birth

The day after tomorrow is the crown prince's ceremony, but Fuer disappeared inexplicably at this juncture. These things were too coincidental, as if there was a hand behind him, pushing everything secretly.It's not that Xu Jia didn't suspect Meng Zhonglian, but he had already sent someone to investigate. This matter had nothing to do with Meng Zhonglian, but he still missed a step after all his calculations - Meng Zhonglian didn't have to do it himself.

Xu Jia squinted his eyes, and clenched his hands into fists. He seemed to be trying his best to suppress his temper. Although the words he said were light and fluttering, they were inexplicably breathless, "Go on .”

"Yes." Xu Zihe lowered his head, and continued what he said just now, "Yesterday, when I went to Mengxiang's residence, I happened to see King Ming coming out of his study."

King Ming?The eldest grandson Yan Ming?When did he hook up with Meng Zhonglian?

Zhou Shun, "Are you suspecting that the Prime Minister's matter has something to do with King Ming?"

Xu Zihe tilted his head, "It's not impossible."

Zhou Shun looked in Xu Jia's direction, "Your Highness, take a look...do you want to investigate King Ming?"

It stands to reason that Xu Jiacai should be the most active one now that he knows Fu Er's clues, but now he is frowning and sitting there without saying a word. For a while, the lobby fell into a strange silence Among them, Zhou Shun and Xu Zihe were waiting for Xu Jia to give instructions on the next step, but Xu Jia was entangled in his own detours. In his mind, the incident of meeting Meng Zhonglian going to the Prime Minister's Mansion a few nights ago kept appearing in his mind. Things, his knuckles turned white, and the brow seemed to be frozen into icy scum.

Will it be...

Could it be that Fu Er has cooperated with Meng Zhonglian long ago?Could it be that he still wants to get rid of this half-demon?Could this be a trap set by the three of them together?In order to prevent the ceremony of enshrining the day after tomorrow from being held on time?

Moreover, Fu Er's martial arts are so high, how could he be kidnapped so easily?

……

These thoughts eroded Xu Jia's brain like evil insects, as if many threads were tightened at the same time, and then he took a knife to wander between these tightened threads to test, is this one?Or this one?Which one will break?

"But the crown prince should have belonged to An An."

……

With a sound of "bang", the handle of the chair instantly turned into powder. Zhou Shun and Xu Zihe quickly lowered their heads, leaned over to the ground, and even panted carefully, as if there was ice slag hidden in the air. Suffocation in the tube.

The blood flowed down his fingertips and hit the ground drop by drop, as if hitting the apex of a person's heart. It was frightening. After a long silence, he made the most regrettable decision in his life——

"withdraw troops."

"I can't find it anymore."

When you don't know what the trap waiting for you is, staying still is the best strategy.

Back in time a few days ago, after Fu Er met Xu Jia on the street, his heart was sour. He didn't know why this strange feeling came, but it made him feel depressed, as if Xu Jia didn't Wrong, he is no longer that four-year-old brat, he no longer needs to follow his ass every day, he will meet someone he likes in the future, then he will get married and have children, then he will have his own life, and then... Fuer With a pause in his footsteps, overwhelming feelings of grievance and betrayal swept over him, causing his hands hidden in his plain sleeves to clenched into fists, and then... Xu Jia would completely forget him.

Wang Ruochang, who was following behind, glanced at Fuer Buyu's face, and asked, "What's wrong with your lord? Do you want to go to the Caojietang to grab two medicines?"

Fuer turned around and asked blankly, "Am I sick?"

That's right, he must be sick, that's why he was so inexplicably angry, and that's why he had so many weird thoughts. Before Wang Ruochang could answer, Fu Er raised his foot and walked forward, "Come on, let's go to the grass." Precept Hall."

Wang Ruochang grabbed Fu'er's sleeve, turned his head and pointed in a direction, "My lord, the Caojietang is over there."

A master and a servant hurried over there with a slightly impatient pace, thinking that they had some serious illness.

Things were normal so far, and then Wang Ruochang and Fuer went back to the mansion together. After returning to the Prime Minister's Mansion, Fuer said that he wanted to make the medicine by himself. He wanted to be alone, so he didn't say much, and after saluting, they all went down. Tuliu Fuer sat in front of the stove with a fan, swinging the fan slowly, and his usually dust-free white robe was stained black. He didn't even notice the ashes of the black pot, and he seemed to be concentrating on decocting the medicine, and seemed to be thinking about some important matter, but in fact, Fuer's mind was completely blank.

He just stared at the dancing flames in front of him in a daze, without thinking about anything.

Then, when Wang Ruochang found that Fuer hadn't returned to his room, and there was only an empty medicine bowl left in the Yu Pharmacy, he found that Fuer was missing. After taking the medicine, he was still depressed, so he went out by himself, told the guards in the mansion not to lock the door, and then went back to his room to rest, until the next morning when he got up to greet Fuer, he found his room was still empty. No one, Wang Ruochang's heart just clicked, realizing that things might not be as simple as he thought.

And no one noticed the lingering fragrance in the corner of Yu Pharmacy.

In the middle of the night, the door of the Meng Mansion was knocked again. Meng Zhonglian rubbed his temples with a headache. Liang Shuang asked beside him, "My lord, King Ming is here again. Do you want to open the door to let him in?"

Meng Zhonglian sighed bitterly, "This King Ming is too impatient."

Thanks to him at the time, he really had the idea of ​​supporting him to be in the top position. Now it seems that even if he is in the top position, he must not be a great weapon. Maybe he is still a useless beast who will bite him back. Meng Zhonglian carefully played with the thumb in his hand, Thinking in his heart, King Ming has no strategy and is as timid as a mouse, but he is unwilling to live his own life, coveting a position that does not belong to him every day, delusional to take the edge of the sword and seize the throne, but what about this matter? Is it something his simple mind can figure out?This time, Meng Zhonglian took advantage of King Ming's ambition, so he borrowed a knife to kill people and staged the case of Fuer's disappearance.

Meng Zhonglian's purpose was very simple, he didn't want the ceremony to proceed smoothly.If it can be stopped, that's the best; but if it can't be stopped, then it has nothing to do with him.

The knocking sound outside the door was getting louder and louder, and it was indirectly mixed with the unbearable insulting voice of Changsun Yanming. If it continues like this, the whole city will be aware of it. Meng Zhonglian smiled wryly, because no one can use him He would think of this trash King Ming, and now it seems that this move was too insidious, "Let him in."

King Ming's voice of questioning arrived before him, "Didn't you say that Xu Jia would obediently jump into our trap if you kidnap that prime minister? Now! Everyone has been missing for a few days, and we haven't seen Xu Jia. Move!" He threw Meng Zhonglian's teacup to the ground with a snap, and pointed at him angrily, "Are you kidding me?"

Meng Zhonglian looked up at him slowly, and then looked away. He didn't feel dissatisfied or irritated by King Ming's disrespectful behavior at all, but just sat there in an old-fashioned way, closing his eyes in an unfathomable way, "Master Ming, please wait a moment." Don't be impatient."

"Fuck!" Ming Wang waved his sleeves, his eyes widened, as if he was going to grab Meng Zhonglian by the collar in the next second, "Don't play with me like that! Just say, can things work out?" !"

Meng Zhonglian was actually feeling guilty. He wasn't sure at the time whether Fu Er and Xu Jia had really broken up, or if they were pretending to be acting. It was just a radical move out of desperation, and it meant to use this to probe into the relationship between the two. But looking at Xu Jia's unhurried and unhurried reaction, could it be... that his move was really wrong?

"Didn't it be agreed at the time?" Changsun Yanming walked up and down in front of him distractedly with his hands behind his back, "I will help you, and then deliberately leaked the news the day before the grand ceremony to lure Xu Jia to a secluded place. Pavilion. But now?!" He looked like he was going crazy, he had already missed the throne once, and it was absolutely impossible to watch someone else ascend to that position for the second time, "Tomorrow is the grand ceremony! I've never seen any of them!"

Meng Zhonglian pursed his lips, paused for a while and tried to persuade, "You go back first, if Xu Jia knows that you have come to look for me, then we..."

"Then what about us?" Changsun Yanming seemed to be in a hurry, and when he heard Meng Zhonglian trying to excuse himself, he interrupted him directly, "I tell you, if something happens to me, I will definitely take you with me." Funeral!"

Meng Zhonglian paused what he hadn't finished speaking, and he looked straight at him, with some inexplicable light shining in his eyes.

There was a dead silence in the room, and a pair of chaotic eyes and a pair of eyes that were about to go crazy were looking at each other calmly at a certain delicate moment.

Meng Zhonglian thought, "I didn't eat the mutton, so I made a fuss."

Outside the door, there was another knock on the door, and Huang Zidi's voice came from outside the door.

"Master Meng, the emperor has summoned you."

When the eldest grandson Yan Ming, who was still insane just now, heard the word "emperor", his legs involuntarily gave way, and he staggered two steps backward.

Meng Zhonglian glanced at him, got up and straightened his clothes, and when he passed by Changsun Jinming, he grabbed his arm unexpectedly. Meng Zhonglian frowned, and put his hand on Changsun Jinming's hand, trying to squeeze his arm. He took it off, "Ming Wang, the emperor summoned me, I still hope to respect myself."

Changsun Yanming's eyes were red from the heat, not only did he not let go of that hand, but stretched out the other hand to hold Meng Zhonglian's body, he lowered his voice, but could not conceal the panic and fear, "Say it! Is this a joint game between you and the emperor! Are you lying to me from the beginning to the end!"

Huang Zidi's urging voice came from outside the door again, Meng Zhong didn't even say anything, just took another deep look at him, then broke his hand with a sneer, pushed the door and walked out.

The sound of footsteps slowly receded, leaving only the cold, almost inhuman moonlight in the whole room, showering Prince Ming with arrogance and mockery.

He once tried his best to run towards the highest place, he was not wrong, he just did everything his father taught him since he was a child.

But now, he was so easily bent over by the light moonlight.

The carriage moved forward in the dark night, towards the row of red bricks and green tiles.

Meng Zhonglian seemed to be sitting comfortably in the carriage, but his hands on his lap were clenched into fists. His body swayed up and down with the carriage, but he still couldn't cover up his accelerating heartbeat.

Why did the emperor summon him the day before the grand ceremony?What did he notice?still……

There was another bigger conspiracy, which had already attacked him without anyone noticing it.

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Chu Minghuang sat on a high place with disheveled hair, and Meng Zhonglian bent over to salute, but Chu Minghuang seemed not to hear him, looking into the distance with ecstasy, he should not answer, and fell into his own world again.

He didn't make a sound, Meng Zhonglian didn't dare to get up, he just grabbed the ground with his head, and endured in this seemingly boundless silence.

"Squeak" came the sound of the door being closed, blocking all the moonlight outside who wanted to eavesdrop.

Every time Chu Minghuang spoke, it was hoarse and unpleasant as if he hadn't spoken for a long time, mixed with the sound of a knife sliding slowly on a wooden board. He neither explained the purpose of asking Meng Zhonglian to come, nor asked him to get up, but fell into a In an old memory, "When I first saw her, I was only eight years old, she... seems to be seven years old?"

Meng Zhonglian's calm figure trembled because of this simple rhetorical question. They all knew who this person was without even saying it explicitly. He was the current Empress Yushu and his most beloved little daughter—— Meng Gexing.

Meng Zhonglian held Meng Gexing in his palm and doted on him. It can be said that the last bit of warmth he had left was all for his little daughter, but what about now?His beloved little daughter was never found, and her whereabouts were unknown.

He hated it, he hated himself for involving her in this battle, she could obviously live a lifetime without any worries.

"At that time, I was the most unfavored prince, and I didn't even have the chance to go to the school." Speaking of this, a gentle smile appeared on the corner of Chu Minghuang's mouth, "Then she, one day found the I who eavesdropped didn't say anything, and quietly opened the window, so that I could see Mr.'s writing on the blackboard."

"Since then, it has never been closed again."

"I said I wanted to protect her, but I missed her many times."

That year, when he was only 13 years old, he was sent to the frontier by an imperial decree. Before he left, he told her that he would definitely come back. She turned around and left in anger. She didn't even see him off when she was parting. He knew she was angry. , but at that time he was not even qualified to be by her side, she was the most favored jewel, and he was indeed a down and out prince who no one cared about when he died.

He thought she would never talk to him again, he thought she would never wait for him again.

But on the third day after arriving at the frontier, he received an imperial decree, which was the first imperial decree he received in the frontier. It was neither asking him to go to a camp for training, nor asking him to lead soldiers to fight—it was his marriage purpose.

His dear girl is telling him in her own way, since you promised me to come back, you must come back.

Come back and marry me.

Since then, he is no longer that powerless prince, and the Meng family is his most solid support.

It was from then on that Meng Zhonglian began to support him on the throne.

"Meng Xiang." Chu Minghuang's eyes were hidden behind his dirty hair, which made it hard to see clearly, but his words revealed boundless sincerity, "I really love her, and I have never lied to you about this." .”

Meng Zhonglian's hands clenched into fists, he was enduring, he was enduring the culprit and dared to tell his love for her daughter in front of him, it would only make him feel sick, it would only make him want revenge, obviously The hatred that was almost forgotten was easily aroused again by Chu Minghuang's words. He endured the throbbing of his temples, but still said with a smile, "I understand."

Hearing his answer, Chu Minghuang smiled comfortably, "I know, you don't want me to make Xu Jia the crown prince."

Meng Zhonglian's hatred instantly turned into cold sweat all over his body. The corners of his mouth twitched, and the knuckles of his hands clutching his knees turned white. "I don't know why the emperor said this, but as long as it is something the emperor believes, I will do my best to help."

Chu Minghuang laughed lightly, "I know, you all think I'm crazy for making someone else's child the crown prince."

Hearing this, Meng Zhonglian raised his head in shock, and looked straight at the man at the height.

It turned out that he knew everything, he knew that Xu Jia was not his child, but he was determined to hand over the eldest grandson's family to others.

But, so what if it's not his child, it's her child, and that's enough.

The next moment, before Meng Zhonglian recovered from the shock just now, he heard the voice of Chu Minghuang resounding in the hall again. This time it seemed that it was no longer the ugly hoarse old voice, and even regained his youthful firmness and desperation .

He heard him say.

"I will make her child king."

He really did too many wrong things to her, so wrong that he even handed over the country admired by thousands of people to compensate her.

I still feel ashamed and unforgivable.

Concubine Hui knocked on the door of the Eastern Palace in the middle of the night. Tomorrow was the ceremony for conferring concubine. She came here specially to congratulate her, but she didn't even enter the door and was directly blocked by Zhou Shun, "Ms. Hui Concubine , His Highness has already fallen asleep, you should go back."

Concubine Hui bit her lower lip and said unwillingly, "Go and report, just say that I am here, and he will definitely see me."

Zhou Shun was still as reticent as ever, "I know that your majesty is worried about His Highness, but His Highness has already taken a bath and rested after a long day's work today. Let's take a step back." He glanced at Concubine Hui , and then lowered his head, as if he had no intention of offending, "Tomorrow is His Highness's big day, if the news that the empress came to see His Highness was spread today, and then spread to the emperor's ears by someone with a heart, then... I'm afraid not only It's not good for His Highness, and I'm afraid it will also damage your empress's reputation."

Yulong, the maid next to Concubine Hui advised, "Your Majesty, let's go back first, it's not too late to come back in a few days."

Concubine Hui glared at Zhou Shun viciously, but in the end she had no choice but to give up and left with a huff of sleeves.

The sky was bright, and all the undercurrents and temptations of last night were dispersed.