The phoenix pattern is surging

"

Meng Zhaokun apologized with a modest smile: "Everything is due to the great blessing of His Majesty."

Li Ran asked someone to carry the black leather jar to the cellar and show it to Yuan Mo: "Is there a way to use this thing for lighting?"

Yuan Mo heard it and touched it with his fingers, confidently saying, "There are records in ancient books on the method of refining fire oil. Your Highness will give the grass-roots three to five days of hard work."

Li Ran was secretly happy, thinking that Li Zixin had really found a treasure this time.

The weather was not good that night, and the rain was pattering. Li Ran took the medicine and lay on the couch to read the secret letter sent back by the secret guard sent by Jiang Jue.

A candle as thick as a baby's arm was swaying in the wind, and Little Six was dozing off at the corner of the couch, looking very sleepy.

Li Ran opened the secret letter and read it closer to the candle. After reading it, he became a little angry. In a fit of anger, he wanted to burn this nonsense thing.

He folded the letter and put it in his sleeve, kicked Xiao Liu who was sleepy at the corner of the couch: "Bring the pen and paper here."

"Your Highness, it's so late, what do you need pen and paper for?"

"Whispering! Go!"

Little Six took back the pen and paper, and respectfully spread them on the table.

Li Ran bent over to write, and felt his stomach move as soon as he moved. The kick was so powerful that he gritted his teeth in pain, and let out a groan from his mouth.

Little Six took a look and was very anxious: "Your Highness, what's wrong with you?"

"Go find Li Yuanshan!"

It took Li Yuanshan two or three cups of tea to get the result. At that time, Li Ran was already well. He lay on the bed and closed his eyes and fell asleep. After resting, he would ask in a low voice, "What's going on? Why hasn't the time come yet?"

The old man wiped the beads of sweat from his face, his complexion was slightly pale, and after hesitating for a long time, he said hesitantly: "The quality of the temple is different from ordinary people, and it is not too late to think about it."

"Is there a way to get him out earlier?"

Li Yuanshan trembled more and more: "I am terrified."

Li Ran frowned, and asked in a low voice, "You must have a solution?"

"Your Highness, I absolutely dare not."

"You are an imperial doctor, can't even handle this?"

Li Yuanshan knelt down on his knees, and said in a trembling voice: "Your Highness, please take care of yourself for the sake of old age. Although there is no way out of what Your Highness wants, firstly, this method is dangerous, and secondly, the small palace is weak. , if forced to use the medicine, it will be more dangerous than good. I was entrusted by His Majesty to try my best to protect His Highness and His Highness, and I dare not do such a dangerous thing. Forgive me."

Li Ran secretly sighed, it seems that old man Li has nothing to discuss here.

He waved his hand to make Li Yuanshan back down, and reached out to touch his lower abdomen, and there was a kick in his abdomen in response, which felt very strange, he subconsciously touched it again, which caused another kick.

The old mother opened the curtain and came in holding the medicinal meal, and whispered, "Your Highness, it's time to take the medicine."

"Let it go."

The old mother smiled: "Does Your Highness miss His Majesty?"

"I want to settle accounts with him."

"Hehe, no matter whether you settle accounts or miss you, you have to take care of your own health, don't you?" The old mother gave him a spoonful of soup and fed it, giggling, "Your Majesty really misses you so much, and you exchange three letters a day. Woolen cloth."

"Yes. He is really free."

"What are you talking about? The old slave's words are not pleasant to you. You really need to change your temperament. Your Majesty is the king of a country, and His Majesty is not the only one in the harem. You have to take it easy when you speak and do things, and don't be too aggressive."

Li Ran was speechless, and after a long while, he gritted his teeth and said, "That's right. Being a man like him is really perfect."

"You're talking nonsense again." The old mother wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, "The old servant looked at it coldly, His Majesty treats His Highness the most differently. There is only His Highness the Crown Prince under his knees, and now there is a Second Highness, which will be indispensable in the future." It hurts to hold it in the palm of your hand, so you should take care of his face."

Li Ran didn't take it seriously, but said, "Got it. Don't worry, I know it well."

The old mama seemed to have gotten used to his perfunctory, she shook her head with a smile, then looked at Li as if she remembered something, then covered her mouth and smiled secretly.

Li Ran wondered, "What are you laughing at?"

"The old servant just wanted to ask, did Your Highness dream of His Majesty the past few nights?"

"..."

"Your Highness need not blush."

"nonsense."

"Okay, okay, just be an old slave talking nonsense."

"How did you know?"

"what?"

"..."

"Your Highness is referring to dreaming?"

"..."

"Hehe. That's it. When Little Six was on duty at night, he heard it for several nights in a row..." The old mother whispered a few words in Li Ran's ear, which really made Li Ran blush.

The little six came in happily, and was suddenly stared at by Li Ran, and suddenly he was a little confused. Who is he provoking?

Li Ran handed over the fire oil excavation to Qin Yi. Although Qin Yi was a stutterer, he handled the matter unambiguously. The people in the city are busy day and night, working in full swing.

Xiping and Dongyue's iron cavalry were approaching Linyang quickly. Compared with Dongyue, Xiping's army moved faster.

Within three days, Li Ran received a report saying that Xiping's 20 troops were only four or five days away from Linyang.

Li Ran was discussing with Qu Lie how to defend against the enemy, and he was shocked when he heard the news.

Xiping Julang was more than ten days away from Linyang Shaoshuo, but Su Mo's soldiers and horses arrived in only seven or eight days. The speed of Xiping's iron cavalry was really astonishing.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that one of Su Mo's ambushes had already sneaked in.

51

Qin Yi's hands and feet were really fast. Within three days, he packed [-] barrels of kerosene and transported them back. They placed them in the open space of the school grounds, waiting for batches to be transported to Dingcheng to rescue the victims for the winter.

At the same time, the Dongyue and Xiping armies were approaching day by day, but there were only 5 horses in Linyang City. Among the generals, Lin Zan, the leader of the Hussar Battalion, followed Li Zixin to the south, and was not in Linyang, the capital city. Qu Lie and Yan Wenbin are the two great generals.

On the city tower, all the soldiers are deploying security. Even though they know that there are two armies that are about to attack the border, the preparations for the city defense are still proceeding in an orderly manner.

Qu Lie stood on the tower in soft armor with a solemn expression.

He has always been indifferent, even a little unnaturally alienated, but now this serious look is rare, which shows that the situation in front of him is really not optimistic.

Li Ran walked over and stood side by side with him. He was tall and slender, with a raw silk corset, and soft armor and silver silk armor to cover up, his figure looked no different from ordinary people.

Qu Lie knew the inside story, he glanced at Li Ran's stomach calmly, and said in a low voice, "It's windy here, if Your Highness has no other instructions, you can go back to the hall to rest first, there are subordinates watching here, don't There will be trouble."

Li Ran laughed out of embarrassment.

Qu Lie saw that he didn't respond for a long time, and after thinking for a moment, he said again: "I have something important to discuss, can your Highness move?"

Li Ran came back to his senses, said yes, and the two went down the city wall together.

After arriving at the main hall, Qu Lie took out a sheepskin map from his sleeve and spread it on the long table. Li Ran leaned over to have a look, pointed to the red marked place and asked, "Is there a mark here? arrange?"

Qu Lie nodded: "Xiping's troops will arrive in Linyang in less than six days, but Marshal Li may not be able to rush back sooner. We are outnumbered, and the only way to delay the time is to set up an ambush in advance."

Li Ran thought for a while, and agreed deeply: "I have thought about this question too. Since there are stones...fire oil, I think it is better to attack with fire."

Qu Lie stared and thought for a moment, then nodded: "It might be a good idea."

In this way, after discussing the details, Qu Lie withdrew from the hall.

After lunch, the military workshop sent someone to report that hundreds of sabers and crossbows ordered by Li Ran had been finished.

Li Ran called Luo Feng out from the dark place, and asked lightly, "How many hidden guards are left in the city?"

Luo Feng respectfully replied to him: "Your Majesty has transferred 640 guards back to Luo Chengcheng, and brought another [-] to Linguan. Now there are only [-] hidden guards in the city."

"enough."

"My lord?" Luo Feng was a little confused.

Li Ran didn't go around in circles, and said bluntly: "I have someone make a batch of things, and you can make a pair for everyone, so that everyone is familiar with it, and it should come in handy."

"Subordinates take orders."

Luo Feng didn't ask too many questions, and went straight to work.

The winter afternoon was already troublesome, not to mention Li Ran's current physical condition.

He was lying on the couch, holding the map of Minghua Palace and looking at it carefully. He gradually felt exhausted, so he simply threw the map and lay down on the couch with his eyes closed to rest, and soon fell asleep.

This sleep was sound, until the old mother called him softly: "Your Highness, it's time to get up and eat."

Li Ran woke up from a stunned sting, looked outside the hall, saw that night had fallen, and was shocked: "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

The old mother covered his face with a handkerchief, and said: "Don't worry, Your Highness, there is nothing important."

Naturally, she did not tell Li Ran that it was Li Yuanshan who specially added sleep-promoting herbs to the medicinal diet to prevent him from being overwhelmed and lack of sleep.

Li Ran didn't doubt that he was there, took the handkerchief from the old mother's hand and wiped it on his face carelessly, and said, "Is there anyone looking for me?"

The old mother replied truthfully: "Commander Yan came to beg once in three quarters. The old slave said that His Highness was taking a nap. He said it was not the most important thing, and then left on his own."

"Where's Qu Lie?"

"General Qu has never been here before."

Li Ran nodded reassuringly, and asked someone to pass on Yan Wenbin.

Yan Wenbin came into the hall in a black armor, and saw Li Ran bow on one knee.

Li Ran waved his hand to signal him to get up: "What can you do with me?"

Yan Wenbin said: "In the end, there will be something to ask for."

"what's up?"

"Commander-in-chief, please order that the last general lead a cavalry to set up an ambush outside the city."

Li Ran raised his eyebrows: "Can you discuss this matter with General Qu?"

Yan Wenbin didn't nod his head, and his expression was a little upset. Li Ran knew that this matter was troublesome when he saw his expression, and at the same time he was puzzled, he had to ask Qu Lie to come to discuss it.

Qu Lie was not surprised to see Yan Wenbin, bowed and saluted, and said, "Your Highness is looking for a minister, but for the purpose of choosing someone for the commander?"

Li Ran nodded, and Qu Lie said again: "I have already decided on a candidate for this matter, and I am going to discuss it with Your Highness."

Yan Wenbin snorted coldly to show his displeasure, Li Ran couldn't laugh or cry, he cleared his throat and asked, "Who are you going to let go?"

Qu Lie straightened his face and said calmly, "I will personally lead the troops."

He looked calm and persistent, as if there was no room for change.

Yan Wenbin knelt down on the spot: "Commander, General Qu is the deputy commander of the three armies, how could he leave the palace rashly? Your subordinates please lead their own troops."

"No!" Before Li Ran could speak, Qu Lie had already made a firm conclusion.

Yan Wenbin became more and more unhappy: "Why not?"

Qu Lie said indifferently: "You are not the right candidate."

"Why?"

Seeing that he was so entangled, Li Ran quickly cut through the mess: "Okay. Now that this matter has been decided, don't talk about it anymore. There is nothing to argue about. Are you afraid that there will be no battle?"

"Can--"

Li Ran stopped him with a wave of his hand: "You don't even obey my orders?"

He had restrained his smile and put on a solemn expression. Yan Wenbin didn't dare to do anything wrong again, so Shi Shiran saluted, his expression still unhappy.

Li Ran sighed: "Why are you still in this temper? Forgot what I told you before?"

Yan Wenbin blushed: "The command of the commander-in-chief, the subordinates dare not forget, but the subordinates do not accept this matter."

"Dissatisfied with what?"

Yan Wenbin looked straight at Qu Lie, with a righteous expression on his face: "The general is the deputy commander-in-chief of the three armies, so he should stay behind and control the overall situation, and he shouldn't take risks himself!"

Qu Lie pursed his lips and remained silent, it seemed that he didn't want to waste any time explaining, his expression was as indifferent as ever.

Li Ran was sandwiched between the two, feeling very headache, he stared at Qu Lie for a while, then waved his hand at Yan Wenbin, saying: "Since I have entrusted this matter to General Qu, his decision is equal to my decision. Go down first."

After Yan Wenbin left, Li Ran shook his head and said, "This kid is still so aggressive."

Qu Lie smiled lightly: "Does Your Highness have no doubts?"

Li Ran shook his head: "Why do you think of leading the troops yourself?"

Qu Lie thought for a moment, and said frankly: "His Highness is now the commander-in-chief of the three armies, so he should learn how to arrange formations, control tactics, and be appointed by others."

Li Ran nodded in agreement, and Qu Lie continued: "I always believe that the talent of a general is not born, but honed. Yan Wenbin is more than strong, not patient enough, and cannot withstand damage. The minister made such an arrangement. Once, There are very few people in the hands of His Highness who can be appointed, although Yan Wenbin has shortcomings, he is still a good general, and if he is used well, he will have miraculous effects, this time is just to sharpen his temperament, in case of emergencies."

"Secondly, setting up an ambush is no small matter. If there is a slight error, it will be more difficult to plan and move chess in the future, so you can't miss it easily. I don't trust others. Thirdly, it is also the most important thing. This preparation is aimed at delaying Time, rather than annihilating the enemy army in one fell swoop, when necessary, we can only fight in a roundabout way to preserve our strength, and Yan Wenbin is always impulsive, so he is not the best candidate to lead the army this time. The minister is entrusted by His Majesty, and he must protect His Highness. Yu, so I have to think carefully."

When he spoke eloquently, Li Ran was silently amazed.

When I first met Qu Lie, he was still a bad old man with the identity of an imperial physician of the enemy country.

It's a pity that he is too indifferent in life. With Li Ran's rough personality, he can't have the idea of ​​a deep friendship with him. He can't get closer than Liao Weilin Zan and others.

Only now did he begin to understand why Jiang Jue deliberately kept this person.

Obviously, Qu Lie is calm, thoughtful, and suitable for all officers and soldiers. He is a rare talent. If he hadn't pledged allegiance to Jiang Jue, he would have been a difficult and ruthless character in any country. No wonder Monkey Cub never forgets him.

Just thinking about it, Cao Cao will be there.

Before the person arrives, the sound arrives first.

"Master! Master!"

Qu Lie's face changed slightly, he saluted Li Ran and then disappeared from the side door, as if avoiding the monkey boy for fear of being too late.

Seeing this battle, Li Ran felt a little silent mourning for the monkey boy.

The monkey boy walked in from the entrance of the hall with his chicken nest head on his head, Li Ran smiled slightly: "What's the situation?"

"What's the situation?"

"Why do you have a chicken coop on your head?"

"Screw you!"

"Look for yourself!" Li Ran laughed, and handed the mirror to Monkey Boy, who took a look, and his face turned red like a monkey's butt, and he kept muttering: "Fortunately, the master didn't see it, otherwise this face would be embarrassing." Great. Amitabha, good luck, good luck!"

Li Ran looked at him sympathetically, and pointed to the stool opposite: "Have you eaten yet?"

"Where can I take care of eating? It's too late to find my master."

"Want to eat with me?"

The monkey boy declined with a smile: "Why is this so embarrassing?"

Li Ran sneered, he really didn't believe that the word "embarrassed" existed in the monkey's dictionary.

As soon as the meal was served, the "very thin-skinned" monkey cub picked up the chopsticks to eat without saying a word. The appearance of gobbling it up made people lose their appetite.

The monkey cub didn't see anyone else at all, chatting while eating: "My emperor brother used to be with me, but now he's not here, do you feel lonely?"

Li Ran's forehead turned green, and the monkey boy continued to say with gusto: "If you feel lonely, I can make a small sacrifice."

"Sacrifice what?"

The monkey boy sighed, with a serious expression on his face: "You can't finish all these dishes by yourself anyway. It's a waste to waste it. Why don't we brothers share it."

While talking, he picked up a lamb knuckle and gnawed it. Li Ran rubbed his eyebrows and said with a smile, "You're really welcome."

"Why am I being polite to you? What is our relationship?"

"what relationship?"

There was a slight smile on Li Ran's face. Seeing that he hadn't been rude or harsh, the monkey boy became more energetic, blinked ambiguously, and said, "Don't pretend. You know something, so why bother to say it?" What about export?"

The so-called dog can't spit out ivory, which is a perfect description of this monkey.

Li Ran didn't want to ask, that would only be asking for pain and troubles, but unfortunately, the monkey boy didn't know himself. He looked at Li Ran with a deep smile, then moved his gaze down, crossed the table and stopped on his belly, laughing like a thief Like a thief, Li Ran couldn't bear it anymore, and stretched out his hand to slap him on the back of the head. The slap made the monkey cough again and again, and even spat out the mutton in his mouth, turning into a monkey spitting out mutton.

"Hey. Why did you hit me on the head again?"

Li Ran snorted coldly: "Keep your mouth shut."

"Hey~ I would rather offend a gentleman than offend a villain. It really is a wise saying. Forget it, can't I not read it? Why is my temper so stinky, please don't teach my nephew badly. Ouch~ Why are you still beating me? People? Are you addicted to playing? "

"I said it earlier, you have your mouth!"

"No reason!"

The monkey cub slapped the leg of lamb, picked it up and gnawed it to vent his anger.

This meal was "exciting". After drinking and eating, the monkey cub shaved his teeth with a toothpick, and continued to show off with his legs crossed: "Don't think I'm just idle. Let me tell you, I've heard about a very urgent big man." News, do you want to hear it?"

Li Ran wished he could grab his monkey's neck and throw it on the ground three times. With a thought, he looked at the dead monkey that could be pulled up to the sky, smiled, and said, "I also have some big news to tell you. Do you want to hear it?"

The monkey boy was puzzled: "What big news do you have?"

The smile on Li Ran's face remained undiminished: "About your master, does it count?"

"Really?"

"Believe it or not."

"I believe it! I believe it! Please, tell me."

The monkey boy tugged on his sleeve and "cried" to beg, Li Ran laughed: "You are really a lover. Tell me first, what exactly did you find out."

"You speak first!"

"Don't push yourself too hard, Jiang Ming. I don't have much patience."

"Forget it. Anyway, I have to tell my master sooner or later, and my master will definitely tell you, so just say it." The monkey cub curled his lips, looking a little reluctant, "It's really not a big deal, it's just that Xiping made a It’s a new gadget, it’s said that it’s quite powerful. Now it’s up to you to talk about it.”

"What the hell?"

"What the hell?"

"What is that thing?"

The monkey cub got impatient and got up as soon as he slapped the table. Because he was using too much force, he shook his hands and complained: "Aren't you annoying! That thing is called a ladder! A ladder!"

52

"Ladder?"

Li Ran frowned, and repeated the word "ladder" over and over again. The monkey cub looked like he had nothing to do with himself, and persistently tugged at his sleeve and asked, "Hey! My master's You haven't told me the news yet!"

"Don't make noise!" Li Ran slapped the monkey's paw away, and the monkey quit and started to make a fuss: "No way! Why are you reneging on your debts again! It's agreed that one person will talk about the other."

"Did I promise you?"

"you you you!"

Li Ran threw a banana to him: "Take it! Don't bother me!"

The monkey cub muttered while nibbling on bananas: "You dishonest guy, you deserve to be unable to figure out why! I am the only one who knows what that thing is now, but I just won't tell you! It's no use begging me." !snort!"

Li Ran looked down at him with a look of contempt: "Boy, don't be such a stinky fart, you will stink to death sooner or later."

The monkey cub became angry from embarrassment, and jumped over to fight Li Ran.

Li Ran leaned on the back of the chair with his hands folded across his chest, with a motionless demeanor.

Before the monkey could touch the corner of his clothes, his hand was twisted, and he screamed in pain: "Oh my god! It's going to break! It's really going to break! Let go! Let go! Why the hell is your wrist so strong? How can my brother bear it?"

The strength in Li Ran's hands increased again, and the monkey cub cried more and more: "It's broken! It's broken!"

Xiao Liu hid behind the door leaf, showing half of his face and stared inside. Of course he didn't have the guts to come in to try to persuade a fight, let alone look at it openly, so he could only hide at the door and peek through the crack of the door, enjoying it. road.

Li Ran looked indifferent, and continued to ask: "Tell me, what is that thing?"

"You let me go first!"

"Don't haggle, you know I hate dissatisfaction the most."

Jiang Ming was so angry that he vomited blood: "Then you should be gentle."

His appearance was indeed pitiful, Li Ran let out a third of his strength while laughing.

The monkey boy breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "I heard that it is a kind of siege frame, which can be moved at will. The ladder frame leads to the top of the cloud and has four sides. A small opening is opened at the top of the front for a suspension bridge. Once the suspension bridge is released, it can go straight to the city wall. The four sides of the ladder frame are covered with a thick layer of hard boards, and ordinary bows and arrows are useless, and people can climb by themselves, so they are known as siege weapons. But this is a top secret, and no one knows it except me. "

Li Ran frowned: "Since it's such a secret, why did you find out?"

The monkey cub grinned, his mouth raised higher than the sky: "Of course I have my own way, if I tell you, how can I earn a living?"

Li Ran sneered: "Where did you learn this low-class accent? If your ancestors knew, it would be strange to jump out of the grave in anger!"

The monkey cub grinned: "Isn't my ancestor the ancestor of your son? Which one of us is better than the other?"

As soon as he said this, Li Ran violently exerted force on his hand, and the monkey cub called out to Grandpa in pain.

Li Ran saw that he had learned enough lessons, so he let go of the hand that restrained the monkey boy, got up from the seat, and said in a deep voice, "How long do you want to peek, Liu Zi?"

Little Liu came out tremblingly from behind the door: "Your Highness, Your Highness, this slave didn't do it on purpose."

The monkey boy blushed, and gave him a hard look: "Is it possible for you to eavesdrop on what this king is talking to your prince? Oh, Nan Liuliran, what are you doing to keep hitting me on the back of the head?"

"He's mine, why are you so fierce?"

"What? How dare you have an affair with someone behind my emperor's brother's back? Are you an inner prisoner?" The monkey boy looked at Xiao Liuzi from head to toe more than ten times, and finally came to a conclusion, "Look carefully, This kid is really good looking."

Little Six shrank his neck in fright and shook his head repeatedly.

Li Ran didn't even refute, just stared at Liu Zi and smiled. The smile was gentle, but it made Liu Zi's hair stand on end for no reason, and then saw Li Ran lightly opened his thin lips: "I still have this vision."

Saying this is tantamount to confirming the relationship between the two of them.

Little Six's face turned pale, and he fainted from fright.

The monkey boy walked over and patted his face, then turned around and asked Li Ran with a puzzled expression, "What's wrong with him?"

Li Ran looked calm: "It's okay, I fainted from fright."

The monkey boy became more and more puzzled: "Can he be dizzy like this? He's really good at it."

Li Ran laughed: "He is relatively timid, if you give him artificial respiration, it should wake him up."

"Artificial respiration? Like you saved Yi'er?"

"Yes."

Children can be taught!

The monkey cub thought for a while, and happily said, "It's okay to try, anyway, I haven't tried it once."

So when Xiao Liuzi opened his eyes again, what he saw was the little prince Beiye pouting and kissing his lips. This scene was so horrifying that he fell back again in fright. It's been so long and it still doesn't work?

Li Ran didn't care about the two of them anymore, and walked away.

After finding Yuan Mo, Li Ran repeated what Monkey Boy had said before. Yuan Mo twirled his beard and thought for a moment, then smiled: "If the description is correct, it should be a ladder. The only one who knows how to build this thing in the world is my brother. No one else."

"You have brothers?"

Yuan Mo nodded: "Caomin's elder brother is surnamed Yuan and named Qian. He used to serve in the Danfeng Palace, but he disappeared after the war. Sigh~"

Li Ran probably heard the clue, and patted him on the shoulder to express his comfort.

Yuan Mo thought for a moment, and gestured slowly to Li Ran. He found an old and dilapidated book from a tin box. After flipping through more than ten pages, he couldn't help being overjoyed, and handed it to Li Ran: "This is the diagram of the ladder. , Your Highness, please take a look."

Li Ran took it over and looked at it, he almost couldn't laugh or cry, this thing looks like a square chimney supported on a cart.

Yuan Mo was afraid that he would not understand, so he kept explaining and gesticulating. After he finished explaining, Li Ran rubbed his chin and asked, "Is it fireproof?"

Yuan Mo nodded: "The outside of the casing is coated with stone mud, which has the effect of fire prevention, and the inside is a thick layer of plywood, which cannot be penetrated by ordinary bows and arrows. Once the frame is under the city, the enemy troops will definitely swarm from inside the ladder. Climb up, like ants climbing a tree."

Li Ran was secretly startled. In this day and age, there were no guns or cannons. If you were to fight on flat ground, 20 people would fight against 5 people. It would be effortless.Right now their only guarantee is the strong and towering city wall of Minghua Palace.But now it seems that there is a big question mark whether this layer of protection is effective.

Li Ran rubbed his eyebrows and said, "Is there no flaw in it?"

"Ladders are very difficult to destroy unless hurled with boulders from a distance."

"I see that this ladder is just a pipe soaring to the sky. How did it get to the city wall?"

Yuan Mo pointed to a place on the picture: "There is a suspension bridge at the top of the front, which can be retracted freely. After the suspension bridge is lowered, people inside can cross the suspension bridge to the tower."

It turned out to be the case.

Li Ran stretched out his finger to touch the picture, and said, "Can you borrow me to study this picture?"

Yuan Mo nodded immediately: "Your Highness can see it if you want."

After he came back, the monkey cub hadn't left yet. He was lying on the couch eating grapes. The little six stood at the end of the couch with his face flushed and peeled grapes for him. Seeing Li Ran was like seeing a savior.

Li Ranfeng narrowed his eyes slightly, and said, "Have you left yet, kid?"

The monkey cub chuckled: "You usually yell at my emperor brother like this?"

Li Ran didn't bother to pay attention to him, sat down on the soft stool, opened the album that Yuan Mo gave, and stared at the graphic study of the ladder.

Seeing him silent for a long time, the monkey cub felt very bored and put his head up: "What is this?"

"Ladder."

"Ladder? Oh~ So this thing is a ladder. How can a pipe lead to the sky? It's not very eye-catching."

Li Ran smiled and continued to study the album, ignoring him.

The monkey cub felt lonely, so he shoved his arm and said, "The person who gave the news said that there is a suspension bridge on top of this thing, why didn't I see it?"

"That's because your kid's IQ is limited."

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing."

The monkey boy looked up and down, but still couldn't see why.Li Ran couldn't bear him yelling in his ear, and stretched out his hand to make a few gestures on the album, and the monkey boy suddenly realized: "It turns out that it is like this, it looks like a door like this suspension bridge. If it were me, I would definitely ride it." When you open the door, throw a torch in, if you can't burn those turtle eggs to death, let's see who dares to say that I have no one in Beiye!"

A thought flashed through Li Ran's mind, and he grabbed the monkey cub by the collar: "What did you say?"

"Look who dares to say that I have no one in Beiye!"

"No. The previous sentence."

"I can't burn those turtle eggs!"

"It's not right either. The first sentence."

The monkey cub was a little silly: "Throw a torch in when it 'opens the door'?"

"Bingo!"

Li Ran slapped the table with his palm, with a happy expression on his face.

"I didn't expect you kid to be useful."

The monkey boy pointed to himself, with a flattered expression on his face: "You mean me?"

Li Ranlang scratched his head with a smile: "That's right, it's you."

The monkey cub became excited when he heard it, and he raised his head and laughed loudly: "Hahahaha~ Otherwise, why would others call Luocheng Xiaobailong? I have been in eleven countries, and I can drift on the water for seven days and nights and eat raw fish, shrimps and crabs." Little Prince Jiang Ming. Ha!"

Li Ran sneered: "Oh! Little White Dragon in Luocheng? You really can't be changed."

How could the monkey cub listen to his sarcastic words at this moment, he was smiling uncontrollably with his hands crossed over his chest.

Li Ran rubbed his eyebrows, speechless.He looked horizontally and vertically, but he couldn't see anything like Jiang Jue in this kid, so he was automatically included in the ranks of genetic mutations, or the ones that failed the mutation.

That night, Li Ran summoned Qu Lie and Yan Wenbin and told them about the ladder.

Both of them were a little surprised, Qu Lie pondered for a moment, then asked in a deep voice: "Is the news true, Your Highness?"

Li Ran smiled deeply: "Jiang Ming inquired about it. You are his master, you should know how capable he is."

"So, there should be nothing wrong."

In this way, the three finalized the details of the match, and the two of them left.

That night, Jiang Jue's second secret letter was sent back by the secret guard on time.The content was quite ordinary, nothing more than talking about the progress of the march and some questions about his physical condition.

Li Ran was tossing and turning in bed after taking a bath, maybe because he slept too much during the day, his mind became surprisingly active that night.

On the third night after Jiang Jue left, he suddenly felt that the Minghua Palace was extremely empty, and the burden on his abdomen was not small. He could only lie on his side, and it was difficult to turn over. It made him feel unreasonably frustrated.

This damn phoenix body!

Li Ran sighed helplessly. The vermilion candle burning on the six-petal candlestick of the Panlong lotus not far from the end of the bed was flickering in the night, but it only illuminated a small corner of the palace, which was insignificant.

When Jiang Jue was by his side, Li Ran certainly didn't have the time to care about a single candle.Looking at it now, it seems a bit lonely.

As in the past, Li Ran touched his lower abdomen through the pajamas, and he felt a firm touch, which surprised him a little.

It turned out that the child was not limp before birth.

As soon as he touched it, his stomach moved, and the reaction was gentle, as if he was playing.

Li Ran was a little taken aback, and reached out to touch it for verification, and then felt his lower abdomen move again.

This child seems to have a will of his own.

Li Ran laughed at himself for having such a ridiculous idea.

For a long time, he has been completely indifferent and indifferent to this child, neither excited nor fond, lacking the enthusiasm and care that a parent should have, at least when Jiang Jue repeatedly excitedly chanted, Li Ran never gave it to him. He responded with the slightest enthusiasm.

Li Ran can even imagine that if he lives in a different place, and now it is Qu Qing who has a child, what kind of cherishing and caring attitude he will have.

Of course, this is just fantasy.

Li Ran suddenly realized that this child is actually an independent individual. He has life, consciousness and form. They accompany each other and depend on each other. This kind of feeling makes him quite moved.

All this time, all he wanted was a home.At this moment, this feeling suddenly pierced the bottom of his heart, which made him feel very complicated.

He put his hand on his lower abdomen and touched the child intimately for the first time. To his surprise, this time it was a small hand that was attached to his lower abdomen. Create a clear outline.

This made him dazed for a moment.

He thought of the countless times when Jiang Jue was pasted on his lower abdomen and listened to the movement, and for the first time, he had a subtle feeling of empathy.

Jiang Jue really loves this child, which is naturally different from his love for Jiang Yi.For Jiang Yi, perhaps because the expectations were too high, so he had to restrain his doting and demand Jiang Yi with the attitude of nurturing the crown prince.

Thinking of Jiang Yi, Li Ran felt endless worries rising from the bottom of his heart. He sighed, blood is thicker than water, and he didn't know what kind of bloody battle there would be after this?

53

Early the next morning, Li Yuanshan was seeing Li Ran, and Yuan Mo was brought in by Little Six.

Li Ran signaled him to sit down at the side of the long table, and signaled Li Yuanshan to go out with his eyes. Li Yuanshan had good eyesight, packed up the medicine box, bowed his knees, and then left the hall.

Li Ran poured a cup of tea and handed it to him: "Old Yuan, can you get me a crystal?"

"Crystal? The old man has never heard of such a thing. I don't know what it looks like?"

Yuan Mo was a little puzzled, Li Ran thought for a while, and said, "Things are colorless and transparent, with edges and corners on the surface, and are usually used...to carve decorations."

Yuan Mo's eyes lit up: "According to what His Highness said, this object should be similar to 'Shuiyu'."

"Shuiyu?"

"That's right. It is recorded in ancient books that water jade is melted from thousands of years of ice. It is as clear as water and as firm as jade. It is also said to be a bodhisattva stone. It is abundant in the Danshan area and is also called a bodhisattva stone. This thing is rare in the world. I heard that There are very few, my lord