birth

As night fell, the leaves rustled to the ground, talking face to face with the stars in the sky.

The door of Xu Jia's room was pushed open, and Zhou Shun said respectfully, "See Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Xu Jia poured tea, without raising his eyes, and asked casually, "How did you find out about the matter you were asked to investigate?"

"His Royal Highness. I understand that the Prime Minister should have known the Seventh Prince when you were recuperating from illness." Zhou Shun lowered his head, "There should be no interest in it."

Xu Jia put down his teacup, could it be that he was thinking too much?

"What about the mother and concubine of the Seventh Prince? Just let a child run outside every day like this?"

"His Royal Highness does not know that the Seventh Prince's biological mother is Noble Yi. Before Nobleman Yi became a nobleman, she was just a little maid in Concubine Hui's palace. I don't know why she favored her that day, and that's how the Seventh Prince came into being. However, not long after giving birth to the seventh prince, she died of illness, and then the emperor accidentally put the seventh prince under the name of Concubine Hui. That concubine Hui had a grudge against nobleman Yi, so how could she care about the seventh prince? life or death?"

Xu Jia lowered his eyes, then this probably makes sense, why those ministers have been hesitant to help the Seventh Prince to the throne?Because the Seventh Prince not only has no background in strength, but by supporting him to the throne, he might offend Concubine Hui's family because of this, and Concubine Hui's father is Yang Zhongliang, the great general who protects the country, no one would offend their family for no reason.As long as Yang Zhongliang didn't show his attitude clearly, no one would dare to speak for the Seventh Prince in an open and honest manner.

While the two were talking, there was a sudden knock on the door, and Zhou Shun's voice stopped immediately.

After a while, Fu'er's voice sounded, "Are you asleep?"

Xu Jia's gaze fell on the figure outside the door, only the vague outline of Fuer could be seen through a layer of door screen, his mind moved, and he stopped the hand that was about to open the door, just like that, separated by a layer of screen. Sha, looking at Fu Er quietly.

Fu Er seemed to have noticed someone approaching, and called him hesitantly, "Xu Jia?"

The outstretched fingers curled up slightly, and Xu Jia's eyes fell on his own hands. His superior eyelashes were like two small fans, adding a sense of harmlessness to humans and animals just right.

Zhou Shun silently watched his master's slightly stiff back from behind, and stepped back very consciously.

Just when Fuer was about to ask again, Xu Jia opened the door, and immediately, the two looked at each other, and the unhappiness in the afternoon seemed to be still vivid in his memory, but Xu Jia asked with a very natural smile, "Brother, It's so late? Why are you looking for me?"

Fu Er's eyes passed him and landed on Zhou Shun, and then looked at him again, "I... am I interrupting your discussion?"

Xu Jia, "What are you discussing? Brother, don't make fun of me. I can't read a few big characters. I'm just discussing with Xiao Shunzi about tomorrow's cook!" Then he moved away, He made a "please" gesture to Fuer, "It's cool outside, brother said inside?"

Seeing this, Zhou Shun hurriedly bowed to Xu Jia and Fu Er, "The servant will leave first." Before leaving, he thoughtfully closed the door.

Xu Jia, "It's not good to drink tea in the evening, so why don't you just drink some plain water first?"

Fuer shook his head, "No need, I'm not thirsty." He looked at Xu Jia, but Xu Jia kept his head down and fiddled with the teacup on the table, "I came to you today to talk about An An .”

Xu Jia paused, then laughed, his Adam's apple rolled up and down, "Big brother really cares about this new little brother." He raised his eyes, and those peach blossom eyes seemed to be full of politeness instead of affection. With a smile, "Could it be that my promise today still makes my brother feel uneasy?"

Fu Er lowered his eyes and stopped looking at him, "When you were injured, An An came to see you."

Xu Jia squinted his eyes, not knowing what he meant by saying that suddenly.

"That's when I met An An."

Xu Jia poured himself a glass of water, drank it down, and agreed without distraction, "Really?"

Fuer didn't care about his reaction, but just said to himself, "I saw him hiding behind a pillar as a child, but I didn't dare to come forward, so I took the initiative to ask him where he was hiding and why. ?”

When he said this, Fu Er's tone softened unconsciously, as if he was talking to a timid child hiding behind a pillar, Xu Jia couldn't help being attracted by him, raised her head, and listened carefully to the child behind him. if.

The child said that he heard that he had a big brother, so he secretly ran to see him.

Fu Er held his little hand and looked around, "Little friend, why are you alone?"

The child was silent this time, lowered his head slowly, and became silent.

It wasn't until Fuer noticed something strange and bent down to look at him that he noticed the child's red eye sockets at some point.The child suddenly cried out with a "wow", his face became wrinkled, his nose, eyebrows and eyes were red from crying, Fuer's nose was sore from crying, and he asked helplessly, "What's wrong with you?"

The child was crying and talking intermittently, "Brother... brother, I... I... I... I'm hungry."

Fu'er only found out after asking the court lady that this child is actually the seventh prince's eldest grandson Cheng'an.

The little prince who should be well-clothed and well-fed is now sitting on Fuer's lap, gorging on meat, gobbling it like he hasn't had a full meal for many days, Fuer slowly helped him along his back, "Slow down Eat...no one will fight with you."

After inquiring around, I realized the difficult situation of the child.

Concubine Hui's indifference, the emperor's indifference, and connivance by the maids and eunuchs in Mengshu Palace became more and more rampant, to the point that Xiao Chengan, who was only four years old, was not fed enough to wear clothes, and sometimes even had to be beaten. day.

Fu Er looked at the dense needle holes on the child's arm, and suddenly became furious, and immediately sent someone to change all the maids and eunuchs in Mengshu Palace, but this could only cure the symptoms, not the root cause, and after a long time, he would definitely revert to his old ways .And during that time, he was stuck in front of Xu Jiadi's sick bed and couldn't get away. Fortunately, the new Fangmai did her duty and took good care of Xiao Chengan.Later, when Xu Jia recovered from his illness, he went to Mengshu Palace more often. He intentionally used his status as Prime Minister to support Xiao Chengan and give power to those court ladies and eunuchs. Only then did the children's life gradually get better.

The child liked Xu Jia's brother of unknown origin very much, and pestered Fuer to ask him every day. "When will Brother Jia recover from his illness?"

Fu Er coaxed him, "It will be fine soon."

The child laughed and raised two small fists excitedly, "Yeah, that's great!"

Fu Er asked him curiously, "Why do you like Brother Jia so much?"

The child said solemnly, "With my brother around, they won't dare to bully me."

Fuer scratched his nose with a smile, "Little heartless! Who is taking care of you during this time?"

"But..." the child seriously stretched out five fingers, and said calmly, "Brother Jia is my brother, you are brother Jia's brother!" After finishing speaking, he looked up at Fuer, as if seeking recognized.

Fu Er was taken aback, smiled and pinched his face with his hands, "An An is right!"

The child smiled happily, "When brother Jia wakes up, let's go release paper kites together, shall we?"

"it is good."

"So... you took care of him so much during this time?"

Fuer nodded, and looked at him warmly.

Xu Jia leaned back, took a deep breath, this time without that polite smile on his face, he asked in a flat voice, "Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?"

"I don't know." Fullerton paused, "I just feel...you are concerned about this matter."

Xu Jia looked at him for a while, with a dim light in his eyes, but he never said a word.

Fuer continued, "It feels... that we have grown up a lot for no reason." But we still had dinner together yesterday.

There was silence again.

"In your heart..." Xu Jia's voice was very low, and he was the first to break the silence, "What's the difference between me and grandson Chengan?"

Fu Er was taken aback, he didn't expect him to ask such a question, and after a while, he took the initiative to hold Xu Jia's hand, and replied seriously, "You are all brothers that I cherish very much, if one day, you meet When my life is in danger, I will give my life to save it.”

Xu Jia looked at the white and tender back of his hand, and suddenly sneered, so to him, he was just that four-year-old child, just his younger brother, so... what was he expecting?It seems that the getting along with each other these days made him forget his form for a while, got his mind, and had thoughts that he shouldn't have, desires that shouldn't appear.

Xu Jia straightened up, pulled out her hand, brushed her hair, and then looked at Fuer.

There was no deliberate flattery in his eyes, no fake smile, no provocative affection. At this moment, he showed his true self to Fuer for the first time without any concealment—that was a hungry wolf with greedy eyes. .

Xu Jia knew that there was no benefit in doing so, and it would even make his current situation very dangerous, but he did it anyway, with a sense of revenge.He clearly saw that Fuer almost subconsciously turned back and held down the sword at his waist, as if as long as he acted rashly again, the sword would point at him without hesitation.

Fu Er noticed his gaze, and then realized that he had held down the sword. He stood up, but his hand dropped, "Xu Jia..."

……

Xu Jia lowered his head and laughed several times, but the tense atmosphere did not improve.

After a while, still smiling, he issued the order to evict the guest, "Brother, I'm a little tired."

Fu Er stood there watching him, without moving.He obviously had a lot to say, obviously he didn't mean to blame Xu Jia, obviously he didn't intend to hurt him just now, it was just a subconscious reaction after years of sword practice, but when the words came to his lips, he didn't know what to say. How to open your mouth.

Xu Jia sat down again, raised Erlang's legs in a dawdly manner, and deliberately joked, "What? Brother isn't leaving? Are you going to stay and sleep with brother?"

Sure enough, as he expected, Fuer heard this, left a hasty word "good night".

Door closes.

The people in the room slowly put down the teacups in their hands, and the smiles on their faces disappeared without a trace. The vigilance of Fu Er when he pressed the sword just now flashed in his mind, as if all the love and warmth in the past existed at that moment They all disappeared completely, Xu Jia laughed at himself, look, no one will like the real him, everyone will disappear the moment they see his real face, they love only the one they want He, they may love his flirtatiousness, his weakness, and his flattery, but no one will love the real Xu Jia, no one.

He has come here, but there is only one way to die alone, benevolent and unrighteous.

Outside, Fu Er closed the door, but he did not leave for a long time.He thought, it's really terrible, it's been terrible since this afternoon, he didn't want to quarrel with Xu Jia, he came today to ask him, do you want to go to Mengshu Hall together tomorrow?He wanted to tell Xu Jia that An An really liked his brother; he wanted to tell him that there were many people in this world who cared about him.

Many things rushed into Fuer's head at the same time, his thoughts were disordered, and many voices suddenly appeared in his ears...

"As long as I show any desire for the throne, they will kill me without hesitation."

"If you really want it, I'll give it back to you."

……

"In your heart...what's the difference between me and grandson Cheng'an?"