Yan Cigui

Lin Yunyan did not answer Li Shao's question directly, but only looked at his clothes up and down.

"It's windy on the palace wall and it's cold at night. Your Highness is in good health, so you should keep warm." As she said that, Lin Yunyan raised her hand and showed Li Shao the hand stove she was holding. "Your Highness should also get one."

Li Shao laughed.

He didn't forget that Xu Jian was holding a hand stove when he came in and out, and he was talking to the imperial study room. Eunuch Cao was thinking about changing the stove for him to make it warmer.

"I'm not Xu Jian," Li Shao said, "and you don't need to use the same tactics to win over Xu Jian."

Lin Yunyan’s expression did not change.

 Coming with a purpose, naturally he will not care about Li Shao's words, which he himself may not be able to distinguish clearly and have no brain.

"The Duke is my husband. I care about his health. How can I be trying to win him over?" Lin Yunyan said slowly and calmly, "And you are His Highness. Your good health is also a blessing to the ministers."

Li Shao obviously didn't expect Lin Yunyan to say that, and was stunned for a moment.

Lin Yunyan turned her head and looked at Wang Gouzi, smiling: "Eunuch Wang, do you think this is the truth?"

 Wang Gouzi smiled back.

That day at Fu Guogong's Mansion, the scene of the princess digging a hole with shovel after shovel was really vivid in my mind.

Wang Gouzi was sincerely wary of the princess digging a hole for Li Shao again, but he couldn't say that this was wrong.

He couldn't figure out Lin Yunyan's tricks for a while, so he could only reply: "What the princess said makes sense."

Lin Yunyan followed these words and said: "Then I'll trouble Eunuch Wang to find a hand stove. It will take a while to watch the lanterns."

 Wang Gouzi understands.

The princess wants to send him away!

Even though he was staying by the side, he couldn't stop His Highness from jumping into the trap, but it was better to see it with his own eyes than not knowing at all.

He really couldn't get over what he was saying, so he could only look at Li Shao worriedly.

 Li Shao had no objection.

Wang Gouzi had no choice but to run down the palace wall. This place was far away from Yuqing Palace. By the time he ran back and forth, the earth where the person was buried would have been stepped on.

He had no choice but to find a waiter underneath who was on standby, stuffed a red envelope into it and asked him to run away quickly, and then he ran back to Li Shao.

Li Shao is questioning Lin Yunyan.

"The blessings of my ministers? Isn't the blessing of my ministers recently that I can't become a prince?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shao saw Lin Yunyan's smile stiffen.

This kind of attitude that he couldn't laugh out and couldn't force himself to laugh suddenly made Li Shao feel "enjoyed".

 In the past, Xu Jian and Ning An always used rules and principles to make him retreat. Today, the situation was reversed and he gained the upper hand.

 Even if it’s just a verbal advantage.

"You are wrong to say that," Lin Yunyan said sarcastically, "Everyone has his or her own position. Of course there are some in the court who do not want you to be the crown prince, but there are also those who hope that you can continue to be the crown prince."

Having said this, Li Shao wanted to ask more clearly: "Who are you and Xu Jian?"

"Is this necessary?" Lin Yunyan answered unequivocally, "It's the latter. You are in trouble this time, and the Duke and I are also very concerned..."

Li Shao raised his eyebrows.

 Look, let him guess it right.

From beginning to end, Xu Jian just wanted to manipulate him and make him an obedient crown prince and an obedient emperor in the future.

This obedience means listening to Xu Jian.

　　 Xu Jian made trouble for him, and Xu Jian also solved his trouble several times, for this purpose.

 Only this time, Xu Jian "lost it".

 Xu Jian was self-righteous and got together with Ning An. He had been arranging for him since the paddock, so that he fell ill and was chased to the East Palace by Ge Yushi and cursed bloody.

In this way, Xu Jian did not take action, Geng Baoyuan's story was uncovered, and Yumenguan's story was revealed. How could it be that Xu Jian's handwriting was not included?

Xu Jian was so happy with his pen and ink in those days, but how regretful he was when things got out of control!

Deposing the crown prince will do Xu Jian no good at all!

 “If I had known this, why did I do it in the first place?” Li Shao gritted his teeth.

Just by hearing his words, Lin Yunyan knew that Li Shao had been fooled.

 Li Shao was introduced to the new layout. He thought this was her and Xu Jian bowing their heads and showing their goodwill.

Of course, this cannot be said to be that Li Shao is easy to deceive, but that under certain prerequisites, it is impossible for Li Shao not to take the bait.

 Because the connection between the two of them and Li Shao is too deep.

Even if it were anyone else today, hearing her and Xu Jian sigh a few words, they would believe that "deposed prince" was not their original intention.

 Li Shao's succession to the throne is the best choice for them.

This is also the main reason why the two of them can be dark under the royal lamp. No one will choose the distance instead of the near, and no one will leave the smooth road and walk on a rugged and rocky mountain road.

The Holy Emperor would think so, and others would think so. Why wouldn't Li Shao think so?

 Li Shao didn't think about it himself. In the past time, Lin Yunyan believed that the Holy Sage must have told Li Shao more than once about the benefits of letting Xu Jian follow the government to observe and assist the government.

 Therefore, when things developed like this, Li Shao was annoyed and puzzled by them.

 After all, Li Shao has not yet had the idea of ​​taking action against the Chengyi Prefecture and the Fuguo Duke's Mansion, so he naturally does not understand their self-protection strategies.

 Lin Yunyan took advantage of this when she lured Li Shao into the urn.

"Your Highness," Lin Yunyan glanced at His Majesty's side, leaned slightly towards Li Shao, and lowered her voice, "There is another saying that is 'retreat to advance'. It was so lively that even His Majesty avoided the edge and waited. This time, Xu Xutu..."

Li Shao followed Lin Yunyan's gaze.

Father Huang’s place is still so lively.

Gu Jieyu didn't know what she said, but her father nodded repeatedly and seemed to agree with it. Liu Guiren beside him was smiling, as if he would interrupt at any time when he got the chance.

Li Shao looked bored, and Lin Yunyan leaned slightly toward him. Comparing her posture with that of the other side, she suddenly felt different from each other.

 That’s right.

 Compared to the three younger ones, Xu Jian and Ning An undoubtedly preferred him.

Whether it’s a matter of discretion or obedience, to put it bluntly, this is a competition between him and Xu Jian for the initiative in doing things, and it has nothing to do with Li Mian and the others from beginning to end!

Those few are not worthy of getting involved in the struggle between him and Xu Jian.

Before the internal conflicts are resolved, once an external crisis emerges, the natural priority is to suppress the crisis first.

 As for the inside…

Xu Jian was trying to figure out what happened to him, and now he asked Ning An to take the initiative to bow his head. It will undoubtedly be Li Shao who has the upper hand in the future.

 Thinking of this, Li Shao felt even more comfortable.

He does not like Xu Jian, but as long as Xu Jian is willing to listen to his instructions, this person can be put to good use.

 “What kind of diagram?” Li Shao asked.

"You are asking me now. How did I know that those in the court are all under the supervision of the Duke? He needs to recover from his injuries until the weather is warmer before he can go to court." Lin Yuntian paused here. I just hope you won’t be too impatient, there will definitely be people watching me after I go to court tomorrow.”

Li Shao didn’t say anything, but nodded slightly.

Tomorrow, the edict to depose the prince will be sent to the various yamen below, all the way from the capital to the local areas.

At this critical moment, Ning An knew that people who wanted to cause trouble for him would come one after another.

And Ning'an's words were similar to Wang Gouzi's comforting words these days. Li Shao had heard it so many times that he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Beside the dog, the dog was uneasy.

Had he not received some information from his master, he would have been fooled by the princess's words.

The highest state of digging a hole for people is not how deep the hole is, but that it seems like there is no hole at all, so that people feel like they are walking on a flat road and fall down with the next step.

 This is what the county governor does.

Every word is correct, but with every word, Wang Gouzi feels that there is a hidden trick behind it!

 After all, anomalies are monsters!

 He will have to remind His Highness later that you must not lose your guard...

But even if you say it, it may not be useful. Who makes the princess's words the same as those of her arrogant dog?

By overturning the princess's words, wouldn't he be overturning his own words?

 Fortunately, His Highness hates Duke Fu. With such a rebellious mentality, he shouldn't be completely led around, right?

Wang Gouzi raised his eyelids and looked at the princess secretly.

 Perhaps he should change his mind.

Make good use of the princess's words to stabilize His Highness so that he does not cause trouble or advance rashly. He can wait for the master to arrange the road to recovery. At the same time, His Highness can always be on guard against the auxiliary prince and the princess. That is the best of both worlds. .

Just as he was thinking about it, a waiter hurried over and handed him a hot hand stove.

Wang Gouzi took it and passed it to Li Shao.

 Li Shao took it.

 The heat poured in from the palms of the hands, dispelling the chill at night and making people feel more relaxed involuntarily.

 He sighed with satisfaction.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to hold a hand stove?” Lin Yunyan chuckled, looked at the lanterns in the distance, and said, “There are so many lanterns, the street must be very lively.”

Li Shao felt relaxed and asked, "I heard that you told the Queen Mother that you wanted to see the lanterns?"

"Yes, because I can't go to the street to watch, and I really want to watch the lanterns," Lin Yunyan said here, deliberately saying "oh" and taking the initiative to explain, "It's not because it is inconvenient for the Duke of the country to go out, even if he can Go, I’m not used to looking at lights on the street either.”

Li Shao was puzzled and subconsciously asked: "Why?"

Lin Yunyan smiled bitterly: "Only when you look at the lights from a high place and from a distance are they like fireflies. But if you are walking on the street and among the lanterns, at a glance..."

 Involuntarily, Li Shao thought of that scene, and before he thought about it carefully, he felt uncomfortable in his heart.

 Then, he heard Lin Yunyan say again: "It was too close, and he was blinded, as if he was surrounded by fire...

Your Highness must have heard that I often had nightmares when I was young. I dreamed of being trapped in a fire, with everything around me burning, and I didn’t know where to escape.

I often dreamed about it at that time. Although I had never been surrounded by fire, I didn’t know why, but I seemed to feel my mother’s plight that night, which made me scared from the bottom of my heart.

I can hardly dream now, but I still avoid getting too close to the fire.

The lanterns are beautiful, but you can only stand here and look at them from a distance. "

 Following Lin Yunyan's words, Li Shao's face gradually turned pale.

The wind was blowing in his face, and Lin Yunyan's voice was scattered in the wind, making it unclear. The strong wind turned into hands and covered his ears, blocking part of the sound and making it sound like a buzzing sound.

His mouth opened, but no sound came out. He even didn't know what he wanted to say.

It's just that my heart is beating so fast, as if it's about to jump out of my throat.

 The fire, the fire so close...

 Li Shao is not afraid of fire.

　　Although he was rescued from the fire, he had no memory of that and had never been afraid since he was a child.

But just a month ago, in the paddock, the torches he saw when he was carried out of the shed were like sharp spears, which pierced his heart at once.

 He was subconsciously afraid of that picture.

 Fortunately, it was just a glimpse. After sleeping, Li Shao put that scene behind him again.

 But Ning'an's words reminded him of it again.

After Lin Yunyan finished speaking, she was still looking at the lanterns on the surface, but actually she was observing Li Shao's reaction from the corner of her eye.

　　When she saw Li Shao's sudden change of expression, she was almost certain.

Li Shao did forget it, but he also remembered some things under the impact.

 As long as the opportunity is right and the arrangement is right, her and Xu Jian's idea should be feasible.

 The night wind became stronger again.

Lin Yunyan stopped and did not continue to provoke Li Shao, saying: "The Queen Mother is still waiting for me, I will go over first."

Li Shao scratched his chin irritably, signaling her to help herself.

On the other side, the Queen Mother, who was always concerned about the movements of Lin Yunyan and Li Shao, saw her coming back and couldn't help but asked in a low voice: "Why did you talk for so long?"

"His Highness asked about the Duke's injury, so he said a few more words," Lin Yunyan smiled. "Don't worry, I didn't say anything provocative. His Highness was just here to see the lights and would not cause trouble for me."

The Empress Dowager saw that her expression was as usual, so she said nothing more.

After seeing the excitement of the lanterns, the Empress Dowager was old and couldn't bear the wind, so she wanted to leave.

When the Holy Spirit saw this, he did not stay any longer and dispersed everywhere after greeting him.

He didn't want to deal with the various thoughts of the concubines. After walking down the palace wall, he only asked Li Shao to accompany him back to the palace.

"The seal will be opened tomorrow," the Holy Master told Li Shao with a leisurely pace. "You go to court on time. The throne has been withdrawn. You will still stand in your previous seat. Don't be resentful and adjust your mentality." ”

Li Shao couldn't help but feel a turbid feeling in his chest when he thought of the little throne that had been removed.

 It was just that the situation was here, so he could only endure it and accept it honestly.

 In the other room, Lin Yunyan sent the Queen Mother back to Cining Palace.

At this time, the palace door was closed, so she rested in the side hall.

 The moonlight was waiting for her to wash herself, and the master and servant blew the lamps and went to sleep, just like they did when they lived in the palace.

 Lin Yunyan, however, couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, feeling that she was not used to anything.

 It is obviously a place where I am used to living.

 It’s obviously the bed I’m used to sleeping on.

 But just because there was no one around and no source of warmth, I felt something was wrong.

Lin Yunyan turned over again and looked at the empty side of her body. She knew clearly that she missed Xu Jian.

I don’t know if Xu Jian has slept well...

　　After not sleeping well all night, Lin Yunyan woke up again when the sky turned white. Since she couldn't sleep well, she decided to get up earlier.

Standing on the corridor, she looked towards the direction of Jinluan Palace.

 The first court meeting of the new year is expected to be exciting.

Thanks to the book friend AX for the tip.