cynical

The day after Nangong Le left, Yin Sheng also received an edict to return to Beijing to report on his duties.

The moment he stepped into the gate of his own house in the capital, Yin Sheng suddenly realized that he hadn't been back for three years.

It must be a lie to say that he misses home. The moment he saw his parents, his throat seemed to be choked, and he was too tight to speak.

Seeing the return of his beloved son, Yin Li also shed tears, took Yin Sheng's hand and chattered non-stop, saying that he was thinner and darker, and poured out the love and affection accumulated for three years, letting him Can't help but wet the eye sockets.

But Yin's father stopped his wife from chattering any further, took Yin Sheng into the study, ordered his confidants to guard outside the door, and then closed the door.

Yin Sheng realized that there might be something important waiting for him, so he couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.

The two sat down, Father Yin took a sip of tea, seemed to be thinking about something, and after a moment of consideration, he said: "Sheng'er, you have made great achievements this time, and the reward must be generous, but the emperor has not expressed his opinion so far, except that you are too young. Besides being easy to handle, I'm afraid the reward will be related to your marriage."

Yin Sheng was taken aback, "The emperor wants to give you a marriage?"

"That's my guess for my father." Yin's father said with a serious expression, "You contributed to the barbarian civil strife, your meritorious service in disaster relief, and your accumulated military achievements over the years, all of which can add up to no exaggeration, but the emperor suddenly treated me a few days ago. Speaking of Princess Changyu, it is extremely inappropriate not to marry the princess now that she is gone, but you are considered to be very outstanding among men of the right age. The emperor must have thought about this before he talked to my father."

Yin Sheng asked nervously, "Father agreed?"

Yin's father shook his head, "At that time, the emperor didn't seem to have made up his mind, and my father didn't answer the words, so the matter was left alone."

Yin Sheng could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Father Yin said again: "It's just that Princess Changyu and His Highness the Fifth Highness are brothers and sisters of the same mother. At this time, I propose to let you marry Princess Changyu. I don't know what the emperor means..."

Yin Sheng's heart shuddered.

In the battle for the throne, the ministers in the court were roughly divided into three factions, one faction supported the third prince, one faction supported the fifth prince, and the other faction remained neutral, and the Yin family had always been the mainstay of the neutral faction.

The Yin family is a family of military generals, hereditary Duke Zhen, and has great influence in the court. If the emperor really marry Princess Changyu to Yin Sheng, the meaning of this has to be pondered.

But neither Father Yin nor Yin Sheng wanted to get involved in this battle for the throne, after all, if one is not careful, it will be lost forever!

Yin Sheng is hesitant to reveal that he already has a "sweetheart". Even if Tong Le's identity cannot be revealed, it is good for his parents to be mentally prepared not to casually talk about his marriage.As for the succession of the family, he wasn't too worried. His two elder brothers had already married and had many children, so he was not short of his own marriage.

However, after thinking and thinking, he couldn't say it out.

Right now, His Majesty intends to offer a marriage. If he wants to decline, he must find a suitable marriage for him. At this time, let alone Tong Le is a man, even if he is a woman, it is difficult for him to enter the Marquis family with his status as a merchant, let alone Don't say that you want to escape the royal marriage with this.Yin Sheng thought for a while, and now he said that his father would definitely not be able to fulfill them, but it was just adding trouble.

Sighing, he finally swallowed the matter.

In the early morning of the second day, the emperor praised Yin Sheng a lot, and issued an order to reward him, saying that from now on Yin Sheng would stay in Beijing to serve as a doctor of the Ministry of War.It seems flat, but it is closer to the center of power.

After negotiating a few things, Zuo Pushe walked out of the queue and reported: "My Majesty, the governor of Yaozhou sent an urgent message. The three major rivers, Canglong River, Zangjiang River, and Mafen River, are currently blocked by boats, and passers-by and merchants are unable to pass. , the governor asked the court to send troops to suppress it!"

The steady voice echoed in the vast hall, and everyone in the hall was shocked when they heard the words.

Send troops to suppress, this is a big deal!

The emperor was expressionless, and asked in a deep voice: "What's going on? Why is the boat blocked?"

Zuo Pu shot and said: "According to what the governor of Yaozhou said, at first it was the water village on the Canglong River that seized the ships and goods of a caravan, and later it affected other caravans and ships. Now the three rivers are impassable. People say it is The people in the water village blocked the waterway, hoping to increase the price of buying the road, but because of the chaotic situation on the water, the governor of Yaozhou was unable to investigate, so he didn’t know the truth.”

"I don't know which caravan was the caravan that had the accident first?"

An official asked aloud, and everyone followed the sound, and it turned out that it was the Minister of the Ministry of Officials.

"It's the Tong family." Zuo Pushe replied, as if afraid that others might not understand, he added, "Bizhou Huangshang, Tong's business name."

Yin Sheng's heart sank when he heard this.

Could it be Lele?

Bizhou, Huangshang, Tong's family—Yin Sheng didn't think there were other people who would have such a coincidence!

What happened to Lele?How could it be against those water villages?Still making trouble in the court?

There was a low noise in the court hall, and the officials whispered to each other, as if they were discussing something, Yin Sheng faintly heard the people around him say——

"It's rare for the Tong family to suffer... this time we'll see how they deal with it..."

"Those Jianghu people are no different from ordinary businessmen, and the Tong family may be out of luck this time..."

Yin Sheng has been at the border for many years, so he didn't know these things, so he quickly grabbed the person next to him and asked, "What's the matter with those water villages? How did it have something to do with the rivers and lakes?"

The man replied, "Those water villages are all martial arts sects that rely on water transportation for their food. They rely on force to collect money from passing ships."

Yin Sheng frowned, "Don't the court care about it?"

"It's hard to manage." The man said with a wry smile, "These Jianghu people have nothing to worry about. If you destroy one of their strongholds, they will move to other places. When you leave and come back, there is no way to completely eradicate them. Moreover, if you kill these people, they will be destroyed." There are next batches, endless. So as long as they don't go too far, nobody bothers them."

"How unreasonable!" Yin Sheng cursed in a low voice.

He also heard that the Minister of the Ministry of War and others over there thought that troops should be sent to suppress it, but the important officials such as the Ministry of Households and the Ministry of Officials all agreed that there was no need to take care of it.

Yin Sheng was worried about Tong Le's situation, so he walked out of the train impulsively, and said loudly: "Your Majesty! The water bandits are harming the people, so we must get rid of them. Please order me to lead the troops to wipe out the water bandits!"

The hall suddenly fell silent.

Father Yin showed a look of astonishment, he did not expect his son to be so impulsive.

"Hehehe." A low laugh came from the front, and a young man dressed in a prince's court uniform came out, "General Yin has lived in the desert for a long time, so he is probably not familiar with water warfare? How do you lead troops?"

Yin Sheng glanced at the man with a sarcastic face, and replied without changing his expression: "What His Royal Highness said is true. I am worried about the people, impulsively and recklessly pleading for orders, and I hope the emperor will forgive me." As he said, he bent down deeply. He bowed, "The emperor, please send capable ministers who are familiar with water warfare to Yaozhou to wipe out all these water bandits, so as to clear the waterway and relieve the people's worries!"

The fifth prince snorted coldly and winked in secret, and the Minister of the Household Department immediately answered slowly: "General Yin, your determination is obvious to all, but sending troops is a major national event, and there are many things involved. It’s a big problem, now that the famine has just passed, it’s probably inappropriate to raise troops again.”

Yin Sheng frowned, and wanted to speak again, but the emperor had already raised his hand, indicating that there was no need to argue.

The emperor said indifferently: "The imperial court does not need to intervene too much in this matter. I will convey my will to the Wulin League and remind them to resolve this matter as soon as possible, so as not to disturb people's livelihood."

"But..." Yin Sheng wanted to fight again.

"Yin Aiqing doesn't need to say any more. The imperial court and the Wulin have never violated the river. It is not yet time to send troops to suppress it. The Wulin League will take care of it." The emperor interrupted Yin Sheng, waved his hand, and said instead: "Discuss other things."

"……yes……"

Yin Sheng lowered his head unwillingly, and slowly retreated to the courtiers.

It's a default rule that the imperial court doesn't care about martial arts affairs, Yin Sheng is not unaware.However, the 36 villages on the water are from martial arts, and the Tong family is just a businessman. How can they fight against these desperadoes?

And what does the five highnesses mean?Their Yin family has always been neutral, they have never been friendly with any prince, nor have they had any ill relations with His Highness the Fifth Highness, why did the other party deliberately block it?

In any case, there are officials from the Fifth Highness and the First Party in the court hall who agree, and arguing at this time is not good for me...

Yin Sheng clenched his fists, after thinking about it, he decided to wait to see if he had a chance to meet the emperor before trying to send troops.Anyway, water bandits are a scourge in the first place, so they shouldn't be kept!

Yin Sheng made up his mind and planned to meet the emperor to persuade him after he came down to court, but before he could inform through the eunuch, the emperor took the initiative to invite him to have an audience.

In the imperial study.

The emperor put his body into the large sofa. He was only over 50 years old, and his face was already full of worries. His waist was not as straight as ten years ago. The soft sofa chair gently held his body. Hold it up and make him feel relaxed.

"This sofa chair is a good thing." Seeing Yin Sheng sitting down, the emperor patted the armrest of the sofa and said with a smile, "This kid, Lele, always has wonderful ideas in his head, even the name of this chair is strange."

Yin Sheng was a little dazed when he heard the word sofa at first, but he was surprised when he heard the name "Lele". So the emperor also knew Tong Le?

After thinking about it, the Tong family is an imperial merchant, and it is normal for the emperor to know.

Yin Sheng didn't know what the emperor meant when he mentioned Tong Le at this moment, so he collected himself and said carefully: "Most of the things made by Tong's family are novel and interesting, and unheard of, but they are all surprisingly practical."

"Yeah, Lele is a weird kid. No one knows where he got his ideas." The emperor said with a smile, and changed the subject before Yin Sheng answered, "Yin Aiqing, You made a great contribution to disaster relief this time, and what's even more rare is that you actually invited Lele to help you. This little fox has never liked to do such famous things, but this time he actually gave you ideas and hired people for you. It's a surprise!"

Yin Sheng was so startled that his heart missed half a beat.At Lele's request for this disaster relief, he did not make it clear that Tong's family participated in it. Outsiders only said that he was powerful and invited local wealthy businessmen. Tell the truth? !

Fortunately, in order to cover up the fact that he was attacked and disappeared by Tamumu, he had a conversation with Lele.Yin Sheng quickly explained what he had said at the time, "My Majesty, the barbarian tribe attacked the caravan of Tong's family earlier, and it happened that I led troops to pass by to rescue him. Tong Le happened to be in the caravan at that time. Later, I was among them Leading the way to go deep into the desert to disturb the barbarians, so far we have formed friendship. The drought has also spread to Bizhou, so Tong Le came to help."

"Hehehe, good, good."

The emperor smiled and praised a few words, but he didn't know what "good" meant.

"Yin Sheng, what reward do you want for your great achievements this time?"

"Serving the country is the duty of a minister, and I dare not take credit for it." Yin Sheng declined modestly.

The emperor stroked his beard and said, "You have been fighting abroad all year round, and you are now twenty-five, right? You don't have a wife or concubine at home, so I am sorry for you."

Yin Sheng raised his heart immediately, knowing that today's show is about to begin, he was thinking about how to refuse without making the emperor angry.

Sure enough, the emperor smiled and said, "Yin Sheng, I want to be the general..."

"His Majesty!"

Yin Shengteng stood up and interrupted the emperor loudly, but when he realized what he had done, his face turned blue!

However, the arrow was on the string and had to be fired, Yin Sheng knelt down with a plop, kowtowed and said: "I already have someone I like, I don't want to marry unless he is the one, I hope the emperor will forgive me!"

Yin Sheng didn't dare to raise his head, he gritted his teeth and waited for the emperor's thunderbolt to enrage him, but he was quiet for a moment, before he could be reprimanded, he heard the emperor's smiling voice from above his head, "My fair lady, a gentleman is so good, what's wrong with Aiqing? Speak."

"I dare not!" Yin Sheng was still kneeling.

The emperor put on a straight face and pretended to be angry, "Get up if I tell you to get up! Don't I even have this measure? I'm happy for you if you have someone you like, get up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Yin Sheng just got up, but his heart still hasn't returned to the original place, the emperor's next words made him change his face again, "Yin Sheng, since you already have someone you like, why don't I be a matchmaker for you?"

Cold sweat broke out on Yin Sheng's back, and he stammered: "He, he..."

"It's all right if you say it." The emperor smiled, and seemed to want to be the matchmaker very much.

But the more he was like this, the more difficult it was for Yin Sheng to resist, he hesitated a few times, and had no choice but to bite the bullet and say: "Actually, it's actually a minister's unrequited love...so...uh, it's still not appropriate to come to propose marriage..."

"Oh? Which girl is so blind? It's not unusual for a talent like Yin Aiqing?"

"Heh, heh heh... Weichen is a martial artist, his behavior is rude, it's normal not to like it..." Yin Sheng replied with a dry smile, belittling himself relentlessly, and only hoped that the emperor would quickly give up the idea of ​​being a matchmaker.

"I think you have the demeanor of a Confucian general. After all, my precious Changyu is also very fond of you. Are ordinary women more expensive than princesses?"

The emperor just said something lightly, and Yin Sheng's inner clothes were already soaked in cold sweat.

Yin Sheng quickly bowed his head and agreed, "Thanks to the princess's love, I am flattered. This humble minister is nothing more than the courage of a man, so what is the point?"

Yin Sheng was worried that the emperor would want to investigate further, and felt uneasy, but fortunately, the emperor seemed to have lost interest in this, and immediately shifted the topic to disaster relief and border issues.

Seeing that he never mentioned the water bandits, Yin Sheng couldn't help but secretly worried. After thinking about it, he seized an opportunity and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the three big rivers are currently blocked, and those water villages are places where bandits gather. The imperial court should take advantage of this opportunity." Catch them all!"

"Young man, don't be in a hurry." The emperor said with a smile, motioning his servants to pour a cup of tea for Yin Sheng, and said without haste, "This matter is not that simple. It's not just the water village that is blocking the river, but also the Tong family. Caravan people."

Yin Sheng was startled, he didn't understand why the emperor said that, did he think that the Tong family was also at fault?

The emperor's eyes seemed to be on the roof, and his expression was full of memory and emotion, "I have known Lele for more than ten years."

"Huh...huh?" Yin Sheng's eyes widened suddenly, "Ten years?"

"At that time he was still a child." The emperor said with a smile: "The harvest in Bizhou was very good that year. On the way to worship the ancestors, I took a look there and heard that there was a child prodigy, so I asked the county Let me ask you to take a look. That kid is really smart. When I wanted to test him, I met an assassin. At that time, the assassin had rushed to me. I thought I was going to die, but I didn't expect a person to stand in front of me suddenly. , blocked the assassin——Yin Sheng, guess who is the one who saved me?"

Yin Sheng opened his mouth slightly, he had an answer in his heart, but he couldn't believe it.

The emperor smiled slightly, "Hehe, that's right, it's Lele." He looked at Yin Sheng with a surprised expression in satisfaction, and said with a smile, "At that time, he was only five years old, but he was so calm and alert. He really deserves the title of child prodigy!"

"Uh, this..." Yin Sheng was tongue-tied, not knowing what to say.

"Back then I knew that he would be able to make a career when he grew up. Time flies. Over the past ten years, I have grown old and he has grown up. The career he has achieved is even bigger than I thought. ! Tong's business name... In the land of the Central Plains, where is there no Tong's business name? Even Damo and Fanbang know the reputation of Tong's business name..."

The emperor's tone seemed to be sighing, or regretting something.

Yin Sheng was stunned for a moment, and a terrifying thought suddenly came to his mind. From ancient times to the present, whether it is a powerful official or a wealthy businessman, at the peak of his achievements and wealth, countless families were ruined in an instant. Could it be that the emperor wants to borrow water now? The hand of the stronghold will be happy...

Yin Sheng's face changed drastically.

Without waiting for him to speak, the emperor looked over with a smile, and said as if he was also worried about Tong Le: "You have also seen it today, there are not a few people in the court who do not agree to send troops, what are their thoughts? Clear. If the Tong family collapses, even if only a small part of the property and family property enters their pockets, it will be enough for them to worry about food and drink for three lifetimes, not to mention... Ling Yun never likes Tong Le."

Yin Sheng gritted his teeth and wanted to say something, but he didn't dare to speak.

I'm afraid it's not just those officials who think so, even the emperor himself thinks so!

If the Tong family was defeated, it would not be difficult for the imperial court to make up some reason to copy their property. Even after layers of scrapping and deductions, most of them would go into the treasury in the end, and the emperor himself would get the most in the end!

If even the emperor had this idea, how could Yin Sheng dare to accuse those officials of their filth in front of the other party?

There is also the Fifth Highness Ling Yun, regardless of whether he and Tong Le have personal grievances or not, the opposition to sending troops is probably the emperor's signal to some extent!

Yin Sheng's mood was turbulent and hard to calm down, even if he gritted his teeth and suppressed it, his expression was still extremely ugly.

The emperor didn't seem to notice, and suddenly changed the subject, "Changyu is the daughter I love the most, and it's time to get married now. I have a headache about the choice of husband and son-in-law. Why don't you think about it for me?" What's your idea?"

Yin Sheng was stunned, why did he mention this all of a sudden?

The emperor said slowly: "My precious Changyu has been spoiled by me since I was a child. I always have to get what I want. I said to find a handsome young man with literary talent for her. She doesn't want it, she insists on marrying her." I'm a person I like, but the other party says I don't want to. I'm not an unreasonable person, I have my own heart, so I'm not good at fighting mandarin ducks, right? Don't you think so?"

"This, this... is..." Yin Sheng's forehead began to sweat, he had a bad feeling, the emperor suddenly mentioned this matter at this time, could it be...

The emperor looked at him with a smile, and said kindly: "The matter of the water village is not urgent. This matter is more important. There are too many things to consider. Why don't you help me think of an idea first, and see how to make Chang Yu fulfill his wish? After all Ling Yun also loves this little sister the most, if Changyu has any entreaties, he always agrees without saying a word, and this child Ling Yun will not do anything to spoil the fun before his little sister's wedding."

The emperor laughed twice, if he didn't look at the dragon robe, he was clearly a kind father who loved his daughter.

Yin Sheng clenched his fists, the veins on the back of his hands bulged, he was silent for a long time, he lowered his head slowly, bit his lips, and replied in a low voice: "Yes...Your Majesty."

Yin Sheng returned home with a heavy heart, and when he learned of Tong Le's letter, he was overjoyed. Zhan Xin saw that the paper was full of undisguised sweet words. I smiled, but when I thought of what the emperor meant, my heart sank and my smile faded.

"Lele, what do you want me to do..."

As the days passed, the dispute between the Tong family and the Shuizhai intensified, affecting the entire Wulin and even the major chambers of commerce. The river was blocked, and all parties began to condemn the two parties at the heart of the disturbance out of self-interest. Standing on the side of the Tong family firm, but at some point there were rumors that "the obstruction was created by the Tong family on its own initiative", and some people began to waver and turned to 36 Village.

However, the silence of the martial arts elders made some interested people begin to wonder if they acquiesced in the actions of 36 villages. The Tong family business is known as the number one business in the world. up...

More critical is the court's attitude.

As an imperial merchant, the Tong family is said to be on good terms with all the nobles and members of the royal family, but until today, except for a few dignitaries who reacted, no one has stood up to speak for them, and even those who are interested have learned about the dispute between the ministers that day The content, the emperor's ambiguous attitude seems to confirm the court's view on the matter.

"The Tong family's business is too big, it's great now, it's eye-catching!"

"I see, this time the imperial court and Wulin just want to destroy the Tong family, tsk tsk, such a big business, just a little bit of money can make people eat for a lifetime!"

In the streets and alleys, ordinary people are talking about it.

Those grasshoppers who saw the wind and turned the rudder began to lean towards 36 villages, with a serious look, as if they would not stop until the Tong family business was knocked down.

Some firms also began to make troubles, causing troubles in business dealings with Tong's family, which made things worse.

At the same time, many small water villages popped up along the river, and one of the water gangs called "Qianglong Gang" attracted everyone's attention. The strength of this new gang should not be underestimated. Shuishang 36 village is also eager to grab this piece of meat.

Will the control of water transportation change hands in the end?It is unknown whether Qianglong will not suppress the top snakes and let 36 villages continue to run rampant, or whether the Qianglong Gang, a rising star, will take over the territory, or whether the Tong family, which has never been defeated before, will become the new overlord of the water...

If it's the latter... some sects are also tempted - since the Tong family can, why can't I?

Dong Lin stepped into the study and saw that Nan Gong Le was still practicing calligraphy leisurely, as if the storm outside had nothing to do with him, the calmness and leisure in his eyes made him feel at ease.But thinking of the current situation, Dong Lin's complexion became serious again.

"I have seen the young master." He cupped his fists and saluted.

Nangong Le's hands didn't pause at all, and she didn't raise her eyes, she just gave a soft "hmm" to signal Donglin to continue.

Dong Lin said in a deep voice: "Young master, the person who spread the rumors has been found out, and it was done by the elders of the beggar gang."

"Oh, it really is them."

Nangong Le was not surprised at all.The Beggars' Clan was not monolithic either, the Great Elder had a rift with the gang leader, and the Nangong family, who had a good relationship with the gang leader, was naturally hostile.The only ones who can fight against their Nangong family's intelligence system are the gang of beggars with a large number of people and spread all over the place.

Seeing that Nan Gong Le didn't seem to take it seriously, Dong Lin couldn't help reminding: "Young master, the current situation is not good for us. The court's attitude is ambiguous, and several major gangs refused to help after we signaled, so many people stood at the 36th village. gone."

"Hehe, Donglin, don't worry." Nan Gongle smiled slightly, without stopping her pen, and explained: "Everyone feels that the 36 village has the upper hand, so they dare not speak out to support us, and even go along with the other side, so that they seem to support 36 There are more people in the village, but we only need to confirm that the major forces in the martial arts, business circles, and court are on our side, and the rest is not important."

"But if it goes on like this, will even the big gangs get hurt in the end?"

"No. What can really influence them is not public opinion, but interests. These people's interests are tied to ours. If we are destroyed, they will have no benefit." Nangong Le said lightly, and re-wrote with his hair full of thick ink. The word "benefits" paused, and then said: "However, the court's attitude is somewhat difficult to grasp. Material interests are not very attractive to those high-ranking officials, nobles, and wealthy families. The key lies in the emperor... Donglin, Has there been any movement in the court these days?"

"After the imperial decree was issued to let the Wulin League handle this matter, there was no voice."

Nangong Le narrowed his eyes slightly, "That old fox..." After a pause, he suddenly raised his face, blinked his big eyes, and asked with a childlike innocent smile, "Did my silly wood reply?"

"Here, I just arrived." Dong Lin quickly took out a letter from his arms and handed it over.

Nangong Le read the letter with a sweet smile, and did not reply right away, but read it again carefully from the beginning. His gaze fell to the end, but his smile faded a little. On the contrary, his brows were slightly frowned, as if doubting something, but very Soon he broke into a smile again, and took a pen to reply.

He wrote the letter for Donglin to send, and then explained: "The nets are almost ready to be collected at Village 36, let Qianglong pay attention, and fight steadily. We will collect villages one by one. Don't be impatient. Slowly, we have to instruct you behind the scenes." The three mountains and six peaks forced out!"

"Yes."

"Pay more attention to what's going on in Beijing, this time the attitude is ambiguous, hehe..."

Dong Lin asked in a deep voice: "Could it be that the emperor wants to do something to us?"

Nangong Le smiled softly, lowered her eyelids to hide the flash of coldness in her black pupils, the corners of her mouth slightly turned up, evoking a charming and dangerous smile.

"It doesn't matter, if that old fox really wants to cross the river and tear down the bridge... then use his country for it!"

Before receiving the reply letter, Yin Sheng had already made a decision in his heart, but an inexplicable expectation still made him postpone this decision until after receiving the reply letter.

His hands would not tremble even when he killed an enemy on the battlefield, but now he was trembling because of the thin letter paper. Yin Sheng was a little scared, as if a wild beast would jump out of the letter and devour him.

The thin paper was unfolded, and the elegant fonts appeared on the paper, as light and agile as that boy, Yin Sheng couldn't help smiling when he saw it.

The beginning of the chapter is about longing and love, but at this time Yin Sheng has no intention of savoring the sweetness in it, and hastily read on, eager to know the other party's situation, but Nan Gongle only used one sentence to lightly describe the crisis of the company in the whole letter.

...I have sent someone to take care of the business, Xiao Shengsheng doesn't need to worry...

Yin Sheng stared at this short sentence for a long time, and finally sighed deeply.

The decision in my heart has to be implemented in the end.

If someone else threatens, he doesn't need to care, even if his parents force him, he can just walk away, but that person's "hope" cannot be defied, as long as he still pays attention to Tong Le.

"emperor."

"Excuse me. Yin Aiqing, do you have an idea?"

Yin Sheng numbly saluted the man on the dragon chair, who was still smiling like a kind old man.

Yin Sheng lowered his head, afraid that the other party would see the unwillingness in his eyes, "I think that the princess...is a golden branch and jade leaf, and it is the other party's blessing to make the princess like it... If the emperor is willing to bestow a marriage, the other party will...will... gladly, agree……"

His throat seemed to be pinched by a pair of invisible hands, every word had to be uttered with all his strength, and his voice was hoarse and trembling, echoing in the spacious imperial study room.

The coldness from the bluestone ground penetrated into the body through the shoes, and the hands and feet were numb and cold.

Yin Sheng recalled the rainy night when he found out he was betrayed by his brother. At that time, there was a warm body hugging him...

He closed his eyes, not daring to recall anymore, the more memories he has, the harder it is to let go.

The emperor smiled softly, and said softly like a loving elder, "Okay, very good."

Yin Sheng took a deep breath, raised his head, stared straight at the emperor with dark eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the water bandits on the Canglong River are infested, I ask you to suppress the bandits!"

There was a slight stiffness in the emperor's smile.

Yin Sheng thought he would be panicked, but he found that his heart was very calm, and it seemed that nothing could make his heart tremble anymore.

The stiffness was fleeting, the emperor kept smiling, thought for a while, then nodded and agreed, "Okay, I'm sure, it's just..." Those eyes that were squeezed by folds and looked a little dim stared at Yin Sheng, and he said a word. He paused and said, "It's good to practice more and meet more friends when you're young, but when you get married and start a business, those extra thoughts should be cleaned up. Don't you think so, Yin Sheng?"

"……Yes."