The golden rooster crows, and the sun rises in the east.

A figure flew through the forest on the outskirts of Yecheng. In the faint morning mist, the figure's clothes turned from black to white, tears flew down his face, and a bell rang behind him.

When I came to the gate of Zongmiao Mountain, there were already people gathered at the archway, and when I saw the man in white returning, the first person said loudly: "Yi'er, why did you come back? The imperial city has just sounded the death knell, and your uncle has already gone to find out." ”

"Grandpa, my grandson went to the mountains this morning to practice. This is also when I heard the bell and hurried back. ”

Xiao Yi clenched the things in his palm, bowed to everyone present, and quietly stood in the back row and stopped making a sound.

After another moment, a blue light flew close at a rapid speed, and finally hovered in front of Xiao Fengyuan. Xiao Fengyuan stretched out his hand and pointed lightly, and the blue ball of light came out of Xiao Yingwen's sad voice.

"Father, the queen mother has just died. Yingwen did his filial piety in the palace and didn't go back first. I hope that my father will take care of his body and do not hurt his mind. The queen mother walked very peacefully, holding the ruyi you carved with your own hands in her hand. After finishing his mother's funeral, Yingwen returned to the temple. Yingwen has already informed Heren to return quickly, and asks his father to allow Heyi to enter the palace immediately. ”

Xiao Fengyuan's fingers stopped in mid-air, and as the light cluster gradually dissipated, the old man's fingers began to tremble constantly. After a long time, I heard him take a long breath and say in a trembling voice: "Xiao Yi, your imperial grandmother is gone, pack up and go to the imperial city to mourn." I'm tired, go back ......."

The old man's voice was obviously suppressing his emotions, and everyone sent Xiao Fengyuan back to the temple, just waiting for the old man to enter the door and stepped forward to guide Xiao Yi on related matters.

Yecheng Palace.

In the past, the royal guards in soap robes and soap armor have all changed into white cloaks, and the palace lamps in the imperial city have also been pasted with a layer of white veil.

There is constantly ancient music in the palace, and all the concubines of the palace have removed their bead rings and worn white flowers.

Outside the gate of the imperial city, Xiao Yi stood in front of the Zhu Gate wearing a plain robe and a filial piety belt on his head. More than a dozen forbidden soldiers stopped on the spot, and the leader shouted: "Idle people wait to withdraw ten zhang away! ”

Xiao Yi took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and reached out to take out a golden waist card from his arms and held it above his head.

"I am Xiao Heyi, and I rushed from the temple to mourn. ”

The guards looked at each other, and one stepped forward to take the gold medal with both hands, turned around and ran into the imperial city. Before the messenger returned, a carriage stopped in front of the door behind Xiao Yi. A middle-aged man dressed in a white filial piety official uniform got out of the car.

"Lord Shangguan!"

As soon as the guards saw someone coming, they hurriedly bowed down and saluted, the middle-aged man in white nodded slightly, looked at Xiao Yi curiously, and then asked out loud, "Who is this?"

The guards looked at each other, their faces embarrassed, and one of them stepped forward and said respectfully: "Lord Hui, this person calls himself the prince Xiao Heyi, and he came to mourn." I have just sent someone to the palace to report. ”

The middle-aged man in white was stunned for a moment when he heard the name of Xiao Heyi, and then he couldn't help but be surprised when he remembered the origin of this name.

"Are you really Heyi?"

The middle-aged man grabbed Xiao Yi's wrist excitedly, tears flashing in his eyes. Looking at the young man's appearance carefully, he could vaguely see a little bit of the appearance of the first emperor Xiao Yingwu.

Xiao Yiqiang endured the sadness and raised his eyes to look at the middle-aged.

"I am Xiao Heyi, I don't know what Your Excellency will call you, when did you recognize Xiao?"

The more the middle-aged man looked at it, the more cordial he became, his lips trembled, and he said excitedly: "Heyi, I am your uncle Shangguan Li! I have been your father's companion since I was a child, and you often went to my house when you were a child!"

Xiao Yi saw that the other party was emotional, and he had no impression of the name Shangguan Li, but he often went out of the palace to a few courtyards when he was a child. At that time, the vegetation of the houses had dried up, and the so-called gardens were not very bright, but children could play happily all day long as they had playmates.

A eunuch hurriedly ran to the palace gate, holding a golden waist card in his hand, and as soon as he went out, he saw Shangguan and Xiao Yi.

"The queen mother's decree, Xiao Heyi worshiped outside the palace, gave incense and candles, and sacrificed three animals. After the incense, it is considered filial piety, so go back early. The crown prince and the princes are accompanying the queen mother in the palace, and everything will be taken care of. ”

When Xiao Yi heard that he was not allowed to enter the palace to worship, his jade teeth were clenched, and he was just about to have a seizure when he was held down by Shangguan Li.

Xiao Heyi is the first emperor abolished the crown prince, and now His Majesty has been on the throne for more than ten years, and the crown prince has inherited the unification. Xiao Heyi's reappearance will inevitably fluctuate in the government and the opposition, and it is reasonable for the queen to have scruples.

"Princess, be polite. ”

"Lord Shangguan, the old slave has seen your lord. ”

Shangguan Li stepped forward and hugged his fists and said: "Father-in-law is tired of running again, Xiao Heyi is now from the Royal Sect Temple, and he is just doing filial piety to his children and grandchildren, and he has not done too much." I also hope that Niangniang will allow Xiao Heyi to enter the palace to worship, so as not to attract folk tongue. ”

The prince's face was embarrassed, and after thinking for a long time, he was ruthless, and turned around and ran back with a deep look at the two.

Shangguan Li said a few words of comfort, and saw someone in the palace rushing to come.

"Young Master Xiao, Lord Shangguan. ”

Everyone saw that it was not the prince just now, but another palace man named Shen Yu next to the queen.

"Father-in-law Shen, just now the prince passed the word, I don't know ......"

"Lord Shangguan, the prince went back to recuperate from an old illness occasionally. The queen Yizhi, Xiao Heren to filial piety, all mundane etiquette can be waived, and you can kneel outside the palace. When you're tired, go back. ”

At this time, several more court ministers came one after another behind him, and seeing that more and more people gathered, the guards were also nervous.

"I remembered that Uncle Shangguan was a close person to the former emperor. The emperor ordered me to call you uncle, and you have a daughter at home, and she didn't know how to call anyone at that time. ”

Shangguan Li heard what Xiao Yi said and knew that he remembered himself. So he said: "Exactly, the grace of the first emperor made you bow down to call your subordinate uncle." What you just said is the little baby girl Ning, who is fourteen this year, and has just been married by His Majesty not long ago. At the end of the year, he will marry General Chang's family. ”

"Very well, uncle and you guys go in. Since the queen has made a decree, she should obey it. With that, Xiao Yi knelt outside the palace gate in his robe and kowtowed nine times. Then he got up and left, and the dust on his trousers and forehead was not brushed away.

Although it was a pity in the hearts of the ministers, as a courtier, they didn't have much to say, so they had to tidy up their clothes and hats and enter the palace.

Xiao Yi took a detour to the back of the palace wall, found a courtyard adjacent to more than ten zhang, and jumped over the wall. Shrank into the rockery and found a piece of bluestone full of moss, slowly turning around, the rockery stone wall cracked, revealing a dim tunnel step.

Xiao Yi took out the fire fold and shook it gently, lit a torch inserted in the wall, blew out the fire fold, and gently turned the black iron beast head on the wall. The two rocks behind him slowly closed, and only the sound of dripping water kept coming from the cave.

Walking slowly down the steps, I walked more than 20 steps to the bottom, and turned right to a straight and dark road, the bottom of which was paved with white stones of a certain length. Walking along the road, a copper wall appeared in front of you for more than 100 zhang. Xiao Yi pressed a few places on it, and then he heard a soft sound, and the copper wall slowly sank.

Behind the copper wall is an antique simple room, with a small mahogany bed in the corner, a velvet warm quilt on top, and a red porcelain carved pillow at the head of the bed. A table was placed on the square carpet next to the bed, and there was a pot of herbal tea on it. On the opposite wall hung a portrait of a young man in a yellow robe, with a vague resemblance to Xiao Yat.

Xiao Yi gently pulled the scroll, and as soon as his hand loosened, the scroll automatically rolled up to reveal a delicate stone door. Pushing the door open, Xiao Yi bent down and walked into it, which was a stone cave with a small passage. Xiao Yicai walked out of the three sucks, and the stone door behind him slowly closed, and it didn't look like anything different from the outside.

Walking to the left along the passage to the end, there was a mahogany wall in front of him, Xiao Yi listened to it and there was no sound, so he gently opened the secret lock and slowly opened it with one hand.

This is the secret passage that Xiao Yat has walked countless times since he was a child, and the exit is a dim sum bureau in the imperial dining room.

Xiao Yi walked to the window, listened carefully to the movement outside, and felt that there was nothing unusual, so he pushed open the window and jumped out. With both hands on the upper edge of the corridor, he turned over and stopped on the tile. With a light step, he quickly ran in the direction of the Sleeping Palace.

In the main hall of the Ning Palace, Xiao Yingwen knelt in the first place in a filial piety robe. Under him, more than a dozen princes and princesses knelt in the hall and bowed their heads and were silent.

A eunuch outside the door walked in softly, explained a few words to the deacon and eunuch, and then slowly walked behind Xiao Yingwen.

"King Wen, Your Majesty came to watch the spirit after dinner. Do you want the princes and princesses to go back and have something to eat first, and then let them come over and keep a wake with His Majesty later?"

Xiao Yingwen opened his eyes, turned his face slightly, and said slowly: "Let's go down, let me accompany the queen mother to the meeting." Let the palace people also step down, it's enough to have me here. ”

When everyone heard this, they got up and exited the Ning Palace, and Xiao Yingwen lit a dark paper and gently placed it in the golden basin.

"Heyi, come out. Give incense to your imperial grandmother. ”

There was a sound of footsteps in the inner hall, and Xiao Yat lifted the beaded curtain and walked out. Tidy up the clothes, light a bouquet of yellow incense and bow three times to the inner hall, and then insert the incense in the furnace.

"Child, stay with your uncle. There are no outsiders here, only the two of us. ”

Xiao Yi knelt down opposite Xiao Yingwen, and tears slowly fell to the ground.

"Heyi, you have been in the temple since you were a child, and you rarely have the opportunity to listen to the teachings of the queen mother. In fact, the most painful thing for the queen mother is your children and grandchildren. I remember when you were just born, because he was arguing with Ren and hugging you, and your grandmother slapped you. Over the years, I can't serve her old man in front of the hall, and you can't enter and leave the palace gate casually because of your special status, that is, Heren can often come here to do his filial piety for me. ”

Xiao Yingwen remembered the Queen Mother's former voice, and his eyes turned red again. Although Xiao Heren would enter the palace to meet the Queen Mother two or three times a year, he didn't know that Xiao Yi was the one who saw his grandmother the most.

"Uncle, the imperial grandmother left very peacefully. I'll leave quietly after a while, and I won't embarrass the third uncle. I have to go back to take care of the emperor's grandfather, and I can only rely on the uncle to bother here. Xiao Yi got up and lit another bunch of yellow incense, knelt down and inserted it into the incense burner. Kneel down opposite Xiao Yingwen again.

"Uncle, I put incense on behalf of my father and queen mother. I'll go back when it's burned out. ”

Xiao Yingwen nodded when he heard this, lit the paper again, and silently threw himself into the golden basin.

One hour, footsteps were heard from afar outside the apse, and Xiao Yingwen took out a yellow talisman from his waist and struck Xiao Yi with one hand.

Xiao Yat was startled at first, and then found that his body was gradually becoming transparent.

"It's okay, this is the invisibility charm I bought. As long as you don't get violently attacked, you can be protected from detection for twelve hours. You can stay here with your grandmother and ignore the rest of the business. ”

As he spoke, a eunuch from outside the hall walked in.

"Tell King Wen that Your Majesty will come with Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother and the Crown Prince later. The minions are here to greet you. ”

"Didn't you say that Your Majesty only came over after dinner? It's only noon, why did you bring someone over?" Xiao Yingwen ignited the dark paper, looked at the slowly rising flames, and asked casually.

"King Huiwen, just after His Majesty arranged the affairs of the Queen Mother's mausoleum, he dismissed the hundred officials early. In the afternoon, all the condolences were also pushed away by His Majesty. Your Majesty has a will, there is no mother and prince today, only a daughter-in-law, a grandson and a daughter-in-law. As long as it is the children and grandchildren of the Xiao family, they will go to the Benning Hall to practice filial piety. ”

Xiao Yingwen raised his eyes and looked at Xiao Yi, who was kneeling invisibly, shook his head with a wry smile, and threw the dark paper in his hand into the golden basin.

Not long after, a group of people came in from outside the hall, led by Xiao Yingfu, the emperor of Beiji.

"Brother Huang, do you want to rest? Xiao Yingfu was just about to step forward to support Xiao Yingwen, but he waved his hand to stop him.

"It's okay, that's all I can do for my mother, don't worry about me. ”

Xiao Yingfu saw that his eldest brother refused to rest, although he was unhappy in his heart, but it was not good to turn his face here. So he burned incense and worshipped, and slowly walked to the opposite side of Xiao Yingwen.

"Your Majesty, that position is reserved for Ying Wu. ”

As soon as Xiao Yingwen's words came out, Xiao Yingfu froze on the spot. He smiled awkwardly, and then instructed the eunuch to set up two white linen futons in the lower position.

"That's what the eldest brother said. This position should be reserved for the second brother. I arranged for someone to go to the temple to find Heyi. This grandmother passed away, and the second brother's family and righteousness didn't talk about it, did you really think that no one cared about you?"

The queen pulled the sleeves of Xiao Yingfu's robe, turned around and took a bunch of white incense from the palace maid's tray, walked to the offering table and lit it gently. He bowed slowly three times in the direction of the dormitory, and inserted it firmly in the incense burner.

"The eldest brother said that it is also appropriate to leave a place for the second brother, His Majesty has been chattering for the past two years, and Heyi is also big, and the state affairs have been busy in the past two years, and he will be picked up after two years. Your Majesty will return the world of Beiji to him. I don't understand your brother's feelings. It's a pity that my mother's male is thin and can't experience your brotherly affection. ”

Queen Ye Yao knelt beside Xiao Yingfu, took the tea cup from the palace and tasted it.

"Queen Mother, Heyi is concentrating on cultivation in the Zongmiao, so Jiangshan Sheji should not consider giving it to him anymore. Moreover, the crown prince and Li have not lost their moral words and deeds over the years, and they will be a generation of Ming monarchs in the future. Your Majesty has been diligent in government affairs in recent years, and the wind and rain in Beiji have been smooth, even when his father was in power, it was rare to see such a prosperous scene. Xiao Yingwen was about to say something more, but suddenly felt dizzy in his head, frowned slightly, took a deep breath and mobilized the spiritual power in his body to investigate. It's just that although the spiritual power in this body has been urged several times, it has never been able to condense at will. Xiao Yingwen hurriedly waved his hand and took out a bottle of pill from the storage bag, and was about to take out a pill to swallow, when he heard a loud noise outside the hall.

"Zongmiao!" Xiao Yingwen reacted instantly, the direction of this explosion should be the direction of Zongmiao. Xiao Yingwen swallowed the pill in one gulp, and got up to investigate. It was only when he got up that he felt a strong pressure around him, pressing down on his shoulder. This is not a physical palm, but a secret technique that is driven by external spiritual power.

"Who?"

Xiao Yingwen shouted loudly, and then looked at everyone around, including Xiao Yingfu, who stopped in place. An old man in a blue robe slowly walked into the hall.

"What kind of master am I? It's been a waste of the old man's Soul Falling Incense and Meditation Grass!"

The blue-robed old man walked up to Xiao Yingwen, reached out and grabbed the tribute wine pot and took a sip from mouth to mouth. Then he glanced at Xiao Yingwen with disdain, and said proudly: "Meditation grass, non-toxic and harmless." This is the favorite thing to use in the cultivation realm, and the dark paper you burned just now is made from meditation grass. It's just that once this Meditation Herb encounters the Falling Soul Incense, it becomes a medicinal guide, and the more Meditation Herb is absorbed, the faster the medicinal power of this Falling Soul Incense will take effect. It's a shame that the Ye family doll can be arranged in such a short time, otherwise you really can't be so obedient. The old man took another sip, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, and he squinted and looked outside the hall.

"Worried about your temple, don't worry. Just now, the Xiao family's temple has been destroyed by several of my senior brothers in one fell swoop, and in this radius of a hundred miles, except for the Xiao family's temple, you are the only one who has the body to cultivate. The old man paused slightly, and then said, "By the way, early this morning, my senior nephew met a Qi cultivation period monk in the Beiji Sea, who should be named Xiao Heren. As the saying goes, life is more miserable than a white-haired person sending a black-haired person, my old man will let you die first. ”

As he spoke, the blue-robed old man tapped his fingers, Xiao Yingwen slowly rose, and before he could speak, a raging green demon flame ignited around his body.

"Anyway, it's also a monk in the foundation building period, and if you waste it, it will inevitably destroy the heavenly things, so you can make up for my spirit beast." ”

Immediately, the blue-robed man turned around and walked out of the hall, and Xiao Yingwen's body behind him was burned by the green flames getting smaller and smaller. The blue-robed old man walked out of the palace gate, and the green flame behind him had already turned into a fist-sized mass and disappeared out of thin air.

The sudden recovery of the ability of the people in the palace was just a scene that had just happened in front of them, but it could no longer be erased.

"Where is the commander of the forbidden army?" asked Empress Ye Yao in a cold voice with a frosty face.

"Wechen is here. A young man in a white robe and white armor walked into the hall and arched his hand.

"The Queen Mother died, Your Majesty was sad, and ordered all the people in the Imperial City Palace to be buried except for the crown prince and the eldest princess. After the execution of the forbidden army, she was appointed as the queen mother to protect the imperial mausoleum!"

The white-robed and white-armored young man heard that the Empress Yizhi's face changed suddenly, and he looked up at Xiao Yingfu, who was carrying his hands on the side, and saw that although the Beiji Emperor had a sad face, he still nodded fiercely.

"Minister, Commander!"

The white-robed and white-armored young man bowed deeply with red eyes, turned around and walked out of the Ning Palace. Several guards swarmed in and pushed a group of palace eunuchs out.

Wails and weepings rang out in all directions, and the entire imperial city was like a purgatory on earth.

Xiao Yi walked on the trail full of corpses, and at this time, in addition to Xiao Yingfu and his wife, there were only the crown prince and the eldest princess in the imperial city. Xiao Yi has experienced too much this day, he wants to cry, but he has experienced too many great changes, and his person is already numb.

In front of the temple, the ancient trees that used to be dense are still burning, and the ancestral hall and temple of his family have long been white.

In the embers, Xiao Yi wandered blindly everywhere, no corpses, no relics. He truly became unaccompanied, and became a complete orphan.

Back in front of the mountain gate, Xiao Yi knelt on his knees and kept bowing, and every time his forehead touched the ground, there would be a loud noise.

If anyone passes by, they will be surprised, because there is no half a human figure, but anyone will hear the sound of bowing, and the wail of a beast......