The prince of the country actually accepted it without hesitation, and even though he thanked the holy grace, he ignored the cadres and others present, and directly hugged the beauty and left the table, and his eyes fell to the ground.

In the 170th year of the Great Apocalypse, on the first day of the first lunar month, the Daqi Dynasty sang and danced, and the rivers and lakes and the imperial court congratulated each other, and there were "congratulations" everywhere.

Contrary to the bustle of ordinary people's homes, there is no New Year's atmosphere in the idle pavilion, and it remains the same as usual.

For them, the Chinese New Year is just an excellent time to kill. Because at this time, everyone will be unprepared. Fortunately, everyone was busy going home for a reunion, and almost no one remembered the hatred, so there was no business in Xiange, and they were relatively relaxed.

Nineteen woke up early in the morning and saw Thirteen's smile: "Happy New Year." She rubbed her eyes and got up from the bed: "Thirteen is also happy." ”

Thirteen helped her comb her hair in a bun, took the freshly boiled porridge, watched her finish eating, and then took the newly bought fur and put it on her, and led her out of the room. She was already beautiful, and her delicate face was even more stunning against the white fur.

The snow of the previous days has not yet melted, the sun hides behind the clouds in shame, and the cold wind playfully stirs people's hearts.

When they came to the courtyard, Sixteen happened to come back from outside, carrying the two wine jars that had just been dug up, and nodded at them expressionlessly, which was regarded as a greeting. Thirteen nodded in acknowledgment. Sixteen is the best at using poison, proficient in pharmacology, and makes good wine. It's just that the wine he brews, no one generally dares to touch it. Because someone once touched his wine, he lost his life in half an hour.

It didn't take much time for Seventeen to stretch and walk out of the room. He casually took a handful of snow to wash his face, and came over with his signature grin: "Yo, little beauty, it's beautiful today." "He injured his leg again a few days ago, and the injury has not healed, and he walks one foot deeper and one foot shallow.

Seventeen in the cabinet to gain a foothold, relying not on outstanding skills, but on a very fast reaction speed, generally responsible for dealing with emergencies, so hanging lottery for him, is a matter of course.

Eleven avoided everyone and sat alone under the tree, looking up at the sky in a daze. He was the eldest of the elite, and he was the one that everyone feared to hide, almost no one dared to talk to him, and no one came close within a few feet of him.

Nineteen glanced at him from afar and said to Thirteen, "Eleven has been a little strange lately. ”

"Huh?"

Nineteen shook his head: "I can't say it, it seems that I often see him in a daze." ”

Eleven apparently heard her words, and turned her head to look: this girl was unexpectedly sharp at times. The lively atmosphere outside the idle pavilion made him very unnatural, and something was about to come out of his head. But when I think about it seriously, it's always empty. - His memory began eight years ago, and he has no memory of his childhood.

Thirteen laughed and opened the topic: "Do you want to go to the capital to see the lanterns?" ”

"Thirteen can go if he wants to see it." She replied earnestly. She remembered that Thirteen had something to do, and she tried very hard to cooperate with him.

"I'll go too." A soft female voice interjected, it was Twelve. She didn't want to see the lanterns, but she remembered Su Lihe in the capital and wanted to find a reason to enter Beijing. Nineteen has always been easy to talk to, so it should be no problem to have a companion.

Thirteen guessed Twelve's thoughts, glanced at her coldly, the corners of his lips were slightly curved, and he seemed to be smiling. Twelve's heart trembled for no reason, and he didn't dare to approach him again: "I...... I still won't go. ”

Su Lihe did not return to his hometown in Yangzhou, he was thinking about it behind closed doors and couldn't leave the capital at will, so he invited his sister Su Wan to Beijing, and the two brothers and sisters celebrated the New Year together. Twelve is different from the others in the pavilion, she grew up in a normal environment, and she is a delicate girl's family, and now the cold and deserted atmosphere evokes her lively memories of previous years, and it is inevitable that she will be sad. What's more, she has someone she likes, so she thinks in her heart: It's good to see at least one person.

So the next day, Thirteen left the Pavilion with Nineteen. After they left, the relatively relaxed atmosphere in the pavilion suddenly became tense again, and everyone regained their indifferent and detached attitude. Thirteen is a little colder, but where he is, the atmosphere is always relatively harmonious. In their eyes, there were times when Thirteen's words were more effective than those of the Pavilion Master. When he stood on the edge of the cliff, he told them with such an attitude: I promise that everyone will survive, provided that you listen to me. As a result, they really all survived, so this group of people was cold on the surface, but they were very respectful of him in their hearts, and they did not change for many years.

It is impossible for Ding Chaozhen to let an incompetent person be in charge of the murder of Kang Zhao. When he recommended Qu Shaojie to walk in Dali Temple, Thirteen secretly remembered it in his heart, planning to have a chance to contact him, maybe it was the person he was looking for. There are many rights and wrongs in Dali Temple, and those who can stay in Dali Temple must have some skills.

On the day of the Shangyuan Festival, at dusk, the lanterns on the street are lit one by one. Thirteen mixed in the crowd, watching Qu Shaojie and a few young friends from a distance, standing in the bright light to guess the riddle. Nineteen didn't come along, she hated crowded occasions, so Thirteen let her stay in the inn.

Qu Shaojie was wearing a brown robe, standing in the crowd and not dazzling. His face was resolute, and his eyes reflected the light, revealing a bit of coldness. The companion next to him said something to him, and the corners of his lips curled slightly, and he laughed with them as if there was nothing special about it. However, a few friends next to him looked flamboyant, and they all seemed more eye-catching than him.

Thirteen secretly thought to himself: People who will have such cold eyes are not easy to get close to, and they will not betray lightly; The character of not showing the mountain dew is exactly in line with his requirements.

Just thinking about it, Qu Shaojie suddenly turned his head and looked over here, just in front of Shang Thirteen's line of sight. Thirteen laughed at the time: Yes, the vigilance is also very high. He was extremely satisfied with this person, and he had the idea of making friends at the moment, so he did not dodge or dodge, turned his head against him, walked along the flow of people, and quickly stuffed a note into his hand at the moment of wiping his body.

Qu Shaojie was very surprised, looked in the direction he was leaving, and pondered.

"What are you looking at?" A young man who was traveling with him patted Qu Shaojie on the shoulder and asked.

Qu Shaojie came back to his senses, put the note into his sleeve, and returned to the lantern: "It's okay." Where did the riddle go? ”

On the sixteenth day of the first month, according to the message on the note, Qu Shaojie quietly went out of the city alone, and sure enough, he saw the thirteenth waiting outside the city. Nineteen stood at his side, his head hanging down, and most of his face was hidden.

Qu Shaojie froze and quietly pinched the dagger hidden in his sleeve: "Who are you?" ”

"You can call me Thirteen."

Qu Shaojie looked at the girl beside him, waiting for him to introduce. Thirteen turned a blind eye. Qu Shaojie waited for a while, and saw that he had no intention of opening his mouth at all, so he had to give up and ask seriously: "Those words on the note are true?" ”

Thirteen smiled easily: "If you didn't believe it at all, you wouldn't be here." ”

According to Thirteen's speculation, it is very dangerous to thoroughly investigate the truth about Kang Zhao's murder, but as long as you are prepared, there is still a lot of room for maneuver. He wrote these words down in a note, and Qu Shaojie obviously agreed with his guess, so he accepted his invitation.

"Do you know how to look?" Qu Shaojie is still skeptical.

Thirteen half-truths complimented: "With the ability of adults, even if I come up with any ideas, I will not be more clever than adults." I just need to tell the adults something, and I trust the adults to know how to do it. ”

Qu Shaojie stared at him: "What is the price?" ”

"A promise."

"Promise?"

"Yes. If I need help from an adult one day, I'll come to you with this promise. -- The adult is in an important position in Dali Temple, so I naturally won't embarrass you with things like murder and arson, but I just hope that by that time, for the sake of today's friendship, I will save people's lives. ”

Nineteen suddenly raised his head and interrupted Thirteen's words: "I will protect you." ”

Thirteen's grim expression softened suddenly, and he was suddenly in a good mood. He took her hand, a smile in his eyes, and watched her without speaking. Qu Shaojie was stunned the moment he saw the nineteenth face: there are still such beautiful people in the world!

Nineteen thought that Thirteen didn't believe her, so he was anxious, and threw away his hand angrily: "I'm the best at fighting." With me, no one dares to bully you. ”

Thirteen smiled even more, grabbed her shoulders, hugged her into his arms, and explained in a low voice, "I know, that's why I brought you out." ”

Nineteen was simple-minded in the end, and he coaxed lightly in a word, lowered his head and stopped talking. She didn't understand the deep meaning of the thirteen words, but Qu Shaojie, who was watching, understood, and asked tentatively: "Are you from the rivers and lakes?" ”

Thirteen generously admitted: "Yes. "The best way to deal with the people of Dali Temple is to confess. People who play tricks, they have seen too much, so much that they are disgusted.

Qu Shaojie didn't ask any more. He didn't know much about the affairs of the rivers and lakes, and he didn't have much interest. ――If you know too many things, you usually die quickly. According to his speculation, it was probably because these two people had offended something, they wanted to quit the rivers and lakes, and they were afraid of being sought revenge, so they wanted to come to the court to find a shelter. Qu Shaojie quickly thought about it, and then asked, "Why are you looking for me?" ”

"Because you, my lord, are the most cautious, and you are more reassuring in doing things. And, I believe that your Excellency needs my information the most. ”

Qu Shaojie didn't dare to relax his vigilance: "Why should I believe you? ”

Thirteen shrugged: "Believe it or not, your lordship decides for yourself." ”

Qu Shaojie pondered for a moment: "What kind of information?" ”

"It's not much, but it's enough to shake the court."

"Contents?"

"It has something to do with Kang Zhao's cause of death."

"You're not afraid that I'll regret it when I get the news?"

Thirteen chuckled when he heard this: "In the past twenty years, I have never looked at people, and I still have the confidence to know people." If you really look away this time, don't forget, adults, I am from the rivers and lakes, and I don't care about the number of lives in my hands. ”

After saying this half-seductive and half-threatening sentence, Thirteen didn't say anything more. He believed that Qu Shaojie had already made a judgment.

In fact, in terms of power, the Marquis of Dingguo and the Marquis of Huaiyang are undoubtedly the most suitable candidates. However, Thirteen did not impress the grasp of Dingguohou, and Huaiyang Hou, Thirteen took a look from afar and felt that this person was too feminine, and it was the best policy to avoid it.

After consideration, Qu Shaojie finally chose to cooperate. Of course, Thirteen would not stupidly run to Sue Qu Shaojie: Kang Zhao was killed by Xiange, and the murderer was a person from Xiange, come and check Xiange. -- He is still a member of the idle pavilion, and if something happens to the idle pavilion, he will not be able to escape.

In fact, Kang Zhao's assassination was planned by Mr. He, and all traces had already been perfectly erased, and it was extremely difficult to investigate. So Thirteen found another way to tell Qu Shaojie a name: Guo Maohuai, and successfully put Xiange out of the matter. After that, Qu Shaojie's expression made him quite satisfied: he had been dormant for nearly two months to secretly visit Guo Maohuai, but he did not rush to find problems and collect evidence, nor did he report to Ding Chaozhen as soon as possible, but quietly handed the emperor a secret fold. Compared with Ding Chaozhen, he believes in this man who is the Ninth Five-Year Honor.

Compared with Su Lihe, he is not gentle enough, but he is more calm and atmospheric.

During this period, a major event happened in the palace: Concubine Shu gave birth to a prince at the end of February, and the emperor was happy and rewarded a lot of palace people. As a result, within a few days, the little prince contracted a cold and died after a delay of two days. The emperor mourned, scolded the palace people who served, and lost his temper at the hospital, and finally ordered the little prince to be buried and mourned for three days.

On the same day, someone saw that the emperor urgently summoned the prince to the palace to discuss the matter, and all the palace people were dismissed, and the discussion lasted for two hours, and no one knew what they had said. Secretly, there is news that the death of the little prince is a murder. But after all, there is no real evidence, and the people in the rivers and lakes don't care about these royal things, so they quickly sank.

In mid-March, the day after Qu Shaojie handed over the secret fold, the saint asked Qu Shaojie about the progress of Kang Zhao's case in front of all the courtiers. Qu Shaojie knelt on the ground and did not dare to raise his head, saying that there was no progress yet, and asked for a grace time. Shengshang Longyan was furious, scolded him fiercely, and then sent a whole team of Praetorian Guards to take all Qu Shaojie's family members into Dali Temple for "strict protection".

Some people watched the fire from the other side, and some people waited to see Qu Shaojie lose his official position and abandon his knighthood. Su Li and Si had just ended, and when they returned to Dali Temple and heard about it, they immediately understood that things were not so simple. As he expected, when his family moved into Dali Temple, Qu Shaojie was actually snickering in his heart. On the surface, the "strict protection" is house arrest, but in fact it is really strict protection. The most important thing is that in this way, Qu Shaojie was completely relieved of his worries and began to concentrate on investigating the case.

Su Lihe carefully considered it and decided to stay away from this whirlpool for the time being. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, and he couldn't take any risks until he fulfilled his promise to Twelve.

So by May 170 of the Great Apocalypse, it was not he who provoked a new round of wind and rain, but the imperial historian Yang Zhongxian; The impeachment was the Jinju Taishou Kwak Mao-huai. Yang Zhongxian's impeachment this time was more severe than the last time, and even showed evidence: Jin Ming's signed confession, saying that the crimes he committed were all instigated by Guo Maohuai.

Brightly and secretly, looking at Yang Zhongxian's gaze suddenly became much more complicated: people who are too sharp usually die quickly. Su Lihe cautiously avoided the limelight, did not publicly stand up for him, and chose to wait and see.

What happened next was once again unexpected by everyone: after reading the confession, the saint actually issued an approval to search Guo Maohuai

(l~1`x*>+``+