Zhao Xu looked like he was sleeping. His thick eyelashes rose and fell with his breathing, and his delicate nose made him look more handsome and vulnerable. His brow furrowed slightly, his eyelids tightly closed, and he looked worried. However, he is very quiet, very calm, even if in the dream is a landslide and tsunami, and his body is collapsing and collapsing, the surface of his body is still extremely peaceful and gentle, like a pool of stagnant water, like Wang Sunsin, the restless soul is bound by the dying body, he can't let out a cry of pain, he can't struggle, he has no choice.

But falling asleep isn't necessarily a bad thing. In the past ten years, he has hardly slept well, except at this most dangerous moment of life. People say that being the emperor is the best and the biggest, and everyone envies him, but he himself doesn't think so. Every day before dawn, he got up to wash, and then went to greet his mother, then read, had breakfast, and began to go to court. He grew up listening to the ministers babbling in front of him, not so much asking for his opinion as acting on the rest of the ministers in defiance of his existence. After listening to it, he was dragged to worship his ancestors, and before the sun set, his body was exhausted, where did he get the energy to take care of the harem affairs. He just wants to go to bed – go to bed early and get more time to rest, because getting up every morning is a thunderous thing.

But the affairs of the harem women always came to him, and he couldn't ignore it if he didn't want to—he was ordered to choose a concubine to sleep, and the Empress Dowager Gao stared at Empress Meng and walked into his room, asking him to do things wholeheartedly. It's not just that it's not as easy as competing for favor, it's about his heirs, about the royal family, about life, Empress Dowager Gao warned him like this, but he didn't want to face Empress Meng for a moment, he felt that she was crazy. Walking into his room every day and every day, it was like an earthbound spirit that couldn't shake off and couldn't be shaken off, and the resentment couldn't be dissolved. There is a sense of frustration in her body, she is also like a walking corpse, no matter when, she is dead and lifeless, and she turned around and said to the Queen Mother that the emperor was cold to her. The Queen Mother said, the emperor is still young and ignorant, so he can only force him. So the queen mother sent eunuchs to light incense and medicine, and did everything she could, and finally made the queen pregnant with a dragon.

However, only three months later, on a bright spring day, Empress Meng had a miscarriage. said that they were weak and had no ability to protect the fetus, and they were silent about anything else. Privately, however, Zhao Xu had seen the stillborn baby - although it had not yet taken shape, like the embryo of a chick with huge eyes, it was not destined to become a "normal" baby. It had three eyes, and a long, fleshy tail that wrapped itself around the umbilical cord and around its own neck, and tightened it in a dozen circles, causing its eyes to bulge out and its head to deform, and it strangled itself to death, trapped to death. It is probably the most primitive way to cut off oneself and block the tragedy from happening.

Zhao Xu was deeply traumatized and puzzled. He felt that his daily routine did not allow him to do anything unhealthy on his own, but something like this happened that made him have to accept the reality. Guilt and fear forced him to bow his head, he was a little concerned about Empress Meng, he was still young, he didn't know how to do it, so he had to ask the Queen Mother. When the Queen Mother heard this, she felt that he had finally opened her mind, and she was very relieved.

However, not long after, Zhao Xu discovered a charm under his pillow. The bright red unfamiliar character, this extremely strong and extremely evil perception made his hands tremble. However, it was impossible for this thing hidden under the pillow to go undiscovered, and the servants came to tidy up and clean it every day, and it could only be that everyone worked together to hide him, and he thought of his father, who had died of a sudden illness. But such a situation seems to make it impossible for people to save themselves, and he is the only one who does not know, and everyone is eyeing him.

So Zhao Xu no longer paid attention to Empress Meng, let alone mentioned this matter again. Empress Meng walked into his bedroom, he ignored it with a cold face, and finally forced Empress Meng to take the initiative to mention to the Queen Mother that the emperor has been in a bad mood recently, so it is better to let him arrange his own time. The Queen Mother said, since you say so, then let him go. However, the Queen Mother didn't expect that Zhao Xu would turn her head and let other concubines come to bed. He found different concubines to sleep with every day, and he couldn't climb out of the womanhood.

Empress Meng told the Queen Mother about this. The Queen Mother said, this is a good thing, it means that the emperor has opened his mind. Don't forget that the emperor is only thirteen years old, and he is still a child. When he tries them one by one and gets tired of them, he will know that your position as queen must not be shaken, and he will eventually return to you.

But—Empress Meng pinched her fingers and calculated, if she let them sleep one by one, she would have to wait for thirty or fifty years. But she couldn't say these words, after all, she was of noble birth and had received a lot of education, and if she seemed anxious and eager, she would look like a slut.

What's even worse is that after a few months, none of these concubines that Zhao Xu had pampered were pregnant. This time it was the queen mother's turn to be anxious, she called the eunuchs and maids who had served Zhao Xu one by one to interrogate and interrogate, only to learn from them that every time after the end of the waiting, when asked whether the emperor would keep the dragon species, the emperor said with an extremely tough attitude, not to stay.

Do not stay. Leave nothing. I'm not out of grief over the loss of my child, I'm not in a hurry to want the prince, I don't want anything, I just want to spoil the concubine, not the queen, that's all. I'd rather be here than face what I'm going to face, and I'm going to run away, it's the only power I can exercise as an emperor. I don't want to, I don't want to be driven down in a hurry because I have a prince.

It wasn't until the appearance of Liu Qingjing that such a scene ended. However, Liu Qingjing's children are also monsters. None of Zhao Xu's children were born normally, let alone normal people. Zhao Xu was deeply shocked, and from then on, every night, when he closed his eyes and entered the dream world, before the dream that lasted all night was over, the monster inside would take the form of his child, open its mouth like a black hole, and babble and cry.

So he didn't want to wake up. He didn't want signs of sobriety. He just wanted to sleep forever.

And now his dream seems to be coming true. He slept silently in the infinite darkness, in the dungeon beneath the palace, in a secret place that no one could discover, except that he could breathe, it seemed to be no different from a buried corpse.

The Queen Mother stayed by his side, pulled up his sleeves, and pulled up along his slender arms - the thin, rotten skin and flesh emitted a foul smell, the Queen Mother's eyelids bulged slightly, although her hands did not tremble, but when she pulled the emperor's robe back up, cold sweat also broke out.

- Is it too late?

It may be too late for the emperor. But for the Queen Mother, it seems that time is a little short. She can't stay here any longer, she still has people to see and things to do.

"Your Majesty, you can rest here for a while. The mourning family is going to meet a few people and will be back soon. The emperor doesn't have to worry. The Queen Mother leaned down and said softly in Zhao Xu's ear, "Speaking of which, the mourning family has never heard you call the imperial grandmother." Only Ji'er called the grandmother of the mourning family. Isn't it true that you've never recognized the identity of the mourning family since you were sensible? But it doesn't matter. The emperor's hatred can be understood by the mourning family. But the emperor's suffering must not end easily - the emperor is the most important 'bargaining chip'. ”

With that, the Queen Mother turned around and walked into the boundless darkness.

"It's coming. Shao Bowen opened his eyes and said.

What caught his eye was a translucent gauze tent, and although the windows and doors were closed, the cold wind still penetrated in, blowing the gauze tent lightly, like a moonlight sweeping.

Liu Anshi sat opposite him and said, "What's coming?"

Shao Bowen smiled at him and said slowly: "The wheel of irresistible fate has turned again. ”

Liu Anshi sneered and said, "You might as well say that the Queen Mother is here, I am more happy to hear it." But now we are under house arrest and can't get out of this house, and we can't do anything we want. ”

"Don't worry, my old friend. Shao Bowen really said unhurriedly, "We were invited into the palace, although the way of invitation was a little rougher, but after all, we were not thrown into prison again, and house arrest is not to deny us food and drink, nor to torture us, so that we can survive in the pile of dead...... You get the idea, right?"

It doesn't feel good to refresh unpleasant memories. Liu Anshi's face became ugly, and he turned his head and snorted.

Shao Bowen smiled: "You are still impatient and pessimistic. Also, you don't know what this place is, but I do. ”

"Where?"

"The setting, the furniture, and even the dead plants are just like the scenes I remember from my home as a child. Shao Bowen narrowed his eyes and said softly, "If I am not mistaken, this is the room that my father once owned when he was in the palace...... Oh no. I don't have to guess, I just have to 'look' to know its past and future. ”

In the middle of the empty and cold room is a stone table, on which there are various calligraphy posts, pen, ink, paper and inkstone. Pictures of rivers and mountains hang on the walls of the room, and smoke fills the gray and white mountains. There were a few plants near the doors and windows, almost all of them withered except for a few succulents, and at the very back of the room was a large bed, which was hidden by a veil, and there was no one in the bar for many years. The whole room feels elegant and empty, as if there was a beautiful past, and now the deceased is gone, leaving only a lonely soul.

Shao Bowen got up and touched a few brushes in the pen holder in front of him, they were like tall and slender bamboos, scattered towards the sky, he stroked the body of a pen, and muttered: "At that time, my father had a very high status in the palace, so the emperor would favor him so much, and even prepared this room for him to live in, so that he could often communicate with him about divination." It's just that the good times didn't last long, and the emergence of the Huayang Sect made my father realize the arrival of the crisis. He decided to leave at the first sign of danger. ”

Liu Anshi said: "Your father is also like you, he can see the past and the future, but why didn't the emperor believe in you, but believed in the Huayang Sect, which is a heresy and threatens the survival of the royal family?"

"Quite simply, because my father thought that outcome was 'unchangeable'. Shao Bowen said, "He said to the emperor, your life is about to come to an end, the hope of eternal life is about to be dashed, and there is nothing to be done." The Huayang Church controls the royal family, and if you want to defeat the Huayang Sect immediately, it is almost impossible. This is the 'future' that my father saw, exactly as the emperor saw. ”

Liu Anshi smiled bitterly: "I see. People really don't like to listen to the advice of the contrary, and even when they know the direction of the result, they prefer to believe the villain who speaks according to his wishes. In this way, you and I have been in trouble for this reason, and even almost suffered a catastrophe, no wonder we have been friends for so many years. ”

Shao Bowen's gentle and quiet eyes were slightly bent, he chuckled, and said: "Don't compare me with you, Liu Anshi, you tell the truth purely regardless of the occasion, but I know how to judge the situation, and I decided to return to Bianjing when it is actually appropriate." ”

Liu Anshi snorted and said with a smile: "Did you calculate it? Then can you calculate that we are arrested again now? Fate is really ridiculous, I originally thought that after escaping from the prison, I could accomplish many things in one go, but who expected that after the calculation, there was a deeper calculation. Who do you think can imagine, who can calculate? Do you calculate? Can you calculate that we will be re-bound at this moment?"

Shao Bowen laughed and said, "I can't count it, of course I can't count it." I don't need to know this, I haven't even really deduced it, I came to Bianjing this time, and I was entrusted by someone to get here. ”

"Someone tricked you? Liu Anshi said, "I didn't even think about it, I came to Bianjing, your father's disciples all left one after another to save their lives, and you came from Shu thousands of miles away, why bother......

"Because," said Shaw, "that is my father's will." Although the 'ending' of the time of the Divine Sect cannot be changed, now, decades later, the 'turning point' will be born in the gap between life and death. This hexagram, even more resolute and unchangeable than the one my father calculated for the emperor at that time, and my existence is to witness this 'change'. ”

Liu Anshi was stunned for a moment, and said: "'Turning point'? Are you saying that the emperor is saved, and the situation is very likely to be reversed?"

"As I said, I can't predict exactly what will happen next, or how many grains of rice will be in the next meal. I only know the 'direction' and the 'key' in it. He looked up at Liu Anshi, the cold wind blowing through his hair and clothes. He smiled and said, "I saw the thing you gave to His Royal Highness King Duan, it is the key to unraveling the mystery and the key to unlocking the truth." ”

When Liu Anshi heard this, his expression suddenly relaxed, and he said, "If you say so, I am much more relieved...... My concern is that His Royal Highness Duan Wang doesn't know how to 'use it', and consequently, doesn't know where to go. ”

"His Royal Highness King Duan is very smart. And it's smart enough to know how to hide. "If that's what you're worried about, then you don't have to think about it. His Royal Highness King Duan—he's already here. He may have already started to act. ”

"Really...... That's good. Liu Anshi smiled, "So now, only the two of us half-aged old guys have nothing to do here." ”

"Doing nothing is a good thing. Let a sleeping dog lie. Shao Bowen said, "And it's not time to break out, you haven't thought about breaking through by force at all, you're just anxious." Okay! Soon, maybe it was a stick of incense, maybe in the blink of an eye, and we were able to get out of here. Do you believe me, Anshi Liu?"

Liu Anshi said: "Aren't you incalculable? I won't listen to your nonsense." That being said, a smile had already appeared on his face. He was so glad he was able to get out, and he didn't want to stay here any longer.

"It's coming. "Let's go to the door, someone will meet us." ”

I wanted to give a surprise, but when I opened the door, I saw two guests standing in front of the door waiting for him, Hua Yanjin was really startled, he jumped up and took three steps back, and said: "Ouch, two adults, two adults are in good spirits, they haven't slept in the middle of the night, they are preparing...... Ready to breathe some fresh air outside your door?"

"What nonsense? Liu Anshi said sharply, "Let's just wait to go out, don't be hypocritical and pretend to say something that you don't have, and you don't hear it." ”

His voice was like a bell, and he directly frightened Hua Yanjin. After a while, he came back to his senses and hurriedly said, "...... Yes, yes, yes. It was a small one who saw the two adults, and he was so nervous and excited that he forgot the words for a while. The Queen Mother is invited, the Queen Mother is invited. ”

He has been frightened enough today, and the most terrifying thing is that he originally wanted to go back to the palace to seek refuge, and by the way, report the danger encountered on the road, in order to get some compensation, but Wang Liefeng galloped on his horse, stopped in front of him and said, Let's go, let's go in together, you can take me to the errand.

As a result, not long after handing over Wang Liefeng, Zhang Dian asked him to invite Liu Anshi and Shao Bowen out and bring them to the Queen Mother, without considering whether he needed a little rest time. It's really inhumane, but fortunately, he is still trusted, and he has captured Wang Liefeng back, and he is even more promising for promotion.

Thinking like this, he still felt good in his heart. He excitedly called the two adults outside, called his subordinates to take them to the Queen Mother, and then ran to Wang Liefeng's place for a routine inspection.

Wang Liefeng sighed. He no longer had the strength or desire to speak. His whole body acupuncture points were sealed, his neck, wrists, legs and feet were all locked in flails, and the slightest movement made a dingling sound of impact, and the five iron chains were locked in the four corners of the wall, and the iron chains on his head and neck were dragged on the ground, and people who came could hold the iron chains in their hands. He was like a flying insect, stuck in a large, iron web that touched the keen senses of the trapper's feet at the slightest movement.