After the rebirth, I was picked up by the prince

After confirming that the situation in the palace had indeed returned to stability, Qi Zizhen went back to Wei's mansion to speak with Wei's family, and then continued to return to the East Palace for a temporary stay.

The Wei family respected his wishes, and only told him to remember to take good care of his wounds, but Wei Lingyin pulled him aside before he left, quietly stuffed him with a small bag, and said with a smile that he would not open it until the day he succeeded.

Qi Zizhen was confused by him, but thanked him obediently, kept the small bag carefully, and then said goodbye to Wei Lingyin and left.

When he returned to the palace, Song Yaoxu had already gone from the East Palace to the Imperial Study to continue dealing with recent affairs. Countless memorials were piled high on the table, which made people feel no desire to work.

Qi Zizhen glanced at the door, then turned around and poured a cup of tea for Song Yaoxu.

"Your Highness, please rest for a while."

When he was kneading between his brows wearily again, Qi Zizhen just came back and put warm tea in his hand.

Song Yaoxu's eyes were slightly black and blue, obviously he didn't have a good rest last night, and today he had to be busy dealing with the memorials accumulated by Emperor Hongchu since he was critically ill.

In addition, there are arrangements for Emperor Hongchu's funeral and concubines in the harem waiting for him to make.

It can be said that it was a kind of relaxation for him to take the time to go back to the East Palace this morning to comfort the little princes.

Qi Zizhen felt sorry for his busyness, but it was a pity that he didn't have much experience in dealing with it, so he couldn't help much.

Song Yaoxu took his mind off from the heavy work, and smiled slightly: "It's okay, if you finish these things as soon as possible, you can rest more peacefully as soon as possible."

Qi Zizhen understood what he was thinking, and still pushed the teacup towards his hand in silence.

Song Yaoxu smiled helplessly, and finally pulled out obediently, took a few sips of tea, and let out a soft breath.

Now that the original prime minister is being imprisoned in the dungeon, Song Yaoxu has just succeeded and does not know which ministers he can trust in the court, so he can only do all the work together.

Qi Zizhen thought of this, and suddenly asked: "Speaking of which, how is His Highness dealing with Qi Yuan's matter now?"

Song Yaoxu conveniently put the teacup back on the table, and replied, "They ransacked their home with the intention of treason, and now their family, including Xiaoshan, are waiting in the prison."

Hearing the word "Xiaoshan", Qi Zizhen lowered his eyelashes halfway and did not make a sound.

In the ancient world, it was normal for one person to make a big mistake and the whole family would be implicated, but he never thought that Qi Yuan would take such an extreme path of treason.

Xu Shi sensed his mood, Song Yaoxu sighed, and said: "Before Qi Yuan's coup, Xiaoshan accidentally learned of Qi Yuan's plan, and informed the National Teacher in advance, so the National Teacher could notify us in such a timely manner. Xiao Shan, this is considered a meritorious service, but the death penalty is inevitable, and it depends on whether he wants to choose to be executed or be reviled."

Qi Zishan can be regarded as a reborn person, and in this life he still feels owed to Qi Zizhen, Song Yaoxu is not sure whether he wants to continue living.

But at least there is more hope.

Qi Zizhen restrained his thoughts just now, raised his eyes and asked, "Then can I go to the prison to see him?"

Song Yaoxu met his gaze and said with a smile, "Of course. But it may not be peaceful in the near future, so I'll go with you."

"Will it affect His Highness's work too much?" Qi Zizhen frowned slightly, fearing that Song Yaoxu would make up for the time spent during the day at night.

Song Yaoxu understood his concern, and smiled helplessly: "Don't worry, I will still have a good rest at night, I promise."

Considering that the distance between them is close enough, and not afraid that Song Yaoxu's words are evasive, Qi Zizhen nodded and agreed after thinking about it for a while, and went to the prison together with him

The sky prison was placed in the outskirts of the capital. Qi Zizhen estimated that it would be lunch time after passing, so he turned to the small dining room and asked his servants to help cook some meals, and then went there with a food box.

It had just snowed last night in the capital, and a gust of wind blew through the inaccessible suburbs, blowing off the accumulated white snow on the bamboo leaves.

Qi Zizhen closed his cloak, and his slightly exposed fingertips were red from the cold.

Song Yaoxu caught a glimpse of his small movements, holding the food box with one hand, and holding him with the other, wrapping his cold hand in his own.Qi Zizhen turned to look at him, with a smile in his eyes, slightly warm in the cold wind.

He still remembered that in his previous life, he was imprisoned in the sky prison in such a snowy winter day.

Song Yaoxu chose to accompany him here partly because he was worried that he would fall in love with him.

Now he understands the meaning of living, but he has to ask others if they want to live.

There is nothing more unpredictable than this in this world.

Qi Zizhen breathed out, clenched the warmth of his palms, and walked to the door of the prison along the winding path he had walked out.

There were two guards on duty at the gate of the prison, and when they saw Song Yaoxu, they immediately knelt down and saluted: "See Your Majesty."

Both Qi Zizhen and Song Yaoxu looked back subconsciously, but only saw the empty path behind them.

That's right, Emperor Hongchu is no longer here, and Song Yaoxu is no longer the prince.

Song Yaoxu looked a little more lonely in his snow-white eyes, suppressed his emotions and turned around, and said to the guards who lowered their heads: "Let's get down."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The guards stood up upon hearing the sound, and then respectfully moved aside.

Qi Zizhen raised his head and glanced at Song Yaoxu, but in the end he didn't say anything, and followed a jailer with him to Qi Zishan's cell.

Because of Qi Zishan's meritorious deeds in exposing him, and also because of Song Yaoxu's little selfishness, the cell he stayed in was one of the few in the sky prison with a better environment. The bedding in the cell was clean and thick, and the whole thing was relatively dry, without the musty smell.

When the two of them walked to his cell, he was curled up on the quilt of the bed, his small body curled up into a ball, looking very pitiful.

In order not to disturb the communication between their brothers, Song Yaoxu handed the food box to Qi Zizhen when he was approaching the cell, and stood not far away and did not approach.

Qi Zizhen walked to the cell alone, listening to the crisp sound of the jailer opening the door, which seemed very abrupt in the silent sky prison.

Qi Zishan, who was originally nestled on the bed, also noticed this sound. When he looked up and saw Qi Zizhen, his eyes were surprised at first, and then he seemed relieved, and called out timidly: "Brother."

Qi Zizhen watched the child's emotional changes, and the expression in his eyes was still the coldness he was used to when he was outsiders.

"I'm not your elder brother." Qi Zizhen said softly, although his expression was cold, his tone was relatively gentle.

It's just that the child can't distinguish so much clearly, his figure seems to move, and his eyes are more disappointed.

Qi Zizhen was not good at dealing with such situations, so he had to wait silently for the jailer to open the door, walked in and sat beside Qi Zishan, turned his head and said to him, "Because I am not Qi Yuan's child, I am not your elder brother."

Qi Zishan, who was curled up in the corner of the bed, froze for a moment, then raised his eyes to look at Qi Zizhen in surprise.

Qi Zizhen didn't explain too much, he stroked the wooden handle of the food box with one hand, and looked down at the clean ground: "So you...just call me like you used to."

The child's surprised eyes lit up with surprise: "Brother... son, brother Zizhen, are you willing to forgive me?"

Qi Zizhen's other hand was clutching the edge of the bed, still looking down with his head down: "You are young, and it is not your fault that you will be used. Sorry, I have been so indifferent to you before."

"It's okay!" Qi Zishan smiled more, "Brother Zizhen is willing to forgive me, I'm very happy."

Hearing that the child was so happy in the dungeon just because he didn't blame him, some inexplicable emotions welled up in Qi Zizhen's heart.

He did not continue to ask further questions, and after taking a deep breath, he opened the food box beside him and changed the subject: "It happens to be almost lunch time, I asked the servants of the Eastern Palace to help make these, you eat some first Bar."

In the rush of time, the servants of the Eastern Palace did not have time to prepare any delicacies. There were only three simple dishes and one soup in the food box, which was enough for a teenager to eat.

Qi Zishan was already extremely hungry, so he took the rice bowl from Qi Zizhen and tried to eat as politely as possible.

Qi Zizhen was still sitting on the edge of the bed, propping up the edge of the bed with both hands, waiting for him to finish the three dishes and one soup.

"It's over." Qi Zishan handed the bowl back obediently, "Thank you, brother Zizhen."

He still smiled shyly, but he was less cowardly and more relieved than before.

In fact, he was only a teenager, and he was considered to be of the same generation as Song Shi and Xu Xiaoqi, but he only ended up here because of his father's crimes.

Qi Zizhen sighed, and finally got down to business with him: "Xiaoshan, if you were given a choice, do you want to survive?"

Qi Zishan was stunned for a moment, then nodded decisively: "Yes!"

"Even if the price is to be degraded as a civilian and exiled to the border, are you willing?" Qi Zizhen asked further.

Qi Zishan still nodded, his eyes were pure and firm: "I am willing. As long as I am alive, it means there is still hope. No matter what the situation is, there is still the possibility of being reversed."

The child's crisp voice echoed in the small cell, and then he smiled again: "I learned this from Brother Zizhen."

"From... me?" Qi Zizhen was stunned, thinking of his suicide several times before.

If he had really left forever when he committed suicide for the first time, then all of this life would not exist.

Perhaps, this is also God's will in the dark.

He turned his head and glanced at the direction where Song Yaoxu was waiting, and finally came back to his senses after a while, with a smile in his eyes: "I understand."

Immediately afterwards, he didn't stay any longer, and put the dishes neatly back into the food box, and told Qi Zishan to take a good rest in prison these few days, and then bid farewell and left temporarily.

Song Yaoxu, who was waiting not far away, saw that his mood was much more comfortable than before, with a smile in his eyes: "It seems that there is good news."

Qi Zizhen nodded, and his tone was lighter than when he came: "Well, thank you, Your Highness."

Song Yaoxu rubbed his head with a smile, took the empty food box in his hand, and took his hand again: "Then let's go back. As a thank you, it's your turn to watch the memorial with me. "

Qi Zizhen, who was in a good mood, didn't mind being an unpaid laborer, so he obediently let him lead them, and they were about to go back to the East Palace together.

But just as they walked through a certain corner of the cell, they bumped into someone who was beyond their expectations——

"National Division?"

Qi Zizhen and Song Yaoxu looked at Ning Qingwei, who was dressed in black, with surprise in their eyes, and Qi Zizhen asked first, "Why is the national teacher here?"

Ning Qingwei glanced at the two of them with a calm expression: "Come and find someone."

"Looking for someone?" Song Yaoxu looked towards the direction of the road behind Ning Qingwei, and frowned, "Has the national teacher gone to find Qi Yuan?"

Qi Yuan, as the principal culprit in this treason case, was imprisoned in the deepest cell in the Heavenly Prison, which was obviously different from other cells.

Ning Qingwei didn't intend to hide it from them, and after nodding, he continued to walk forward with them, and said while walking: "I suspect that Qi Yuan has been poisoned by Gu, so come to confirm."

Hearing this, Qi Zizhen and Song Yaoxu looked at each other with even more surprise in their eyes.

The original jailer had already been dismissed by Song Yaoxu before they left, and now there were only three of them in the dark road, so Ning Qingwei continued to talk.

"As far as I know, there is a kind of poison that can arouse a person's greed and evil thoughts to the greatest extent. According to Qi Yuan's original temperament, he should not have the motive of rebellion, and from what I just observed in front of his cell, there are eight out of ten Nine is the problem of Gu poison."

If it's really because of Gu poison, then everything is easy to explain.

Most likely it was given to Qi Yuan when Guan Wang went looking for him several times.

Qi Yuan had a certain greed for power before, and was further induced by the poison, which led to his desire to control the entire court and even the world from the original desire to control the right to speak in the court.

...is really a scary thing.

Qi Zizhen couldn't help thinking of the forbidden technique of stealing life, and asked: "Is this kind of poison also from the original Southwest tribe?"

Ning Qingwei glanced at him, understood what he meant, nodded and said: "It's the same as the art of stealing life."

"So when the national teacher went to the southwest border in February, he really had other purposes, right?" Qi Zizhen also looked directly at Ning Qingwei, his dark pupils were full of seriousness.

Ning Qingwei still didn't deny it: "Yes. Because I know Song Ping is studying these."

Listening to their conversation, Song Yaoxu couldn't help asking curiously: "The national teacher seems to know a lot of things?"

This time Ning Qingwei shook his head, looked at Qi Zizhen and Song Yaoxu: "It's not that I know a lot, but you have forgotten a lot."

When he spoke, his voice was a little low, and there was a bit of sadness and loneliness in his usually cold eyes that Qi Zizhen and Song Yaoxu couldn't understand.

It's like a lonely traveler who has gone through a long time, but when he looks back, he finds that there is no mark left by him in the world.

——It is a kind of desolation and loneliness after boundless loneliness.

Qi Zizhen and Song Yaoxu didn't know how to react for a while.

They have always regarded the national teacher as a relative, but it was only at this moment that they suddenly realized that they didn't seem to understand him at all.

Don't know his past, don't know his real side under the black mask.

At this moment, the three of them all walked to the door of the prison.

Scattered snow white was carried by the cold wind and rolled into the prison, falling at their feet.

Snowing.

Qi Zizhen and Song Yaoxu went out more casually this time, and they didn't bring anything except food boxes.

Ning Qingwei, who was beside them, restrained his emotions, returned to his usual cool and elegant appearance, and stuffed the only paper umbrella in his hand into Qi Zizhen's arms: "You guys take it."

Qi Zizhen hadn't recovered from Ning Qingwei's sudden expression of emotion just now, subconsciously hugged the umbrella, and asked, "Then what should you do?"

Ning Qingwei shook his head and spoke calmly: "It's just a snowfall. Besides..."

He paused, and looked at Song Yaoxu: "This snow is not as heavy as the one in the third year of Shunhe. Right, Your Majesty?"

There was a faint smile on the corner of his lips, and after he finished speaking, he didn't give them any more time to react, he turned around and stepped straight into the vast white snow.

Song Yaoxu looked at his dark back covered by white snow, recalled Ning Qingwei's last smile and words in his mind, and suddenly another image flashed.

In the picture, he and Ning Qingwei are standing in the swirling white snow, and there seems to be a tombstone in front of them.

And Ning Qingwei was handing him a jug of wine.

【"This year's snow is really heavy. Isn't it, Your Majesty?"】

【“…”】

The scene ended abruptly at this point, but it seemed to turn into a bunch of vines, tightly bound his heart, strangling him almost out of breath.

Qi Zizhen, who was on the side, noticed Song Yaoxu's gradually turning bad face, and hurriedly wanted to ask him about his situation.

However, just before he opened his mouth to ask, Song Yaoxu suddenly suppressed his discomfort and said in a hurry: "I'm going to ask the national teacher about something, Zizhen, you go back first."

After finishing speaking, without giving Qi Zizhen a chance to respond, he ran into the heavy snow without saying a word.

Qi Zizhen: "???"

He thought of Song Yaoxu's obviously bad situation just now, and wanted to chase after him, but he accidentally touched the wound again, and he gasped in pain.

In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the two figures, one black and one white, disappeared into the dazed whiteness.

The cold wind was wrapped in crushed snow, and it was painful to blow on the face.

Qi Zizhen, who has always been calm and self-sufficient, finally couldn't help it, and shouted at the two long-disappeared figures in the snow with his umbrella in his arms: "You guys should take an umbrella!!!"

However, it is impossible for the two who have long since disappeared to respond to him.

Qi Zizhen looked at the umbrella in his arms, and thinking about Ning Qingwei's inexplicable words and Song Yaoxu's sudden reaction just now, he felt a little bored in his heart.

This one or two, how could it be less worrying than him.

The author has something to say: Thank you [An Arctic Rabbit] and [Huaisu] for their two cute nutrient solution mua~