In April at Anqi Temple, the small flowers in the corners are in full bloom.

The table in the yard was filled with the aroma of tea.

Zhen Huan and Prince Guo sat on either side, drinking tea from their cups.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on your promotion."

Yes, in the sixth year of Yongzheng's reign, Yunli was conferred the title of Prince Heshuoguo, and concurrently served as the commander-in-chief of the four banners and in charge of the affairs of the Court of Frontiers.

As the emperor's favor grew, he became more and more constrained by responsibilities and ethical standards. The ripples of feelings he had for Zhen Huan were buried deep in his soul. He only dared to secretly take them out and savor them when no one was around, to comfort himself for the pain of not being able to ask for anything.

After the beginning of spring, the emperor began to arrange the military operations against Dzungar Khanate, and court meetings were held again and again. He had not been to Anqi Temple for more than two months. At this moment, looking at the face he missed more and more sitting in front of him, he wanted to reach out and smooth her hanging hair several times, but he suppressed his hand. Some feelings should be stopped with courtesy, which is the best way to protect her.

"What Xiao Wang wishes for in his life is to be an idle person, with a zither, a pot of wine, and a stream of clouds." There is also a you, of course he did not say this last thought.

Zhen Huan smiled faintly: "When you are in the government, you worry about your people. Your Majesty has a heart full of compassion for the world and the people, which is a blessing for both the people and the country."

Prince Guo smiled bitterly and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. April 17th is your birthday. Although you can't be too ostentatious in the temple, you can't be silent about it either. I wanted to give a gift to my best friend, but I was worried that it might be too abrupt, so I came here to ask."

Another year has passed! Zhen Huan sighed inwardly: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Your Majesty and my Zhen family have taken care of me in every way. I am a cultivator, so Your Majesty doesn't have to worry about me."

King Guo waved his hands at her and said, "You are alienating me, right? I don't have many close friends, but I want to do my best to show my love. If you don't agree, I will feel uneasy for the whole year."

Seeing that he insisted, Zhen Huan changed her mind and said with a smile:

"People say that the scenery is different in each season, but now I am trapped in this small place, and all I can see is the sky. I think it will be difficult for me to see the scenery outside in this life. I heard from Jinxi that there are several camellias in the back mountain, and they are particularly beautiful when they bloom. Why not ask His Majesty to find one to add some color to the temple."

She spoke elegantly, but Prince Guo understood that given their current situation, it was not appropriate for them to leave any contact between the items.

Prince Guo smiled frankly, "Well, it's better to do it now than to wait for a day. I will take people to the back mountain to find a trace of the fragrance and keep the spring for four seasons."

Going up the stone steps, there were indeed several tall camellia trees on both sides, but they were difficult to move, so Prince Guo had to go up to look for slightly smaller trees.

After turning a few corners, I saw a burly man lying in the mottled shadows of the trees, whimpering in pain.

"Your Highness, be careful." A Jin grabbed Prince Guo.

The four guards at the back also formed a protective formation, surrounding Prince Guo in the center.

Seeing everyone so nervous, Yun Li smiled nonchalantly: "It's okay, it looks like he was poisoned by a snake, let's go check it out together, it would be great if we can help him."

Although he said so, the guard did not dare to relax and still accompanied him vigilantly as he approached the man.

Just as Yunli was about to squat down to check the man's wound, the man suddenly muttered something, and Yunli's face changed instantly.

He had a great talent for languages ​​since childhood. When he accompanied his father to the frontier, he used Tibetan, Mongolian and other languages ​​to talk with local princes. The man in front of him was unconsciously speaking not the official language in a coma, but Uyghur language that sounded like the outside world.

Yun Li was shocked and grabbed the man's hand to check it. Sure enough, his hands were covered with thick calluses. People who are proficient in riding and shooting can tell at a glance that these are the marks left by people who have been on horseback for many years.

Looking at the man's physique again, he was taller than the average Eight Banners soldier, and his rough face was different from that of the Central Plains people. A terrible idea suddenly arose in Yunli's mind.

This person, could he be a spy?

Once this thought came to his mind, he could no longer suppress it. He had seen the Dzungar people when he followed his father to the frontier. Now he saw that their appearances were so similar.

In the past, the emperor's father had fought against Galdan three times, and now his emperor's brother is preparing his troops to eliminate the threat from the northwest. At this critical juncture, people from outside the Great Wall appeared in the important area of ​​the capital.

If he was an envoy from Mongolia, he would have been accompanied by an official from the imperial court. But this person was alone in the deep mountains and old forests. There must be something strange going on. Thinking of this, Prince Guo immediately gave the order:

"Come on, lock this man up and hand him over to Shuntian Prefecture for interrogation."

The two guards immediately took action and tried to drag the person on the ground up, but something unexpected happened at this moment.

"Shua, shua" two daggers came from behind and pierced directly into the backs of the two guards who were on guard. The two men groaned in pain and fell to the ground.

A Jin was quick-witted and quick-handed, and pulled Prince Guo to the back.

The other two guards rushed towards the direction where the dagger came from, raised their swords and slashed at the two equally strong men from outside the Great Wall.

The prince's guards were quite skilled in martial arts, but the two men from outside the Great Wall were extremely ruthless in their attacks, and every move they made was a fatal blow, making it difficult for the two guards to cope with them.

Taking advantage of a gap, a man unexpectedly rushed towards Prince Guo, using fierce and vicious moves with the intention of killing him. The two guards were so frightened that they immediately rushed over to protect Prince Guo.

It turned out that this was just a feint. The two men from outside the Great Wall were targeting the people on the ground. Taking advantage of A Jin and the others' panic, they grabbed the people on the ground and fled into the depths of the forest.

These two men were truly courageous. When one of them retreated, he even glared at Prince Guo fiercely.

At this time, Prince Guo no longer cared about digging camellia flowers. Judging from the reactions of these people, they were spies. He just didn't know how many of them came and what they wanted to do in Beijing. This matter could not be taken lightly. He immediately ordered: "Go, accompany me to the palace immediately, and report today's events to the emperor."

Ah Jin pulled him aside and said, "Your Majesty, if the Emperor asks why you are here, what should you say?"

Prince Guo hesitated for a moment, but he immediately thought of an excuse:

"My Qingliang Palace is on the opposite hill. Can't I go there for an outing? With state affairs at hand, I don't think my brother will dwell on these details."

It was just as the prince had expected. As soon as he told the emperor what happened today, the emperor immediately ordered the nine gates in the capital to be on alert and to intensify the investigation, no matter in inns, houses, temples or Taoist temples, he was determined to find these people.

And in the harem, the good news that Concubine Qi had been waiting for for many years finally came.

Xiao Wen was so excited that she was incoherent, and she just kept saying, "Congratulations, Madam. Congratulations, Madam."

Concubine Qi also had a look of joy on her face. When the emperor entered the harem last month, he had already gone to Yonghe Palace. It was she who used means to bring the emperor to Yongshou Palace. God did not let her down and really gave her good luck.

"Accompany me to Jingren Palace. I want to tell the Queen this good news in person."

The master and servant went to Jingren Palace with great joy.

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