Opposite the entrance hall

On the second day after the implementation of the New Deal, Xiao Changyu brought a group of elites into the city. Unlike the previous vicious confrontation, what he got this time was cheers and joy from the people on both sides. When the group arrived at Yao's house, Xiao Changyu Chang Yu raised his hand, and everyone got the signal and immediately tightened their reins and got off their horses.

"General Xiao, you have worked hard." Yao Youwei, who had been waiting early, hastily greeted him, "It is thanks to General Xiao that he captured those people from Nandian yesterday, so their plan did not succeed. The people in this city are all looking up to Xiao General Yingzi just came, there were some misunderstandings earlier, I will help the general for Kashgar, I hope you have a lot of adults, don’t ask for general knowledge.”

After all, he raised the hem of his clothes and was about to kneel down. With a smile on his face, Xiao Changyu didn't move to stop him. He stood aside with his arms folded, and said with a smile, "That's so embarrassing, Mr. Yao is too polite."

He said so, but he didn't see the slightest bit of embarrassment in him, he stood up straight and saw that he was going to receive this gift.

Yao Youwei underestimated Xiao Changyu's temper, saying that Xiao Changyu of the Xiaoqiying Battalion protected his weaknesses, and his soldiers were humiliated in Kashgar. This anger has been suppressed until now, and the people's troubles can't be found. I just bumped into it again, I thought he would pretend to be courteous because of the public, but I didn't know that I was thinking too much.

Yao Youwei was a little annoyed, but the matter was over, he gritted his teeth and was about to kneel down. Suddenly, a voice came from behind: "General Xiao has arrived."

Before anyone arrives, the sound arrives first.

Ji Si walked out slowly, looked around at the situation in front of him, and said with a smile: "General Xiao is alone today, I heard that Vice General Xiao was sent by General Xiao to perform a mission, and I don't know when he will come back? But Don't let Vice General Xiao come back as soon as we leave Kashgar."

After being meddled in this way, Xiao Changyu didn't bother to argue with Yao Youwei, so he walked a few steps in the direction of Ji Si and stopped. Due to the oppressive feeling, Ji Si had to raise his head slightly to look directly at the person.

The two people's eyes met, and the smiles on their faces were harmonious. In fact, an undercurrent is raging, "Ji Shilang is so concerned about our lieutenant general, if he doesn't know, he thinks he has ulterior motives and ulterior motives."

"What did General Xiao say?" Ji Si raised his eyebrows, "I just saw that General Xiao has the style of a general, so I was a little curious about the style of Deputy General Xiao, who is the general's younger brother. Although Ji Si is a civil servant But I always have admiration for generals like General Xiao, how could it become so embarrassing in the general's mouth."

"I don't have such a blessing. I'm afraid that Ji Shilang will miss it in his dreams, and I will really be speechless at that time."

Ji Si narrowed his eyes, and his smile deepened, "It's just nonsense, don't take it seriously."

Xiao Changyu straightened his sleeves and leaned closer to Ji Si's ear and said, "Have you ever heard a word from Minister Ji? Tell the truth after drinking, and tell the truth in your sleep."

Hearing this, Ji Si's eyes darkened a little, and he was vaguely displeased with this person's words and deeds.

Yao Youwei stood aside and looked at the two people who were at war with swords. Although he didn't know the meaning of the words, he could see the clues, and quickly calmed down the situation, "The mansion has prepared bouillon. General Xiao and Ji Shilang might as well enter the mansion. I am really distressed about the separation of powers, and I need two people to make up my mind."

Xiao Changyu raised his eyebrows at Ji Si, and took the lead to enter Yao's mansion. Ji Si spit in his heart and also entered the mansion.

The Yao Mansion held a banquet in the lobby, firstly to celebrate Yao Youwei's new official appointment, and secondly to shake hands with Xiao Changyu. Almost all the officials in Kashgar were transferred from the surrounding area and almost all of them were present. It was not because of Yao Youwei's face. No matter how big it is, Ji Si, Kong Lingqiu and Xiao Changyu are there, and everyone has to curry favor with each other. If they really climb up, they will be on the same path, so it is an ordinary banquet. The scale is not small and there are people everywhere.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell at a glance that Kong Lingqiu was the one with the better temper among the three, and a group of people scrambled over to toast, and after a while Kong Lingqiu's eyes became blurred and drunk, and he went back to the room early.

The twilight is dark and dark, the sun is covered by dark clouds, the shadows of the lights are heavy, after three rounds of wine, the banquet is over and the cups are over.

A banquet lasted from dusk to dark, and the guests left one after another. Yao Youwei bowed to Xiao Changyu politely with a smile, "It's getting late for General Xiao, and it's inconvenient to go out of the city at this time. If you prepare a vacant room, why not stay here today."

"Thank you very much." Xiao Changyu poured a glass of wine into the glass. Supplies in the camp are in short supply. He has been gluttonous for wine recently. He didn't eat anything at this banquet today. I didn't forget, "I'm used to living in the camp with high beds and soft pillows, not to mention that there will be drills tomorrow morning, and those soldiers are very inseparable. Now Kashgar is under the jurisdiction of you and me, and the follow-up is indispensable. There is no rush for this day."

Although Yao Youwei is a businessman, he also knows the importance of barracks drills, so he couldn't say anything else after hearing the words, so he said: "In that case, then I will send the general off."

"Forget it," Xiao Changyu shook the empty flagon and licked his lips. He was not yet satisfied with alcohol but knew the reason to accept it as soon as he was good. He put down the flagon and raised his chin and said, "Lord Yao is a new official. There should be a lot of chores when I take office, so I won’t bother you, I will do it myself since the journey is not far away.”

"Why don't I send General Xiao off." At this moment, Ji Si said.

As soon as the voice fell, the two of them cast their gazes over one after another, with different expressions on their faces. Xiao Changyu raised his eyebrows at the man, and the latter returned a provocative smile. gone."

Yao Youwei looked back and forth between the two of them, saying that it was impossible not to worry, but the two of them had reached this point, he couldn't say anything more, so he had to give up.

Ji Si didn't lead the horse, the two of them walked on one horse, one left and one right, without making a sound, the sky was very dark with only a little bit of daylight, but the candles lit on both sides of the street were somewhat bright.

The curfew time in the border town was much later than that in Lin'an, so there were quite a lot of people when the two walked on the street, including patrolling soldiers from the Qianhusuo, which seemed quite lively.

Xiao Changyu turned his head to the side. From this angle, he could just see the outline of Ji Si's side face. The lines of his face were smooth, and there was a heroic look between his eyebrows and eyes, not as soft as a woman's, nor as gentle as a man It's as sharp as it is, and its appearance is so good that Xiao Changyu can't think of anyone who can match it for a while.

He had heard of the name Ji Buyan, a good dog under the crown prince, from a son of a prostitute to a servant of the household department, his ability should not be underestimated. What's more, I heard that his mother is a famous prostitute in Zhangzhou, and she probably looks like Xiaomu. There are also rumors that Ji Siming is a subordinate of the prince on the surface, but in fact he is a plaything kept by the prince in the house. During the day, he uses his upper mouth to please the prince. Use the lower mouth to serve at night.

At first, Xiao Changyu sneered at such remarks, but after a few days, he felt more and more that the rumor might be true, after all, this person was indeed somewhat, um, evil.

Ji Si naturally didn't know what this person was thinking, but he was a little puzzled when he noticed Xiao Changyu's scrutinizing gaze, and raised his eyes and smiled with provocation.

This smile is a bit interesting, Xiao Changyu, an old bachelor, can't stand this. He has been in the military camp all year round, and the military camp cannot recruit prostitutes, and Kashgar City cannot enter. As soon as he blew the smell of alcohol, he got up on his head, a little dizzy, and rushed straight to one place, and quickly looked away, coughed and cleared his throat to relieve his embarrassment.

"Does General Xiao have anything to say to me?" Ji Si asked first.

It was good at first, but at this moment he couldn't remember anything, Xiao Changyu waved his hand and didn't answer.

"Then I have a different question. I want to ask General Xiao." Ji Si withdrew his eyes and looked up at the sky, and asked in a calm tone, "How did Vice General Xiao and General Nandian know each other?"

Xiao Changyu's face changed, and the hand holding the horse's rein stopped just like that. His eyes were a little cruel, and he stood straight on the spot, staring at Ji Si's figure in front of him and said coldly: "Ji Shilang's words What do you mean? I don't know where you offended Ji Shilang, which made you fight against me everywhere from the first day you came to Lin'an, and now you are still arranging some unwarranted charges to slander me, the deputy general of the Xiaoqi Battalion!"

Ji Si didn't rush, just turned around and said calmly: "What's the hurry, General Xiao? Am I guessing right?"

"Nonsense," Xiao Changyu snorted coldly, "The documents I sent to Lin'an have all been clarified. Then Anang was exchanged by Nandian for Kashgar, and the people of Nandian cunningly attacked the west while our army broke through the city of Kashgar. Transporting him away at the door, what does it have to do with the deputy general of our army!"

"It's actually very simple to know whether this statement is true or not. You just need to catch a Nandian soldier and cheat." Ji Si smiled and approached slowly, nodding slightly, "It's still as useless as the Xiaoqi Battalion. Can't catch it?"

Xiao Changyu stared at the person in front of him, those romantic charms disappeared, secretly thinking about how to arrange the follow-up if he gets rid of him here.

The border of Baimaxia is full of ferocious beasts, snakes and insects. If you are not careful, you will be poisoned, and you don't need to do it yourself.

His thoughts turned quickly, and his cold face was slightly piercing.

Ji Si was not in a hurry to wait for his answer, but just said to himself: "General Xiao also knows that it is a serious crime to release the enemy's generals privately. I admire the general's courage. The Xiao family is loyal to the country and has no intention of going against you, but Kong Shilang He has only been in office for a short time, and the position is not hot yet, and it is time to make meritorious service to retain the position, so what do you do if he really finds out something?"

"Stand up straight, don't be afraid! Don't be afraid! But what Ji Shilang said seems to be a friend rather than an enemy."

"Exactly," Ji Si said with a smile, "General Xiao, why don't you and I form an alliance."

This idea is what Ji Si has had since he entered Kashgar. He needs to find Jiujie Xuezhi. It is not enough to rely on himself and the first day of junior high school, but the emperor only told him, which means that the more people know about it The less the better, Kong Lingqiu is a member of the King of Liang, so he cannot be trusted, so he needs a "other person" who is familiar with the Kashgar border besides this matter, and Xiao Changyu is the perfect choice for this.

In a game, if you reveal the truth first, you will give your opponent a chance. At that time, you can only let me take advantage of it and lose the opportunity to go first. Ji Si knows this well, so what he needs to do is to dissolve it. From being passive to taking the initiative, Xiao Changyu's protection of weaknesses will naturally become the bargaining chip. As long as the bargaining chip is in his hand, he will be the one who controls the situation first.

Xiao Changyu is not an idiot either. When Ji Si said this, he understood the cause and effect after a little thought, and his tense mood suddenly relaxed. He pulled the horse forward slowly, and said with some joy: "I am What is the reason, it turns out that Ji Shilang is asking for me."

Ji Si walked on the other side of the black horse, and smiled when he heard the words, "That's wrong. To be precise, it's you and me working together. I'll help you hide Kong Lingqiu, and you can find something for me. It depends on what you want. Reciprocity and reciprocity are needed, how can it be considered as asking for you?"

"If I shouldn't," Xiao Changyu said, "You said what you said. You committed the crime of collaborating with the enemy to my Xiaoqi camp. These are all your one-sided words. Without evidence or evidence, it is nothing. Why should I form an alliance with you? It's up to you to figure it out."

"It doesn't matter," Ji Si seemed to have expected this, without a trace of panic, "You are not the only choice for me, but in addition to guarding against Kong Lingqiu, you probably have to guard against me. The Xiao family Collaborating with the enemy is not a small crime, eh."

After speaking, Xiao Changyu narrowed his eyes.

He knew that Ji Si was deceiving him, and he was also defrauding Ji Si. In this situation, it only depends on whose morality is higher.

While the two were talking, they arrived at the gate of the city. It was approaching the curfew time. There were quite a few people pushing and shoving to the outside of the city. Ji Si's attention had been on Xiao Changyu. The young man led the horse and hurried past him, blending into the crowd in the blink of an eye and disappearing.

The tip of Ji Si's nose moved slightly, and a scent in the air mixed with the smell of food and sweat penetrated into his nasal cavity. The smell was a little light, but very familiar, like the smell of tea and the smell of medicinal herbs, blended between the two Ji Si frowned and pondered for a while, suddenly, the man seemed to subconsciously tilt his head. Although there was only one side face, Ji Si's pupils suddenly enlarged.

Lots of money!

He is not dead?

Thinking of this, Ji Si's face suddenly changed, and he pushed through the crowd and rushed out of the city, but the sky was too dark and the crowd was crowded, the middle-aged man who looked like a dead man with a lot of money was covered by the crowd, and he couldn't see him, Ji Si The sudden strange behavior naturally caught Xiao Changyu's attention, and he didn't care about other things, he tightened his reins and chased after the crowd around him.

The distance from the gate of the city to the outside of the city was only a little. Ji Si squeezed out from the crowd and frowned and looked around. There was a main road outside the city. There were many people but none of them were similar to the person he saw just now. Disappeared out of thin air.

Could it be that I read it wrong?Ji Si frowned and thought.

"What's wrong with Ji Shilang?" Xiao Changyu who caught up with him asked with a blank expression.

"I just..." Ji Si turned around and replied, just as he spoke, he thought that Xiao Changyu was neither an enemy nor a friend, not to mention that the matter of Xiangzhou and Qian Duo could not be finished in a few words. After thinking about it, he changed his words, "I just saw a person whose appearance was somewhat similar to my old friend. I caught up with him and found out that it wasn't."

"So that's how it is." Xiao Changyu squinted his eyes, "I thought Ji Shilang was your love sister."

"Hehe, General Xiao was joking."

Xiao Changyu didn't believe this statement, and Ji Si didn't expect him to believe it. Neither of them was easy-going, and the thousand-year-old fox didn't believe anyone.

Ji Si raised his head and looked around again, feeling relieved in his heart, and said: "The road ahead is too dark, since General Xiao doesn't need to go together, it's not good for me to go with you, we will go our separate ways. Come on, say goodbye."

After that, he turned and entered the city.

Xiao Changyu stood on the spot staring at Ji Si's back in thought, his eyes were dark under the candlelight, and he was not angry at all. After watching for a long time the sound of birds fluttering and flying in the forest, he turned on his horse and faced him. Run to the camp.

The horse under him had just started and a person was coming towards him. The person was dressed in gray cloth and galloped in the dark night, raising a large cloud of dust. Xiao Changyu subconsciously took a look, and the person turned around just in time. The two people's eyes met. Xiao Changyu saw He was a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance. Without doubting him, he clamped his legs around the horse's belly and accelerated away.

If Ji Si was here, he would be able to recognize this person at a glance, and it was Qian Duo who just had a quick glance.

At the same time, in a valley outside Kashgar City, soldiers wearing Nandian armor hurried into the tent and shouted loudly: "Master Lang, someone sent a letter over there."

The tent was crowded with many people, and the man sitting on the main seat was a man with thin eyes and beards, with a burly figure and thick limbs, wearing a cloak made of leopard skin, leaning against the chair with his brows furrowed, he only heard movement when he heard it. Opening his eyes, he looked up with a gloomy and fierce look in his eyes, and he didn't make a sound, just stretched out a hand.

The soldier who reported was flustered, and when he saw this, he hurriedly handed over the letter paper in his hand. The man took it and glanced at it, and slapped the thin letter paper on the table with a cold grunt, with a somewhat displeased expression on his face.

"Master Lang, what did you say in the letter?" asked the man beside him.

Menglunda didn't make a sound, just picked up the wine bowl on the table and took a sip, wiped the wine stains with the back of his hand, and then said slowly: "He said they have a way to help me deal with that stinky girl Alumanlei. , when the time comes, the position of Da'an will be mine."

"It's impossible for this person to be so kind. Is there some kind of conspiracy?" At this time, another person thought about it for a while and felt that it was not safe, so he reminded him aloud.

"People in Dajin are all oily bastards, scheming and cunning, how can they form an alliance with us for nothing, the letter asks me to help him solve one person."

"Who?"

Meng Langda looked at the subordinates below, and said word by word: "The servant of the Great Jin Household Department, Ji Si."

The people below looked at each other, and the man who spoke first said again: "This man is from Dajin, but he asked us to kill the officials of Dajin for him, and the people of Dajin killed each other. Could it be that there is fraud in this? The Minister of the Ministry has only been in Kashgar for a few days. I heard that he is a subordinate of the Prince of Jin. His status is unusual. Lord, although this man helped us find the princess's hiding place, if it wasn't for Anang's quick reaction, he would have almost helped us. The sincerity of us catching the princess is not false, but it is still from Da Jin, Da Jin has a good saying, working with him is like seeking skin from a tiger, we can't believe it all."

"Of course I know," Menglunda raised his hand, motioned for the soldiers beside him to fill the bowl with wine, leaned forward and said in a low voice, "Da'an's health is not good, Arumanlei has a day Unless the stone in my heart never goes down, only Da'an in Nandian will be my turn when she dies, but Anaang looks at her day and night, and we have no chance to make a move. Now someone has a way to solve it for us It saves a lot of trouble, it's not feasible to seek skin from a tiger, it depends on who is the tiger."

"Have we killed too few officials from the Jin Dynasty? Exchange his life for Alu Manlei's life. Even if the deal is wrong, we won't lose." Speaking of this, Meng Langda picked up the wine bowl and stared at the bowl The sake in the cup filled his eyes with killing intent, "We don't need to do anything, there are ways, Ji Si must die!"

After the words were finished, he raised his head and drank the wine in the bowl. The empty bowl that was thrown back on the table wobbled, and finally rolled along the edge of the table and fell to the ground. When it touched the ground, it made a crackling sound, which was crisp but loud.

This voice attracted Qi Ran's attention. He stood in the courtyard and looked towards the direction where the prince was sleeping. He subconsciously took a step there, but then he turned to Fang Qing, the eunuch next to the prince, who stopped him sideways and hung down. Nodding his head, he said, "Master Qi, the canteen director is still ahead."

Qi Ran looked up at him, then took another step forward,

Fang Qing stretched out his hand to stop him, and warned with a smile, "Master Qi, the emperor asked the Criminal Department and Dali Temple to check the meals in the East Palace, not to disturb His Highness the Crown Prince's rest. Besides, His Highness is not awake yet, the Empress is here to visit today Prince, I'm afraid it will be inconvenient for you to go in."

"Eunuch misunderstood," Qi Ran smiled, "I just heard some voices inside, and I thought there was some accident, so I took a second look. It turned out that the queen was inside, and I troubled Eunuch to lead the way."

"My lords, please," Fang Qing bent over and stood aside, made a gesture of invitation, looked back at the direction of the prince's bedroom, the smile on his face gradually faded, he squinted his eyes, then turned around and followed behind everyone leave.

The doors and windows in the bedroom were tightly closed, Li Hongyang lay pale and motionless on the bed, his chest rose and fell slowly, like a lifeless corpse, the room was a little dark, and the incense burnt in the incense burner emitted green smoke, and the smoke would drift away if it could not escape In the air, the atmosphere seemed a little dull.

Kneeling beside the bed was a shivering court lady, beside a broken jade bowl, the brown medicine stains were spilled all over the floor, even the side of the bed was stained a lot, the eunuch beside her was cursing in a high-pitched voice, circling around Watching the palace maid wander back and forth with an uncontrollable anger on her face.

"Yuanfeng, it's over." A female voice sounded, and the spinning beads in her hand stopped accordingly.

When the old lady listened to the voice, she ran back like a dog, leaned close to Cao Yuhan who was chanting sutras with her eyes closed while pinching a Buddhist bead, and said with a flattering smile: "Ma'am, this little bitch is so messy, she sprinkled the medicine on His Highness the Crown Prince. Now, if something happens to your Highness, she deserves to die, and this slave will drag her down here to make a living."

"It's a big deal. Everyone is careless. She doesn't mean it. It's just changing a bowl. People who are noisy and listening are annoying."

"Your Majesty taught me the lesson." The eunuch bowed and nodded in agreement.

Cao Yuhan put the beads on the soft low table and waved to the court lady who was kneeling on the ground.

Yuan Feng saw that he was arrogantly yelling at the court lady, "I didn't see your mother calling you, so hurry up and die."

The palace maid trembled subconsciously, she rolled and knelt down at Empress Cao's feet, her head was extremely low, she didn't dare to raise her head.

"Are you okay?" Cao Yuhan asked softly and gently.

The maid didn't make a sound, but if Yuan Feng kicked her hard on the back, the maid could barely shake her head, and replied weakly, "I'm fine, it's just too..."

"It's fine if you don't have anything to do," Cao Yuhan took her words, "You have to be more careful in what you do in the future. When you are in this palace, you must be careful in everything. If you are negligent, you will die. As a maid in the Eastern Palace, don't talk too much. , do more things, do your duty well, and don’t be so careless next time.”

"Hurry up and thank your lady." Yuan Feng snorted coldly.

"The maidservant thanked the empress."

"Go down." Cao Yuhan waved his hand.

"Yes."

After the people left the hall, the surroundings became quiet again. Cao Yuhan twirled the beads and continued to recite the Buddhist scriptures. After a short while, the maid came into the hall with the reconstituted medicine. Just as she approached the bed, Cao Yuhan suddenly opened her eyes and uttered, "Give me the medicine."

Yuanfeng's eyesight was excellent, as soon as this person got up, he quickly bent down and stretched out his arms to help him to the bedside. Cao Yuhan took the somewhat warm jade bowl and sat on the side of the bed, and she slowly poured the medicine into Li Hongyang's mouth In the middle, Cao Yuhan's eyes were red, and she murmured to herself while feeding the medicine: "Yan'an, the mother knows that you are suffering, why is the mother not? No mother in the world has the heart to see her child suffer. The mother would rather be the one who suffers. It hurts in your body and hurts in my heart, the worst life was born in the emperor's house, always involuntary, Yan'an, don't be afraid, the mother is here, the mother is with you, and I will never let others hurt you again."

The sigh was blocked by the thick palace door, and even a little sound could not escape. This is a cage, but it is not just a cage. The cage imprisons your hands and feet, and what is imprisoned here is your soul. With thought, the world seems to be so big, the sky is bright and dark, people come and go, desire breeds here, power rots here, life and death spread here, and everyone becomes a handful here.

Qi Ran looked back at the wall behind him, lowered his eyes, turned and left.

When he returned to the yamen, he didn't go with other people from Dali Temple, but took a long way to the street in front of Yong'an Palace, found the wonton stall opened by the old couple, ordered a bowl of wontons and started eating with his head down.

"Master Qi hasn't been here for a long time," the woman said with a smile, "I used to come every five days."

Qi Ran froze for a moment, frowned, raised his head and asked, "Have I not been here for a long time?"

"It's been a long time. I haven't seen that lord since the last time. By the way, where is that lord? Is he not coming?"

"He..." Qi Ran stared at the wonton in the bowl in thought, "He can't come alone, it's been too long."

The woman was at a loss when she heard it, she just thought that the adult didn't know the way, and said with a smile: "Sir, just pull him along and you'll be fine."

Hearing this, Qi Ran raised his lips and smiled, "Well, I'll come with him next time."

The author has something to say:

This is the end of writing, everyone can guess who is responsible for the prince's poison.

One step closer to the official announcement, Thirteen, you can do it, go ahead! !