Smack.

The fire burns, and the wood rattls. There is snow outside the window, and the tea on the table is warm.

The middle-aged man in white looked at the boy with his pupils reflecting the firelight, smiled slightly, and reached out to pour him a cup of tea.

"What are you thinking?" the man asked.

"When will the snow stop. ”

"Yesterday's boiled fish was oversalted or overheated. ”

"Will I live past the age of sixteen. ”

"Why the hell did my mom and dad die? ”

The boy spoke calmly, looking sideways at the snow outside the house, the expression on his face as calm as the tone of his voice.

"You have a lot of questions, and that's a good thing. The man also poured himself a cup of tea, he raised his sleeve to take the tea, took a sip, squinted his eyes and said unhurriedly.

"Wupan City has the Jiang God in charge, and the number of celestial phenomena I have learned in the Qingying Academy Palace cannot be counted here, so I don't know when the snow will stop. ”

"Master Zun often says, the gentleman is far away from cooking, and I haven't studied cooking skills, so I don't know what went wrong with yesterday's boiled fish. ”

"As for you......"

"I didn't say I wanted you to answer these questions. The middle-aged man was talking to himself, but was abruptly interrupted by the boy in a very rude way.

But the man was not annoyed by this, he just froze in place in some embarrassment, and after a few dry laughs, he looked at the boy again.

"I think you should have enough respect for your father's brother. The man said solemnly.

The boy gave him a blank look: "I think you should think about your junior brother's experience and leave Wupan City as soon as possible." ”

After saying this, the boy glanced at the man again and added, "My father and mother are better than you, and you can't take revenge." ”

The man was stunned for a moment, and then a smile spread on his face—not the stiff skin smile that he had before, but a childish and pure smile that belonged to the victor after winning the marble.

"Look, you still don't understand. He said. "So, it's always right to listen to your elders. ”

He knew the boy's temperament very well, and after saying this, he did not give the boy who was not depressed and subconsciously wanted to refute any chance to speak, and then continued.

"I didn't come to Wupan City to avenge anyone, just ......"

"It's just that he was demoted so far. The boy took over the conversation again, and his words were fierce and merciless.

The look on the man's face became a little embarrassed again, but he still kept his face solemn after coughing dryly.

"Hey, how can the matter of a scholar be said to be depreciating?" he said in a serious manner.

"What should I say?" the boy chased.

"The price. The man whispered. "The price of trying to change the world. ”

"Your father's life and my current me are the price. ”

......

Yuan Zhichun.

Prince Dayan.

The person in front of him is very different from the guy Wei Lai imagined.

He wears a cyan gown, the material of the clothing is ordinary, but the workmanship is fine, it seems that every stitch and thread is extremely elegant, and the lines are smooth and smooth. He sat in the middle of the room near the window, with his back to the sun, holding a scroll in his hand, and reading it with his head down. His expression was calm and silent, and he looked like a scholar, far better than Prince Dayan.

"You may be seated. The arrival of Wei Lai and Ah Cheng made the man raise his head, he smiled at Wei Lai, stretched out his hand and said.

Wei Lai also saw the other party's face clearly at this time.

The appearance is ordinary, it is the kind of ordinary appearance that will be lost in the crowd if it is thrown on the street. But the extravagance exuded by gestures is not something that ordinary people can imitate. And unlike Song Douyuan, who is so high, the extravagance rippling around the man in front of him is more like a summer rain and spring breeze, which makes people feel comfortable and can't help but feel good secretly.

In recent years, there have been many rumors about this prince in the court, which are mixed, but perhaps because of the great power of the Golden Queen, in those rumors about the prince, most of them are described as a coward who is under the power of his relatives, trembling, and supported by coolies. Wei Lai could not help but subconsciously imagine in his heart that this unmasked prince was a middle-aged person who had achieved nothing.

At this moment, seeing his extraordinary bearing, he couldn't help but be a little surprised, and he was stunned in place for a few breaths before he came back to his senses and walked to the other side of the room and sat down.

"The first time I met with Childe, I only heard Ah Cheng say that Childe doesn't like to drink, so he only prepared tea, as for the dishes, I don't know what Childe likes, but the hour is still early, I will call the attendant later, and Childe can order it himself. Yuan Sleevechun's gaze was up and down on Wei Lai's body, such a blatant look was inappropriate and reasonable, but Yuan Sleevechun made it blatant, grandiose, but it made it difficult for people to feel bad.

"It's not necessary to have food and clothing in the belly. Wei Lai replied calmly, but his eyes involuntarily glanced at Ah Cheng who was standing behind the prince, but he withdrew his gaze in an instant.

Yuan Sleeve Chun nodded when he heard this, and he didn't force it, but then he suddenly changed his words and sighed: "Gongzi can still have food and clothing, but I don't know that in the south of Manzhou, there are still 38 towns where the people are plagued by ghosts, and they don't have enough food and clothing. ”

Wei Lai knew what he was saying, but he didn't answer, just raised his glass and drank tea.

Yuan Sleeve Chun probably didn't expect Wei Lai to react like this, he was slightly stunned, and then continued: "In recent years, the situation of the Great Yan Dynasty should also be known to the prince, the Empress Jin is in charge, the relatives control the government, and the father is addicted to wine and neglects the government. The relatives of the Jin family are bent on fighting against each other, and rarely care about the life and death of the people. Although there are still many loyal people in our court, such as the governor of the state, who are trying to support it, it is not a long-term solution after all. Not to mention ......"

"Did the prince call me here just to tell me about the general trend of the world?" Yuan Zhichun was halfway through his words, but was interrupted by Wei Laihu.

Ah Cheng behind him frowned, and Yuan Zhichun was also stunned again. Then the prince, who was over thirty years old, glanced back at the orange-clothed girl behind him, and there seemed to be an inquiry in his eyes, but when he saw Ah Cheng's brows frowning slightly, he immediately withdrew his gaze.

When he looked at Wei Lai again, his face was not annoyed by Wei Lai's interruption, but he had been smiling for a long time, and even vaguely that smile was a little brighter than before.

"Before I came, Ah Cheng told me about Childe. ”

Yuan Zhichun said again, and after saying this, he paused intentionally before he said again: "Especially everything that happened in Wupan City. ”

She said that Gongzi had the backbone of Mr. Wei, and he had put himself in danger to save the people of Wupan City. I said that the current situation of Dayan Tianxia, with the people in the water and fire, may move the son, and also pave the way for what he will do next. ”

Yuan Zhichun said so, but Wei Lai never expected to be so calm.

He couldn't help but be stunned at that moment, and the gaze that looked at Yuan Zhichun immediately became a little strange.

Wei Lai, who came back to his senses after a few breaths, asked with a smile: "Then now, can His Royal Highness the Crown Prince get straight to the point?"

"It seems that Ah Cheng only knows the benevolence and righteousness of the son, but he doesn't know that the son is straightforward, and I twisted the woman's posture. Yuan Zhichun smiled self-deprecatingly, and then his face turned straight: "Since Gongzi has spoken, then I will also say it directly......"

At that time, the middle-aged man who was over thirty years old looked up at Wei Lai, his back to the dazzling sunlight outside the window, a somewhat shy smile on his face, and a bit of heat in his eyes.

He said.

"I want Childe to help me win this battle for the succession. ”

......

There was a brief moment of silence in the door.

Ah Cheng looked at Wei Lai, and Yuan Zhichun also looked at Wei Lai, they were waiting for an answer, an answer that was extremely important to them and to Dayan.

Sadly, none of them did so.

Of course, Wei Lai did not refuse them, but asked a question that seemed extremely strange to both of them: "How to help?"

After Yuan Zhichun was stunned for a moment, he smiled dumbly: "Childe said that he was laughing." ”

"With Childe's cleverness, he should know very well what we need Childe to do. ”

Wei Lai's eyes narrowed at that time, and he looked up at Ah Cheng on the side again: "I remember I told Ah Cheng girl, Jiang Huanshui is Jiang Huanshui, Wei Lai is Wei Lai, if the prince wants me to help you, maybe we can talk, but if you rely on me to climb the relationship of Jiang Huanshui like those guys, then I can only regret to tell His Royal Highness the prince that I am afraid that I have made the wrong idea." ”

Wei Lai's words made Yuan Zhichun ponder for a while, and soon His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said again: "Since Gongzi is honest with Yuan, then Yuan will never deceive Gongzi." ”

"I heard Ah Cheng say that when Gongzi rescued the people of Wupan City in Wupan City, he got the inheritance of Guan Shanqi, the Yin God of the previous dynasty. ”

"With this thing in his body, Childe's future achievements will be extraordinary, this is undoubtedly a thing. But the Golden Queen won't give Childe such a long time to grow up enough to threaten them, Childe understands this reasoning, right?"

"I can understand Childe's desire to prove himself, if I want, I can tell Childe, I just value Childe's talent before meeting Childe, it's not difficult, this is something that can be done by just moving my mouth. And as long as I win over Gongzi in this way, and use some means to let the world know that Gongzi is on my side and push Gongzi to the stage, the Jin family will definitely regard Gongzi as a thorn in the eye and a thorn in the flesh, so that once Gongzi and the Jin family have a bad relationship. Lord Zhou Mu will definitely stand on the opposite side of the Jin family, and Ningzhou will naturally become my bargaining chip. ”

"But I'm not going to do that. ”

"I do need Ningzhou's support now, but what I value is not just Gongzi's status as the grandson of the state pastor. I know Childe's ability, I also know Childe's virtue, and I know the root of my Dayan's illness. I want to get this Dayan world, but not only the Dayan world, I also want my Dayan country to be safe and secure, so that Li Min will not be troubled by border troubles outside and evil officials inside. Even if I get this big Yan world, I need someone like Gongzi who cares about the world to assist and spur. Therefore, I choose to be honest with Childe at this moment. ”

Yuan Zhichun's words were extremely sincere, and he stared straight at Wei Lai throughout the whole process, and the light in his pupils flickered.

I have to say that this is indeed a very moving statement, Wei Lai also heard this, and suddenly fell silent, he stared at the man in front of him, his expression seemed to be a little trance.

Seeing this, Yuan Sleeve Chun stretched out his hand at that time, pressed Wei Lai's hand on the desk, and continued: "The matter between Gongzi and Lao Zhoumu is logically the family matter of Gongzi, and Yuan should not be involved. ”

But there were indeed many hidden secrets in the events of that year, which were unknown to the son. When Lord Zhou heard about the incident in Wupan City, he rushed to Tailin City as soon as possible, and he made a heavy promise in front of His Majesty to save his son's life. If the son is still guilty of the old state pastor because of the events of the year, he really shouldn't ......"

"What promise?" Wei Lai finally couldn't help but ask when he heard this. This is a problem that has been plaguing Wei Lai these days, from the original Luo Xiangwu, Ji Huanxi in Gutong City, and all the forces in Ningxiao City, it seems that Jiang Huanshui is willing to make great concessions for Wei Lai, but Wei Lai has never felt like this. After all, Jiang Huanshui watched his daughter and son-in-law die in Wupan City back then, how could he give him "preferential treatment"?

And just like Xu Yue said, none of these forces are stupid, they are so sure that they naturally have a reason for their determination, and it is very likely that Yuan Sleeve Chun said that the heavy promise made by Jiang Huanshui in Tailin City is the reason why all parties are sure of this matter now.

"It stands to reason that since the state pastor has not told the prince about this, there must be his considerations. But this is not a secret, Gongzi asked about this place again, and Yuan had no choice but to tell the truth. Yuan Sleeve Chun showed hesitation, and after saying this, he lowered his head and muttered for a few breaths before raising his head to look at Wei Lai again.

"I also heard from the people in the palace about this. ”

"On that day, Lao Zhoumu promised in front of his father that as long as he kept his son alive, he would not break the holy realm in this life. ”

Do not break the holy realm.

These four words were like a sharp arrow piercing Wei Lai's heart, and some long-term memories suddenly surged out in Wei Lai's mind, and the fragmentary pictures and these four simple words were connected into a line at that time, a clear line. His body shuddered, his pupils dilated.

And all this fell into Yuan Sleevechun's eyes at that time, and the man quietly tightened his hand gripping Wei Lai's sleeve, and then said: "The road ahead is difficult and dangerous, and I hope that Brother Wei will walk with me." ”

The inadvertent change of title was obviously in the heart of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and at this moment he and Wei Lai should have been counted as people who could entrust each other.

But Yuan Sleeve Chun did not get the same frank and moving response he imagined, Wei Lai looked down at Yuan Sleeve Chun's hand on his sleeve after a short period of distraction, and then under the surprised gaze of Yuan Sleeve Chun and Ah Cheng, he slowly lifted and removed that hand.

"It is understandable that the prince wants to take over the world. ”

"To save the common people is also to follow the way of the sages. ”

"Mind, bearing, and benevolence are all admired by the grass people. ”

"But the grass people have only one question for the prince. Wei Lai said calmly, and it was only then that Yuan Zhichun realized that everything he had just said did not seem to have any effect on this young man.

His heart sank, but on the surface he still had a warm smile on his face: "Brother Wei, please speak." ”

"If the crown prince really ascends to the position of the co-lord of Dayan one day, what should you do with the snake in the Wupan River?" Wei Lai asked.

This question made the smile on Yuan Zhichun's face stagnate, and he glanced back at Ah Cheng behind him - before meeting Wei Lai, in the letters he exchanged with Ah Cheng, Ah Cheng mentioned more than once that Wei Lai was obsessed with revenge, and killing the Wupanjiang God was a difficult condition for Wei Lai to refuse. But not to mention why the cultivation of the Wupanjiang God is so good, according to the news he has received recently, the other party seems to have begun to attack the Holy Realm. Such an existence is that Yuan Zhichun pulls out all the power in his hands, whether light or dark, and he may not be his opponent. What's more, supporting the Wupan Dragon King is the foundation of Dayan's foothold in the north for the next hundred years, how can he move?

Yuan Zhichun sat back in his seat, he was silent for a while, and the expression on his face was cloudy.

"I can understand Brother Wei's desire to avenge his father, but the rise and fall of the Wupan Dragon King and the Wupan waters are related to the survival of my Dayan Sheji, and any promises I make with Brother Wei now are empty words, because no one can say for sure what the Weishui dispute will turn into in the end. The only thing I can guarantee to Brother Wei is that if I can really wait until that day and there can be an existence that can replace the Wupan Dragon King, I will definitely do my best to bring that guy to Brother Wei and let Brother Wei fall!" Yuan Sleeve Chun said this, his eyes looked at Wei Lai again, his tone was a little low, obviously unwilling to talk about this topic, but since it was inevitable to talk about this, Yuan Sleeve Chun's attitude remained the same as before when he said this.

Regarding the Wupan Dragon King, this is already the best and most realistic promise that Yuan Zhichun can give, he believes that even if the lobbyist of the Jin family stands here, unless he is full of nonsense with a clear conscience, he will never be able to open a better bargaining chip than this.

The old dragon king of Weishui is dead, the kingdom of God has no owner, the battle of Weishui is about to surface, Ghost Rong and Qi have already fought their horses, eyeing each other, if the weak Dayan falls behind in this battle, I am afraid that in the next hundred years, I will have to continue to repeat the drama of Chu Hou being bullied by the two kingdoms before, and even losing the country. Even if he knew that the relationship between the Wupan Dragon King and the Jin family was closer, no one in today's Dayan dared to stumble on the Wupan Dragon King at this time.

Yuan Zhichun thought that as long as Wei Lai was smart enough, he would definitely be able to feel his sincerity and make the right choice.

Thinking of this, he looked at Wei Lai again, and a warm smile spread on his face again.

Wei Lai stood up and bowed respectfully and solemnly to Yuan Sleevechun.

The smile on Yuan Zhichun's face was even worse, and Ah Cheng, who had been frowning behind him, also frowned.

But the next moment.

"So, the prince is not the person I am looking for. ”

The young man said this, neither explaining at all, nor giving Yuan Sleevechun half a minute to react, after saying this, he suddenly turned around, pushed open the door of Mingyulou without any thoughts, and walked away.