion before tomorrow night, so come find me again."