Qi Huang

Soon after Xie Xuan and the ten princes returned to the palace, Li Jin returned to Bianliang from Yongzhou.

It was already half a month after arriving at Li's mansion, the consul rushed to greet him, but Li Jin didn't look sideways, and went straight past the welcoming people and stepped into a room.

Inside the house, Li Yu had been waiting for a long time.

Li Jin took off the cloak that shielded him from the wind, handed it over casually, and asked, "You said in the letter that the queen mother has moved?"

"I'm not sure." Li Yu took the cloak, showing worry, "It's just that after you returned to Yongzhou, someone really came to visit you."

"Oh? Who?"

"Xie Duan and Xie Xuan."

Li Yu stood in the dark, most of the injuries on his head had healed, and most of the bandages that had been tied to his head that day were also removed. After revealing his complete face, his temperament became more and more gloomy.

"Xie Duan is domineering because he is favored. It is understandable that the queen mother sent him to test him out. Who is Xie Xuan?"

The emperor Xie Qingshan was lingering and sick, and most of the princes were mediocre, so the queen mother took control of the government.The prince Xie Duan who deserves the name is one of them, and the others are just an inconspicuous pawn under their manipulation.

Li Jin didn't answer.After a while, he walked into the southeast corner of the room, lightly pressed on a landscape painting, and a hidden grid popped up on the wall.

In the dark compartment lay a letter.

The handwriting is clear and powerful, and the pen is sharp.But some strokes are weak and weak, as if the writer of the letter suddenly changed his right hand to his left in the middle of writing.

The content of the letter is very concise, only one sentence - "Xie Shisan has a different identity, I tried to take his life, but failed, you should check yourself."

Li Yu looked back and forth twice before softly saying, "Xiao Ling?"

After receiving Li Jin's silent reply, Li Yu frowned and said, "If I had just received this letter, I wouldn't have paid any attention to it, but when Xie Xuan really came to Li's residence, I became a little suspicious. Father, do you think Xie Xuan would Is it really, as Xiao Ling said, another chess piece of the Queen Mother?"

"I've said it many times, it's not something with conclusive evidence, so don't jump to conclusions." Li Jin said displeased, "Although Xiao Ling and us are allies, there is no guarantee when they will turn against each other. If you want to seize the initiative, You have to use your own eyes to see who is the real pawn."

"That……"

"Xie Xuan has someone watching over there, but you, give me Li Zheng's attention."

Speaking of his unworthy descendant, Li Jin's brows furrowed even tighter.He turned around and asked Li Yu: "Has he changed recently?"

"No." Li Yu shook his head.Suddenly he paused, "No, when Xie Xuan came to the mansion half a month ago, he disappeared under my nose for a while."

Li Jin's eyes were deep: "Xie Xuan..."

According to the recollection of the Tenth Prince, the Yuhang Qin family is a family of literati, and although they also followed the ancestors of the Xie family to conquer this country, this generation has declined.When the power fell, only the direct line still stayed in Bianliang, and the rest had already moved to their hometown Hangzhou and started the Suzhou embroidery business.

The Qin family in the Great Zhou Dynasty was like the two families of Wang and Xie in the old days. Generation after generation, there were great Confucian scholars who produced literati, and they also had powerful ministers with high merit.

Among the descendants of the Qin family who were mainly scholars, the existence of the current Patriarch Qin Huaixu seemed to stand out.

In layman's terms, he is both civil and military.When he was young, he liked to read stories about heroes walking the rivers and lakes, and was sent by his beloved son's parents to Penglai Mountain to learn kung fu. At the age of ten, the family suffered a change, so he rushed back to Bianliang to succeed him as the head of the family.

He is also incompatible with the Qin family, which is everywhere.

The heroic appearance of being the head of a family at a young age has fascinated many women in Bianliang City.

However, such a person with a clear moon and a clear breeze, loves to drink.

"It's not unusual to love to drink, I also like to drink." Xie Xuan said, "If there is a chance, I will let all the artisans who are good at brewing wine live in the same room, and I will go there every day and every night."

"..." The tenth prince was speechless, and after holding back for a while, he said, "Then you and him are kindred spirits."

Xie Xuan intentionally teased him: "Why are you so familiar with these rumors in the market? These years, you have been solicitous about telling people's right and wrong, right?"

"?" The tenth prince said angrily, "I'm planning for a rainy day! I'm making preparations for the emperor's grandmother in advance!"

Xie Xuan smiled, and his face, who was originally looking ahead, suddenly became quiet.

In the long line, the sixth prince was originally walking first, but now he turned around and walked towards them.

In the silent palace, they were the only ones walking under the sunlight. This was the team going to Shangyang Palace—the emperor was ill again.

This time his illness was also fierce, and it was even more severe than before. However, there were few people in the palace who were in a panic, and they all sat about their own affairs in an orderly manner.

According to the usual practice, the princes need to be summoned to Shangyang Palace and kneel outside the palace to wait for instructions.Most people know that because of this illness, the power in the emperor's hands has long been lost and scattered in the hands of various powerful officials and the empress dowager.

The emperor, who was supposed to issue orders in the Ziluan Palace, has now become a delicate bird in a cage.

And birds, there will always be a day when their wings will be broken.

The cubs under his wings are the fragrant buns with eyes fixed on all sides.

The emperor Xie Qingshan's illness was always recurring, which would neither kill him nor make him feel better.After coming and going, the princes may not be so nervous when they encounter this routine again.

However, the sixth prince stood in front of Xie Xuan at this time, with a stern voice: "What are you talking about! The emperor is sick, but you two still care about laughing and fighting! How decent!"

With this posture, it seems that he regards himself as his elder brother.

Xie Qingshan originally had thirteen sons, and Xie Xuan was the youngest.Except for the four princesses, the rest are those who can compete for the throne.It's just that most of the princes don't live long. In the past few years, some of them died of diseases, some died before they grew up, and some even died strangely in their sleep.Counting and counting, there are only five people left who are still alive and sound.

The sixth prince is the oldest among the only ones left.

But the weight of the word "Prince" is not measured according to age.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Tenth Prince retorted, "Sixth Brother is so angry, I didn't know that Sixth Brother cared so much about Father's condition. A few days ago, during the Spring Hunt, who ignored Father's frailty and wanted to Father draws the bow and draws the arrow, what did you say to show the majesty of the Son of Heaven?"

"For spring hunting, the Son of Heaven should lead the way and pray for a good harvest in the coming year. What's wrong with me?"

"Sixth brother, I think you have other plans." The tenth prince looked him up and down intentionally, and sneered, "Knowing that the father is not in good health, so I found an excuse to let myself shoot the bow instead of the father, but it is a pity that I hit the wrong Ruyi. abacus."

During the spring hunt, Xie Xuan hadn't been reborn yet, and the only impression he had of his previous life was that the venison tasted good.

At that time, in order to avoid right and wrong, I didn't even join the spring hunting team.After the spring hunting was over, it was only heard that the emperor's spring cough became more serious, but he did not forget to distribute the hunting things to the various palaces.

On the other side, the ten princes saw that the six princes were so angry that they couldn't speak a word, and they became more and more arrogant: "The imperial grandmother is also from the Xie family, why can't the imperial grandmother be the one who leads the way? Sixth brother, ambition Vigorousness is a good thing, but beware of putting yourself on the path of eternal doom.”

The sixth prince's forehead was bulging with blue veins, and he growled, "A mere female family member..."

Xie Xuan suddenly interrupted him: "Sixth Brother, be careful with your words."

Although the princes in the team were watching their hearts, their ears were getting longer and longer.It was also unexpected that the sixth prince dared to say such words in his fury.

When Xie Xuan uttered a reminder, the princes turned their heads one after another, all of them pretending that they were deaf and blind.

The sixth prince also reacted, seeing the complacent expression of the tenth prince, he was fooled.Immediately shutting his mouth and waving his sleeves, he left without forgetting to give the Tenth Prince a stern look.

The team continued to march toward Shangyang Palace in a mighty way.

The tenth prince restrained his expression, turned his head and whispered to Xie Xuan's ear: "You don't know, back then in the martial arts field..."

"He was the one who forced you to kill me?" Xie Xuan said, "I guessed it, you two are the same, don't dislike the other."

Tenth Prince: "..."

Xie Xuan asked again: "Do you know why he suddenly got into trouble at this moment?"

"Why else?" The tenth prince said nonchalantly, "Although I am as close as a brother to him, he hates me like an enemy. My phrase 'share worries for the imperial grandmother' hit his sore spot, but so what, imperial grandmother Dote on me, and I also love and respect the emperor's grandmother, such affection, how can a person like him who is full of power understand."

Seeing that Xie Xuan was silent, the tenth prince thought that he was feeling like the sixth prince, and quickly comforted him: "In fact, I like you more than them. Although you can make you half-dead by speaking occasionally, but compared to the hypocritical Brothers, you are far more real."

While talking, the tenth prince put his arms around Xie Xuan's shoulders, and the two brothers seemed to pat each other: "Don't worry, as long as you don't argue with me, I will let go of the past and just treat you like a younger brother."

The palm was pressed against the shoulder, still carrying the scorching heat of the human body.

Xie Xuan looked down and saw a pair of hands of a young man who had never experienced worldly affairs and pain, just like his innocent words.

Facing the warm spring sunshine, they finally arrived at the emperor's bedroom—Shangyang Palace.

As soon as they entered the hall, the cold breath from the backyard was like a draft, enveloping everyone and blocking out all the warmth outside.

The queen mother had arrived for a long time, she was sitting in the hall, holding a cup of tea in her hand, behind her from time to time there were maids coming in and out between the back room and the main hall.After the princes arrived, she didn't speak, so that for a moment, she didn't know whether it was colder physically or more rigidly frozen psychologically.

After a long time, the sixth prince finally couldn't help it, and asked cautiously: "Grandmother, how is your father's condition?"

The Queen Mother was drinking tea, when she heard the words put down the teacup in her hand, she said calmly: "Your father has always been like this, you can't say good or bad."

The sixth prince nodded, and showed her an unaffected expression of relief, when the Queen Mother said again: "The imperial doctor said, if you hadn't spent all your energy drawing the bow during the spring hunting, your father's severe illness today would have been more serious. The emperor may still be able to withstand one or two."

With a "plop", the sixth prince straightly knelt down: "Grandmother forgives the sin, grandson didn't..."

"Why are you so nervous?" The Queen Mother smiled, "I never blamed you."

Her every frown and smile are graceful and luxurious, and her beautiful face seems to mean what she says and thinks—but no one is sure.

The imperial grandmother has been in power for many years. Although she is a rare woman who is in charge, she still manages the court in an orderly manner.Whether it is to check and balance the powerful ministers in the court, or to devote oneself to the people in the court, it is not inferior to the emperor in person.

If there is no means, how can we teach everyone to be convinced.It's just that in recent years, some thoughts that are just about to move have surfaced.

In the oppressive atmosphere, the Queen Mother spoke again: "Xie Duan."

"The grandson is here." The tenth prince straightened his back, "What orders does the imperial grandmother have?"

"Go to the palace to see how your father is doing, if there is anything you need to help with." The Queen Mother said, "For your son and minister, you should do your best."

"Yes."

The Tenth Prince lifted his robe, ready to get up and leave.

There is no prince in the dynasty, because the establishment of a prince is tantamount to admitting that the young emperor is about to die soon.It is even declared to the outside world that the emperor of my Great Zhou Dynasty is just a sick child, and even the people who can inherit the great line are mediocre.

The Tenth Prince was raised by the Queen Mother at her knees since he was a child, in order to tell the world that the Tenth Prince is the one who is about to inherit the great line.He was chosen when he was born.

Although there is no explicit statement, but this has long been tacitly understood at home and abroad.

Entering the palace to take care of the emperor, the ten princes are the best candidates in terms of status and etiquette, which is beyond reproach.Although the sixth prince was unwilling, he had no choice but to swallow his jealousy silently and accept the facts.

However, it was at this time that Xie Xuan suddenly came out and stood in front of the Queen Mother in a dignified manner: "Grandmother, my grandson has something to say."

The Queen Mother looked surprised.

But soon, she restrained her mind, nodded interestingly and said, "What's the matter?"

Xie Xuan bowed down and knelt down: "I ask the emperor's grandmother to allow her grandson to enter the palace to serve the emperor."

The hall was as quiet as it seemed, but the line of sight was like a sharp blade with sound, cutting the knife on Xie Xuan's back.Among the many gazes, only the Tenth Prince's was the most unbelievable and furious.