If the sky is dark, then discredit survival. If it is dangerous to make a sound, then keep silent; If you feel powerless to shine, don't shine on others.

But don't get used to it and justify it; Don't be complacent about your own stubbornness; Don't mock people who are braver and more fervent than yourself. It can be humble as dust, and it cannot be twisted as a sister worm. - Chu Dawusa Aqi.

Bai Lie frowned at the window with sword-like ink eyebrows, the mountains and rivers were silent, the endless darkness and vitality of the lurkers in the lush ancient woods, and the flow of time kept changing in his eyes, and finally lost his color.

When he closed his eyes, he seemed to see the ridicule of those so-called clans and the tranquil smile of a peerless prince on that night in the imperial capital.

"Hehe, it's been a long time, the imperial capital!"

Bai Lie patted the hard mahogany window in front of him, and slowly lowered his head, making it impossible to see the look on his face.

Since that night, Bai Lie has resigned from his position under Wang Yu and returned to his former residence, cultivating himself and refining his martial arts, as if he had completely forgotten the night three years ago, but all the Bai family servants knew that their family master was waiting for an opportunity, a time to return to the imperial capital.

"The head of the family, the emperor has a letter. It was the Empress Dowager's own handwriting, and the head of the family was summoned to leave for the imperial capital immediately, and took the position of the commander of the Yulin Army, leading 175 staff officers of the Yulin Shogunate and 10,000 Yulin armor soldiers! ”

The house slave who knelt down on the side tried his best to suppress his excitement, "Family master, the opportunity for our Tianshui Bai clan to make a comeback has finally come!" It's finally here! ”

"What? Summoning me to the position of leader of the Feather Forest? ”

This unexpected good news made Bai Lie's face become dazed.

Even if Wang Yu really didn't get embarrassed because of his last disrespectful words, he abandoned his official position and left Tianyuan City without permission, returned to his former residence, and lived in seclusion in the family for all these years to study, without any achievements, without half a reputation at all, and how could the royal family suddenly summon him as the commander of Yulin?

The Yulin Army is a royal guard, with more than 100 staff officers up and down, and only one commander, further can participate in the royal military on the Qianyuan Palace, and take a step back is the first commander of the Yulin Army to lead a party.

Bai Lie was puzzled in his heart, but he didn't know how to think about this matter for a while, there must be something strange in this matter, but he was far away from the emperor now.

Could it be him? Bai Lie secretly planned for himself, and the figure of the peerless man in white appeared in his eyes.

"The Queen Mother's handwritten letter, stamped with the national seal, is foolproof!"

The house slave saw that his master was silent for a long time, but he thought that he was stunned, and hurriedly stepped forward and spread the letter high and held it high, "Prime Minister Yuan Cheng made a sponsor for you, even if the big person in the imperial capital does not dare to despise our Bai family!" ”

"Prime Minister Yuan? Yuan Taiqi? Bai Lie looked at the gold seal of the prime minister on the corner of the letter, and he was even more clueless for a while.

There are countless aristocratic families in the imperial capital, but the Yuan family is the leading family for a hundred years, no matter how the power in the court changes, the dignitaries in power do not dare to confront the power of the Yuan family.

Speaking of the first wealthy family in the imperial capital, a name will appear in the hearts of everyone in the Great Zhou, the fourth and third dukes, the family of the emperor, among which it is prominent, it is conceivable that there are so many families in the Great Zhou and there is one that can be compared with the Yuan family where Yuan Taiqi is in charge.

The first family in the world, after all, is still the Yuan family, there is no doubt about it.

And Yuan Taiqi, the head of the family of this generation, is a noble figure with literary style, and his life of glory and grace can be regarded as having reached the extreme of a minister.

He only had a one-sided relationship with Yuan Taiqi, although he had been appreciated by the powerful Zhou Shoufu, but Bai Lie never took it seriously, and he didn't dare to be negligent in his heart, let alone arrogant.

But now I don't know why the scheming Yuan Taiqi suddenly made such a big sponsor for him, and such a great favor made Bai Lie extremely confused for a while.

Bai Lie was faintly confused in his heart, but he seemed to sense that an unknown hand was manipulating everything about him, Bai Lie's eyes narrowed slightly, his eyes were sharp, and his face couldn't help but groan.

Unknown things always make people worry, just like when I saw Yuan Taiqi's eyes, I realized that in the power field of the imperial capital, there are cliffs everywhere.

The house slave on the side of the "...... of the head of the house" looked puzzled, and the whole person was filled with joy for the good things that were originally great, but at this time he was indifferent by the head of the house, as if he had been poured a basin of cold water on his head, and looked at him at a loss.

Bai Lie retracted his long eyes, and still silently looked at the green mountains in the distance with his hands in his hands, and the black silk on his head seemed to be washed with this inky night, rising and falling leisurely in the night breeze.

"Bai Ke, why do you say that Yuan Taiqi wants to sponsor me, sponsor a person who has nothing to do with him to ascend to a high position?"

The house slave named Bai Ke was stunned for a moment: "Of course, the prestige of the blood of our Tianshui Bai generals, now there are no famous generals in the royal family, it is an opportunity to recruit talents and recruit wise men."

Who can serve the country loyally like our Bai family? Our Bai family has shed blood for the Great Zhou for generations, why can't the horse leather shroud be on the high position.

You don't have to hesitate, the old master's wish before his death I believe that it can be realized in your hands after all, our Bai clan is still one of the seven major clans in the East Continent of Jiuzhou, but success or failure depends on the head of the family to enter the capital this time. ”

Bai Lie smiled silently, turned his head and glanced at the house slave: "Bai Ke, think carefully about everything, if you don't notice it for a while, I'm afraid that I will be killed."

You probably know why I left the imperial capital three years ago. Since the death of the first emperor, the chaos of the current situation in the world can no longer be suppressed by the power of the royal family alone.

The princes from all over the country took the opportunity to rise up, not listening to the central government's edict and dispatching, there are not a few rogue cavalry troops raised by the family, they are all lurking in the dark, and there are more than these wolf ambitions in the world, among which there are many people hidden in the secret, do you know how many people.

After the Battle of Shanhaiguan, the mighty general withdrew to the imperial capital of Sanfu, but the princes of Chu, Tang and Ming reoccupied the gate of the imperial capital instead.

However, He Jin occupied the land of the imperial capital Sanfu, and saw that he would soon be able to take the imperial capital Tianyuan City, and once again confront the princes in the north.

The ups and downs of the world are all ups and downs in a small imperial capital, all parties are overturned, and the emperor has no power.

Now this letter is equivalent to Yuan Taiqi suddenly coming to ask for friendship, do you think that when I stepped into the imperial capital, I just took over the position of the leader of the Yulin Army? ”

Bai Ke's eyes widened for a while, and his expression became overwhelmed.

He is just a rough warrior with some martial arts, he has not studied military science, and he is not afraid of swords, but he does not understand that in the struggle for power, how much killing is more than the blade of the sword.

"That'...... What does the head of the house mean...... Don't go to the imperial capital? ”

"No," Bai Lie looked grim and said categorically, "Pack up, we'll leave as soon as possible." ”

"Yes!" Bai Ke looked stunned and bowed his head suddenly.

"I know it's a killing field, but I have to try, we are the descendants of the Bai family in Tianshui, how many generations of the Bai family have been loyal to the royal family, now is the era of decline, how can the descendants of our Bai family escape? Turning the tide is imminent, and survival is in danger and death in troubled times. ”

Bai Lie's eyes flashed with a gleam, and he said in a low voice, "This is my father's, and it is also my wish!" ”

"Yes!" There was no more talk between master and servant.

Bai Ke didn't dare to withdraw without authorization, for fear that the head of the family would still have an identity to command, but Bai Lie just quietly watched the green mountains in the distance under the eaves.

Bai Ke raised his head and secretly glanced at him, his cold and upright face seemed to have a faint silver color under the moonlight, his expression was cold and rejecting people thousands of miles away, and he couldn't help but sigh lowly, the head of the family has become more and more withdrawn and indifferent since he came back from the imperial capital.

"And what is your wish?"

Bai Ke looked up blankly, not understanding why the head of the family suddenly said such incomprehensible words.

Bai Lie himself was stunned, he didn't know what he remembered, and smiled lightly in the night, as if the perennial frozen snow-capped mountains of the high mountains had melted a little.

At this time, across the vast land of Wanzhou, over the Thunder Eye Mountains that plunged straight into the sky, on the vast and high fields of Zhongzhou, a bonfire crackled and burned, reflecting the starlight as clear as water in the sky, illuminating the surrounding camps.

The cart full of goods formed a small circle around it, and the large rope that tied the goods was wrapped with small black flags, which was a large caravan, and this was the east of the imperial capital plain.

The terrain of Zhongzhou is higher than that of Wanzhou and Youzhou, and only one piece of the imperial capital plain is blessed, and the terrain is low-lying, and the rainwater accumulated all year round is suitable for farming.

In addition, most of it is an endless plateau, and farming yields only sorghum and millet, which is more suitable for grazing.

Three hundred years ago, King Qin Dahan, the king of the steppe people, led his army to the south and conquered a large area of Li in one fell swoop, killing corpses all over the ground, and Chen was also dying, so the two families abandoned this desolate land and moved the population to the fertile land east of Leiyan Mountain.

In this way, the highlands between the Leiyan Mountains and the Imperial Capital Plain became a wasteland, and only a few homeless people who could not afford to pay taxes would reclaim a wasteland here and grow some corn to fill their stomachs.

Hundreds of miles of land are scattered with just a few villages.

There should be no caravans in such a place, and there is no special output in the wasteland, but at this time, a small caravan is stationed in the night to rest.