Disaster For the Country · Return Journey

Chapter 24 – Pre-Order

On the highest floor of the Star Observation Tower on the Tiantai of Luwan, stood a young man in purple clothes.

The young man stood on the tower with his hands behind his back. The tower was extremely high, with ninety-nine and eighty-one floors, and he could have a panoramic view of the entire Luwan City. Under the night moonlight, Luwan looks like a big snake entrenched in its core, ready to go. Two of its scarlet eyes are where Cheng Guo’s palace is located.

He just stood watching quietly, the evening wind blowing his sleeves and hem, as if he was about to ride the wind and go away.

The guards stationed at the side and the servants waiting under the tower totaled nearly a hundred people. They were afraid of disturbing the young man, so they all knelt on the ground, lowered their heads, and did not dare to make any sound.

The boy looked at it for about a cup of tea.

Those people knelt down and drank a cup of tea.

In the end, the young man stretched out his hand behind his back, pointed to a certain direction of the snake’s body and said: “The moon invades too slightly, and when you go out to the end gate in the south, the birds will be startled, the bees will be swarming, and if you close the gate to the left and right, there will be earthquakes.” .”

Everyone was shocked—an earthquake? !

The young man turned around and walked to a boxy low table. Although the low table was short, it was very large, measuring nine feet nine inches in length and width. There was a map on it.

If Xie Changyan was here, he would feel very similar to the map of Yujing that Gongshuwa gave her, except that it was bigger and more refined.

What the map shows is the entire Cheng country.

And the above five places were each covered with a crystal cover. The five covers are connected to form a star. At this moment, the house model in one of the covers has been burned.

If Yifei was here, he would have seen that the burned place was Sanpufang in Lianyan City.

The boy’s hand slid across the five covers one by one, as if scribing a star, his face was calm, and he couldn’t see any emotion, and finally got up and said, “Let’s go.”

The attendants stood up in unison, and said respectfully: “Yes, the national teacher!”

This young man is Cheng Guoxin’s national teacher. His surname is Yuan and his name is Su Jianjian. He is only seventeen years old this year. There are even rumors that because of his good looks, he is the new favorite of Queen Yishu. The Queen obeys him and spends a lot of money to build star observation towers for him. She also built five covers in five places across the country, named Juxing. Array, used to bless the queen.

We don’t know if it will add blessings, but it is true that it wastes people’s money and makes people angry.

Moreover, a few days ago, the hood of Lianyan City really caught fire, and the entire Sanpufang was burned to ruins. Fortunately, it did not spread to other places. The queen was furious, and ordered the city lord of Lianyan to investigate the matter thoroughly, and ordered Yuan Su to restore the star formation as soon as possible.

When Yuan Su stepped down from the Star Observation Tower, there was a white soft mattress waiting for him, and four young girls with veiled faces were carrying it. Many people have also expressed their strangeness about this: how could the queen allow her new love to have other women around her because she is so jealous?

Yuan Su went to the soft public address without looking sideways, and a girl asked: “Master, are you going to the palace?” Her voice was like an oriole out of the valley, and it was extremely beautiful.

“I’m not going.” Yuan Su rubbed the center of his brows, and said calmly, “You guys report the results of stargazing to His Majesty.”

The girls looked at each other, looking a little embarrassed: “I’m afraid we can’t tell.”

“Then we’ll talk about it tomorrow.” After Yuan Su finished speaking, he closed his eyes.

The girls had no choice but to carry him back home.

***

“The moon invades too slightly, go out from the south gate, the sparrows will fly, the bee swarms will move, and the gate will be slammed left and right, there will be an earthquake.” Half an hour later, Yishu repeated this sentence in the bedroom, frowning Silent.

The veiled girl in white said: “Your Majesty, there is going to be an earthquake at the left and right gates, so you have to prepare as soon as possible.” It was the one with a particularly nice voice.

Yishu glanced at her with a half-smile: “Who said it meant an earthquake?”

The girl was taken aback.

Yishu had already fallen asleep, but at this moment he opened the bed curtain, wearing a large silk robe that was as smooth as water, and with bare feet, he stepped on the soft white tiger carpet on the couch. White tigers are rare, rich and noble families only use them to make clothes, but she is good enough to make carpets that cover the entire bedroom.

“The moon enters the left and right Ye gates, and then exits the Duan gate to the south, which means that there will be ministers rebelling, and the king will be in trouble.” Yishu walked to the incense burner, turned the incense inside, and said slowly, “After a while Three days will be the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, and now all the monsters and monsters are gathered in Luwan, who is loyal to me and who will be bribed, at that time, you can see clearly.”

The girl in white hurriedly fell to the ground and knelt down, “I swear allegiance to Your Majesty to the death!”

Yishu said lightly: “Okay, you can go back. If someone asks you for news, they will tell you the result of the stargazing, and there is no need to hide it.”

“Yes.” The girl in white bowed again, and was about to leave when Yi Shu suddenly called her: “See what you’ve been up to lately?”

“The national teacher heard that Sanpufang was on fire, and he didn’t close his eyes for three days and three nights. Tonight, he went up to the pagoda to see the stars for half the night. He was very tired, and finally went back to sleep.”

Yishu’s eyes flickered, and he smiled: “Go.”

The girl in white bowed and stepped back.

Yi Shu snapped her fingers, and a dead man in black appeared immediately behind a certain curtain.

“This girl can’t stay anymore.”

The dead man nodded, and disappeared behind the curtain like a shadow.

Yishu returned to the bed, opened the curtain, and there was another person on the bed. When the girl in white came in to report the matter just now, he remained silent in the tent. At this moment, he looked at Yishu and suddenly smiled: “How many times is this? Why can’t you stay?”

“I asked her what she was up to in Harajuku, and she should answer, ‘I stayed behind closed doors, I haven’t slept for three days’, not ‘Finally went back to sleep’.”

“Is there a difference?”

“Of course, the former is a task, and the latter is a relationship. She has developed a friendship with Yuan Su, so she can’t bear to see him not sleeping, and she is relieved that he is finally willing to sleep.”

The man said: “If you don’t want those girls to like Yuan Su, don’t arrange for them to serve him. Send Yuan Su some men to support him. Hello, everyone.”

Yishu’s bright eyes rolled, and he giggled: “Are you jealous?”

The man suddenly threw her under him, and pinched her waist fiercely: “Little heartless! You will marry me in three days, you should stop thinking about what you shouldn’t have!”

Yishu hid and smiled: “Who, who told me that I will definitely marry you?”

“If you don’t choose me, who do you want to choose? Old man Hu? Maotou Xue? A diseased ghost? Idiot horse? Stupid Yun Er? Or Taoist Zhou?”

Yishu laughed until tears came out: “Yes, yes, yes, they are all fools, idiots, children and old men, only you, good brother, I only have you in my heart…” After finishing speaking, it was like a pool of water that was about to melt, soft and tender Wrapped up towards the man.

The night was dark, but there was boundless spring in Cheng Gong.

***

The night was dark, but Yifei couldn’t sleep.

In fact, since Sanpufang caught fire and lost Qiu Jiang, oh no, after Ji Hu’s whereabouts, he couldn’t sleep.

Every time I close my eyes, I can see the pair of bleeding ears and the trembling footprints left on the sand. The raging waves rushed up layer by layer, washing those footprints and washing his heart.

He tossed and turned, finally got up hugging the pillow, and knocked on Xue Cai’s door in the next room.

Xue Cai came to open the door in obscene clothes. The door just opened a crack, and Yi Fei slid in from his side like a fish, put the pillow on Xue Cai’s couch, and said with a smile: “Speaking of which, we have known each other for a long time, and we know each other very well, but I haven’t shared the same bed or slept on my feet. This kind of friendship is incomplete, come, come, and make up for it today.”

Xue Cai looked at him coldly: “One, I have no friendship with you; two, I don’t sleep with others.”

“Don’t be like this. We’re going to enter Luwan tomorrow. There are many dangers, and life and death are unpredictable. Maybe this is the last night we spend together. Come and talk to brother.”

Xue Cai only said one word: “Get lost.”

Tears suddenly appeared in Yi Fei’s eyes: “I’m going to see Mr. He tomorrow, I really don’t know how to tell him about Qiu Jiang.”

Probably because Ji Hu was involved in this matter, Xue Cai’s expression moved slightly, and he closed the door. But he didn’t get on the couch, but found a cushion and sat on the floor.

So, Yi Fei was lying on his couch, he was sitting on the ground beside the couch, and the two looked at each other.

Yi Fei patted the empty half of the couch: “Really not coming up?”

Xue Cai’s expression darkened.

“Could it be that you snore, pick your nose, grind your teeth, and fart?”

Xue Cai was too lazy to listen to him, and said directly: “You don’t have to tell Feng Xiaoya that Qiu Jiang is Ji Hu.”

Seeing that he was talking about serious matters, Yi Fei put away his sloppy expression, stared at the tassel on the bedside for a moment, and then said: “I thought you were friends with Feng Xiaoya.”

“I have no friends.” Xue Cai said, paused, and added, “I only have a master.”

Yi Fei understood what he meant. Ji Hu’s matter is related to Ji Ying, so Xue Cai will never take the initiative to leak the secret. This is his soft feeling for Ji Ying, but it is more important than anything in the world.

So Yi Fei couldn’t help asking: “Does Empress Jiang know?” He was very curious, in Xue Cai’s heart at this moment, Ji Ying and Jiang Chenyu, which is more important.

Xue Cai was silent for a while, and said displeasedly: “She doesn’t need to know.”

Yifei laughed lightly, but at the end of the laugh, he felt melancholy again. He continued to stare at the tassels on the bedside. The tassels were dangling, and his heart seemed to be dangling along with it, making it difficult to calm down. “Do you know? When I heard Pin Congmu say that Mrs. Ruyi holds the Four Kingdoms Genealogy, I felt a little bit of hope…”

“Do you think that Ji Hu went back to Mrs. Ruyi’s side in order to obtain the Four Kingdoms Genealogy?”

“Yes!” Yi Fei sat up and looked at Xue Cai eagerly, “You think so too, don’t you?”

Xue Cai replied: “Usually, I don’t think of people so well. I suggest you don’t expect too much.”

Yi Fei glared at him: “Can you comfort people?”

“Yifei.” Xue Cai called his name suddenly, with a serious tone, so that Yifei couldn’t help but also become serious.

Xue Caidao: “I let you go back with Ji Hu because I know she will keep you involved in Ruyimen’s affairs, and you will see many things – in the past, you, the honorable Third Prince Cheng, unseen things.”

Yifei is silent. He knew what Xue Cai was talking about.

Indeed, along the way, he saw the sufferings of the people, and personally felt the evil of others. He saw the danger, but he also saw the way out.

As Qiu Jiang said, Cheng Guo must die if he is not a Mingjun.

If you want to survive, you have to work hard, reorganize people’s livelihood, and open up people’s wisdom. When it comes to specific measures, the first thing to do is to eradicate Ruyimen.

“And you now…” Xue Cai’s voice sounded very deep in such a cold night, “The most important thing is not Qiu Jiang.”

It’s Yishu.

Three days later is the feast of choosing a husband, success or failure depends on it.

Yifei thought about it, and laughed at himself: “So, I was dazzled by my personal affair?” Seeing Xue Cairen’s kid-sized face in the candlelight, he raised his eyebrows and said, “Hey, kid, you Look down on me, don’t you?”

Xue Cai rolled his eyes and fell asleep, as if he didn’t want to talk to him any more.

“Actually, I look down on myself a lot of the time. Look at me. I’m old, I can’t do anything, I’m jealous of my own sister, but I can’t beat her, and I’m hiding like a bereaved dog. Finally, someone is willing to help me, but I will All his thoughts are on women…” Yi Fei looked at the tassel on the top of his head, the tassel had stopped, and his active thoughts seemed to die, “Twice. Twice, I fell in love with it twice. , are all the women of Zhao Yin’s guy. Tell me, isn’t it ridiculous?”

Xue Cai frowned, but because his back was facing Yi Fei, Yi Fei couldn’t see him.

“Forget about Jiang Chenyu, how beautiful she is, Cheng Guo of Wanda has never produced a serious lady. She came, stood on the bow, the wind blew her cloak, rustling Sound, I saw her in the carriage at the time, and I thought to myself, this is probably the “so-called Yiren, on the side of the water” mentioned in the Book of Songs…”

Xue Cai not only frowned, but silently grabbed the corner of the quilt.

“Later, she became Concubine Shu of Bi Kingdom, and later, Queen. And I, became Huazi—beggar.” Yi Fei chuckled again, but there were endless thoughts in the laughter that were hard to describe. Maybe it’s because the night is so dark that people want to talk about it because of the depression. Or maybe it’s because he has no image in front of Xue Cai, so there is no need to worry about him laughing at himself, “Frankly speaking, this year has been quite aggrieved. I was yelled at by Huazi Huazi every day, and I almost forgot What was the original name…”

“I didn’t keep you waiting for long.” Xue Cai finally spoke, but still didn’t look back.

“Yes. You are fast enough. In just one year, you have given me such a good opportunity to counterattack. But Xue Cai, what are you trying to do by helping me like this?”

Xue Cai cast her gaze far away, as if she was looking at someone, and at the same time she seemed to be looking at herself: “I only promised two things in my life. One is my aunt, I promised her to revive the Xue family; the other The case is the master, I want to clean up the mess for him.”

This endgame is Ruyimen.

It seems that many, many years have passed, but when I think about it, that auspicious day seems to be yesterday.

The young master was hugged in Zhu Long’s arms, his hair and clothes were soaked, so he looked weaker and paler – he was the most powerful person in the world at that time, turning his hands into clouds and rain, but at that moment, he made everyone We all saw his weakness.

He is dying.

At that time, Xue Cai was at a loss, thinking about only one sentence: How could he die? He is Ji Ying!

Then, Ji Ying said to him: “I thought the time was right, I could calm down and rectify things, but God, he didn’t give me time… It can be regarded as the retribution of the Ji family. Once I die, the cancer of the Ji family will finally be cured.” Cut it off. Xiaocai, if you choose the second path, you have to do one thing for me.”

What he said to him was to get rid of Ruyi Gate, and… to give Ji Hu a way out.

Xue Cai still remembers Ji Ying’s expression when he said these words, with a smile on his lips and gentle eyes-Young master is so gentle, so gentle. Gently rejected Jiang Chenyu; tenderly let Ji Hu go, and then gently pulled him from the mire to the sky when he was a slave at that time, and gave him supreme glory.

“My elder sister Ji Hu is a poor person. I thought that since she has lost her memory, it is God’s pity, at least she can get rid of such a terrible fate. However, once I die, no one knows whether she will recover her memory or not. I don’t know what kind of trouble she will bring to the world once she regains her memory. Xiao Cai, if necessary, you will kill her.” Ji Ying held his hand while talking, his hand was cold, but he The words warmed people’s hearts, “It’s hard to make this kind of decision. So, before that, you let her go three times, and the fourth time, you can let her go without any burden.”

“I will not bear any burden.” Xue Cai said stubbornly at that time.

Ji Ying smiled and patted his head with a smile: “Ten years later, I will leave everything to you.”

He left Bai Ze to him;

He left the country of Bi to him;

He even left Ji Hu and Ruyimen… to her.

However, what Ji Ying did not expect was that Xue Cai did not wait ten years. In the first year, he used means to attract Qiu Jiang, who had lost his memory, to his mansion to watch closely; in the second year, he saw Jiang Chenyu crying for the evil of others, so he decided to speed up. He prepared everything secretly, and joined forces with King Yan to push Yi Fei and Qiu Jiang, who had lost his memory, on the way back.

“If you can’t break it, you can’t stand it. Ten years is too long.” Standing in the study, the young Xue Xiang said in a deep voice to the huge Bai Ze totem on the wall.

If Qiu Jiang didn’t recover his memory, he would naturally help Yifei kill Yishu. After Yifei proclaimed himself emperor, he would never tolerate Ruyimen with his character, and Ruyimen would surely perish.

Qiu Jiangruo recovers her memory, it’s up to her to choose. If you are willing to abandon evil and do good, everyone will be happy; if you continue to do evil with Ruyimen, you will be killed.

Xue Cai thought that he was really different from Ji Ying. Ji Ying’s heart is too soft, many things can be dealt with quickly and neatly, but she always wants to finish them without bloodshed. But at the age of seven, he has experienced a lot of robbery, changed from a nobleman to a slave, and fell from heaven to hell. He has already honed a heart of steel.

Ji Ying asked him to let Ji Hu go three times, maybe not for Ji Hu, but for him.

Ji Ying noticed his change and worried that he would become a monster in the future, so he tied a thread around his foot and pulled it when necessary.

For his worry and compassion, Xue Cai sometimes disdains, sometimes feels emotional, but most of all, he misses him.

For example, at this moment, Xue Cai, who was sleeping on the floor next to the couch and listening to Yi Fei talking nonsense about his mind, felt that she missed him very much. The moonlight shone faintly on the corner of the window through the window paper, and he couldn’t help but think of that person who said: “This moonlight shines on Cheng Guo and Bi Kingdom. I have it. Is there yours?” He still remembered himself At that time, he replied: “I have nothing to worry about.”

But now, he has.

Thinking of this, Xue Cai suddenly got up and strode towards Yi Fei. Yi Fei was surprised and delighted: “You are finally willing to sleep with me on the couch…” Before he could finish speaking, he had already slapped him severely on the head several times.

Yi Fei was shocked: “What is this?”

“If you dare to covet the queen of our country, it is still light to beat you.”

Yi Fei quickly covered his head and said: “No, no, that was the first time we met! At that time, she was still a little drug girl, who knew that she would become a queen later? Women are not cute when they are in power, I have long since given up on that idea … Ah! Ah! Why are you still fighting?”

“Dare to say that the queen of our country is not cute, presumptuous!”

The two were arguing when there was a light knock on the door.

Xue Cai stopped, exchanged a glance with Yi Fei, turned his head and said, “Come in.”

After the door opened, a secret guard of Bai Ze walked in: “My lord, Mr. Ge has arrived and said he has something urgent to see.”

Yi Fei poked his head out from Xue Cai’s shoulder and said, “Only Mr. Ge? Isn’t Mr. He with him?”

“Only Mr. Ge.”

Yi Fei breathed a sigh of relief.

Xue Cai pushed his head off his shoulders, straightened his hair and said, “Please wait a moment while I change clothes.”

***

After half a cup of tea, Xue Cai and Yi Fei sat opposite Mr. Ge.

Mr. Ge said solemnly: “There is an urgent message from the palace. The national teacher watched the stars at night and said that the moon is too small. When you leave the Duanmen in the south, the sparrows will fly, the bees will move, and the left and right gates will be shaken.”

Yi Fei frowned: “Yi Shu’s new favorite?”

Mr. Ge smiled: “Yuan Su has some real skills, not necessarily because of his color.”

“His ability is to propose to add a cover to a good building?” Yi Fei was very disdainful when he thought of the inexplicable vaulted roof.

Mr. Ge saw that Xue Cai didn’t seem to be in a hurry, so he relaxed his mind and explained in detail: “Yuan Su first entered Luwan, dressed in rags, dusty, barefoot, walking in the streets and alleys every day, looking east and west. Then One day, outside the palace gate, he yelled to see the queen, and was beaten by the guards. On the second day, he came again with a blue nose and swollen eyes, and drew a banner saying, “The dragon’s veins will be broken, and the drought will come.” The guards were so angry Immediately arrested him and put him in prison. After that, there was not a single drop of rain in Luwan for three whole months, and the seawater flooded back, polluting many rivers. The queen had to pray for rain, but it didn’t work, until she heard that There was such a person, so they called him into the palace and asked if there was any solution. Yuan Su said that he would set up a water gathering array in the city, but the queen was suspicious, so she asked people to do as he said, and sealed sixty-six places. bathing place, and buried Dingling banners in the southwestern sea area, and finally excavated the mountains to raise the 500-acre field polluted by seawater by five feet, and planted all alfalfa grass on it. It’s raining.”

Xue Cai said lightly: “If the backflow of sea water is caused by too much hot spring excavation, it is true that sealing the hot spring can greatly slow it down.”

Yi Fei asked curiously, “You still understand this?”

“I don’t understand. Hongzi understands.”

Yifei understood. The severe drought in Luwan must have been reported to Xue Cai before, and Qizhi from Baiyantang analyzed the reason for him. Hongzi is good at astronomy and geography, and he can see that Yuan Su’s approach is clearly an orthodox way of water control. If he said it directly, no one would listen. After wearing the appearance of a magic stick, Yishu was really fooled.

Thinking of this, Yifei cursed Yun Xingshan secretly. It stands to reason that Yun’s family should be there, so Yifei would not be ignorant of the major events that happened in Luwan, but Yuan Su, who was told by Yun Shanshan to Yifei earlier, only used “the queen’s little boy” to get over it. . Now it seems that this person is not as simple as a little boy.

“After this incident, the queen began to promote Yuan Su. One day, Yuan Su asked her if she had frequent sleep palpitations recently. The queen replied that she dreamed of a golden toad screaming at her in the pool and insisted on jumping on her. Yuan Su told her Never let Jin Chan jump into her arms. The queen asked how to do it? Yuan Su replied abstinence until he dreamed that Jin Chan would leave.”

Yi Fei chuckled, “It’s probably very difficult for Yi Shu.”

“The queen was dubious, and ordered someone to send him away. Afterwards, he was banned for a month honestly, but he couldn’t hold back, and broke the precept. Soon after, the queen was happy.”

Yi Fei was slightly startled: “Is the golden toad a sign of having a son?”

“The queen summoned Yuan Su into the palace overnight. I don’t know what method Yuan Su used. The queen’s child is gone, and he behaves freely. Since then, the queen has trusted him very much.”

“Mr. Ge really has eyes and ears, and he knows such a secret thing like the palm of his hand.”

Mr. Ge smiled, but there was a very bitter taste in his smile: “Your Highness has only planned for a year; but we have been preparing and waiting for fifteen years.”

Mr. Ge is the leader of “Cheskin”. He travels around the four countries all the year round. On the surface, he goes around collecting donations to do good deeds, and secretly investigates the whereabouts of those missing children. It is difficult for outsiders.

Yi Fei looked at the slightly white sideburns beside his ears, and sighed slightly.

Mr. Ge continued: “Yuan Su gave several suggestions after that, and after being adopted, they were all proved to be quite effective, so he was awarded the position of national teacher. The feast for choosing a husband is scheduled for the ninth day of September, which is also the day of his election. “

Yi Fei glanced at Xue Cai: “What do you think of this person?”

Xue Cai was silent for a moment, then said: “This man was born as an orphan, and traveled all over the country with a fortune teller since he was a child. When he was ten years old, his master died of illness, so he wandered around with the business travelers in Yiguo. He only returned to Chengguo in March last year, and entered Lu in September. Bay, but in just one year he has been a minister.”

Yi Fei’s eyes lit up: “Being an orphan means we can’t investigate his real origin; the death of a fortune teller means we can’t learn about his childhood behavior; traveling with a business traveler means we don’t know what special relationship he has. The person who has been in contact with… that is to say, he is very mysterious! And being mysterious means that there is a problem.”

“The time is too short to find out more.”

Mr. Ge sighed: “Xue Xiang’s investigation is far better than ours.”

Yi Fei frowned, and pondered: “Then what do you think is the reason why he suddenly said that a courtier conspired against him?”

“Two possibilities.” Xue Cai replied, “One, the husband-selection feast is coming soon, and the queen is worried that people like you will come back and cause trouble, so let him find a reason to investigate thoroughly among the courtiers first, just in case.”

Yi Fei laughed and touched his nose.

“Second, whoever offended him, he wants to take this opportunity to get rid of the other party.” Xue Cai added, “Of course, it is more likely to kill two birds with one stone.”

“You don’t look worried at all, so you must be prepared.” Yi Fei blinked.

Xue Cai stared at him for a while, then smiled.

***

The prophecy of the earthquake spread throughout Luwan overnight.

Some people who understand Fengshui claim that it is a sign that a minister will rebel; those who don’t understand it literally understand that Luwan is going to have an earthquake.

In the court, everyone doubted and speculated about each other, and some took the opportunity to make troubles and point the finger at political opponents; among the people, the common people were preparing for the earthquake one after another.

Early the next morning, the Ma family dragged the Zhou family to sue the Yun family in front of the Queen, saying that Yun Di’s younger brother, Yun Xingshan, had spent tens of thousands of dollars on the Jiuxian, and after being reprimanded by Ma Fu, he died when the ship sank. He launched an attack and secretly killed Ma Fu. So so far, everyone on the Jiuxian has been found, except Ma Fu and Zhou Xiaolian. The Zhou family reconsidered, and brought out many charges of extravagance and extravagance, and asked Yundi face-to-face where he got so much money. Yundi retorted that it was Yun Xingshan’s mother’s dowry, and had nothing to do with him. The two factions quarreled endlessly in the early court, causing the queen a headache, and ordered Yundi to continue searching for the whereabouts of Ma Fu and Zhou Xiaolian.

Therefore, everyone in Luwan now knows that among the eight candidates for the queen’s husband, three are missing, including Wang Yuheng who was injured and recuperated long ago.

In the afternoon, there was one less. Because Hu Jiuxian was old and frail, and fell seriously ill after falling into the water, Yundi invited famous doctors all over Luwan, and they all said that he should lie on the bed to recuperate from his illness, especially to avoid giving other people his sickness.

Everyone was discussing this matter until at dusk, Feng Xiaoya’s black carriage appeared outside the gate of Luwan City.

Countless people flocked to watch the fun. There is no other reason, this is currently the candidate with the lowest odds in the casino. Prior to this, there had been rumors about his legendary life, his eleven wives, his beauty, and his illness, and everyone knew about it.

Everyone wants to see what the famous Mr. He looks like, and whether it is true that “little mother, don’t look too much, if you look, you will say goodbye to your parents”.

But no one saw it.

The black carriage was tightly closed, and Feng Xiaoya did not show her face from the beginning to the end. There was only a group of young girls in silver armor riding horses as guards beside the carriage, their expressions were solemn and could not be offended.

Afterwards, the common people of Cheng State had some discussions and comparisons about this: “The same goes for taking girls on trips. The girls brought by Mr. He are not easy to mess with at first glance; the girls brought by the national teacher are very mysterious at first glance; it is still the one brought by the former third highness.” The girls are good-looking and coquettish, passing by, all kinds of winks…”

Changing his appearance, Yi Fei, who was watching the fun in the crowd, suddenly heard his anecdote, couldn’t help being startled, and then chuckled.

Feng Xiaoya’s carriage went directly to the post station, and the people in the post station finally saw him, but found that there was not only him in the carriage, but also a young prime minister. After the news came out, everyone was shocked—Xue Cai also came!

Although Xue Cai’s odds are much higher than Feng Xiaoya’s, but in terms of fame, they are much higher than Feng Xiaoya’s. Before that, everyone thought that he would not come, but unexpectedly, he actually came!

Yishu was also surprised when he received the report. She deliberately chose Xue Cai in Bi Kingdom, just for the disgusting Empress Jiang who had always been against her. In the end, Empress Jiang actually agreed with Xue Cai to attend the appointment. What kind of medicine was buried in the gourd?

Jiang Chenyu has always wanted to kill her. Yishu is very aware of this.

Last year’s father’s birthday banquet, Jiang Chenyu, whose alias was Xiao Yu, came to Cheng Guo to show off her reputation, which made her, who was still a princess at that time, very angry and displeased, so she sent killers to kill her during the riots—just like she did before. It’s like killing a lot of beautiful girls that she didn’t like.

The result was naturally not killed. Because Xiao Yu is not an ordinary drug girl, she is the concubine of Zhao Yin, the leader of the Bi Kingdom, and later became a queen. After Zhao Yin became seriously ill, she became the first person in the Bi Kingdom.

And all of this made Yishu even more disgusted with her.

Jiang Chenyu is like a copy of her in Bi Kingdom, but she is so lucky. There is no tyrannical and crazy father, no scheming elder brother, no need to sell her body, no need to sell her dignity, she doesn’t even have ambition, but the power will take the initiative to rush towards her and put the laurel crown on her head.

Why?

Yishu couldn’t help thinking: Why is Jiang Chenyu so lucky? I wish I could see her pain and despair.

Thinking of this, she walked to the bronze mirror, looked at her richly decorated self, and after she was sure that there was no imperfection from head to toe, she turned to the guard and said, “Then, I will go to the post station to pay a visit to Mr. Xue.”

The guard said in shock: “Your Majesty is going to the post station? You should let Xue Cai enter the palace to have an audience…”

Yishu raised his hand to interrupt him: “Don’t bother, go prepare the car. Also, tell Yuan Su to go with me.”

The guard didn’t dare to dissuade him, he bowed and retreated.

Yishu continued to stare at himself in the bronze mirror, his eyes flickered slightly, but for some reason, there was a little sadness.

So fast…

That’s… a year has passed.

But in one year, things have changed and people have changed, and the old man is no longer there.

***

Yuan Su was sitting in the carriage with a sand table on his knees. The patterns of the quicksand changed with the bumps of the carriage. He was engrossed in these changes. Yi Shu in the black cloak said: “This trip is not dangerous, but I still advise His Majesty not to go.”

Yishu looked at him tenderly and kindly, and said with a smile: “There is no danger, why don’t you let me go?”

“Because His Majesty went there with a wish, and this wish cannot be realized.”

“Do you know what I wish for?”

“Your Majesty wants to subdue Xue Cai.”

Yishu shook his head: “Although Xue Cai is early and intelligent, but she is only a child and a native of Bi country. I neither love talents like King Yan, nor trust him like Jiang Chenyu. I’m afraid to keep him.” What’s the use of being backed by him? What’s more, I already have you.” After speaking, the corners of his brows and eyes were full of affection.

Yuan Su didn’t seem to be able to see it at all, and his face was still very calm. “Then, Your Majesty wants Xue Cai to go.”

“The result of your divination is that Xue Cai will not leave, right?”

Yuan Su stared at the sand table: “Yes.”

Yishu opened the curtain of the car window, the night outside fell, the lights came up, when the hustle and bustle subsided and the tranquility gradually rose, there were many changes in her eyes. “Last year was also such a summer night. Ji Ying, the son of Bai Ze from Bi Kingdom, came to see me and asked me a question. He asked—whether you want freedom or the throne.”

Actually, it’s not that complicated at first.

She only hoped that the man who was her biological father in name died.

I hope that man dies quickly so that he can end his life of humiliation, sin and despair.

But her father is not an ordinary person, he is the emperor of Cheng Guo. It is too difficult to get rid of him.

Then Mrs. Ruyi appeared and said she would help her. She was extremely grateful, and felt that the dark life finally had hope and a door. Walk through that door and you will be born again.

In the end, she fell deeper and deeper into the trap of Ruyimen. Mrs. Ruyi grasped all her secrets, all her contacts, pierced countless small holes in her body, and tied strings in the holes, trying to treat her like a marionette manipulation.

It is easy to ask God, but it is difficult to send God away. By the time she realized something, everything was beyond her control. She can’t get rid of Ruyimen, she can’t resist Ruyimen, she must do what they say.

They used her hands to poison Cheng Wang Minggong, but they refused to let Minggong die because they wanted to save his life to hold her hostage. They also poisoned Linsu, thinking that the weak Linsu is more suitable to be the next King Cheng, the next puppet of Ruyimen.

Just when she made a wrong step and watched everything go out of control and fall into the hands of Ruyimen, Ji Ying appeared.

Ji Ying asked her, “Do you want freedom? Or, do you want the throne?”

She no longer dared to choose easily.

I’m afraid that he is another wishful door, another trap that makes her life worse than death.

Ji Ying saw her hesitation and fear, said nothing, but slowly opened a scroll and placed it in front of her. Inside the scroll was a map of Cheng Guo. He clicked a point on Katydid Mountain and said, “The old nest of Ruyimen is here.”

She was in shock. After the shock, hope sprouted again.

“what do you want to do?”

“It depends on what Her Royal Highness wants, whether it is freedom or the throne.”

“How about being free?”

“If you want to be free, you can do one thing for me. After the thing is done, I will arrange for you to feign death and escape from the world, find a place with a vast sea and sky, and live a new life. I guarantee that Ruyi Gate will not be found, nor will I pursue it.”

That was the life she dreamed of, but at the moment when the choice came, she hesitated. She bit her lip and said in a deep voice, “What if you want the throne?”

“I will persuade King Yan and King Yi to help you succeed to the throne, and you will become Weifang’s first queen in a hundred years.”

She was silent for a long time, and finally she chose her heart: “I want to be free.” She wanted to leave this suffocating life, leave this dirty and ugly thing.

Ji Ying didn’t try to persuade, nodded and said: “Okay. Then, the princess will take my people back to the palace now, and hand your father over to them, that’s all.”

“Father is surrounded by many Ruyimen people watching…”

“Don’t worry. Go.” Ji Ying smiled, and his smile was so calm, she thought, she had never seen this type of man. The appearance is quiet and soft, which can be