There is a garden behind the Mingde Palace, where the empress often comes to play with flowers and plants.

There is a cottage built next to the garden.

The cottage was brightly lit and was destined to be a sleepless night.

Although it was late spring, the middle-aged scholar still sat alone at the table with a blanket.

Under the candlelight, his lips were slightly white, and his cheeks were unhealthy red, and there were obvious signs of qi and blood deficiency.

Due to perennial planning and thinking, Yuan Benxi, who should have been energetic, became worried and sick, and his body was weak and sickly, and there was always a dark aura hidden between his eyebrows.

Purple River Car, Cassia Seed, Atractylodes ...... A variety of different herbs were spread out on paper, and he methodically pinched them into small scales, weighed them accurately, and poured them into small clay pots for decoction.

The world only knows that he has unpredictable opportunities and looks radiant, but they don't know that his mind is exhausted, and he barely collapses all year round with the support of medicinal power.

With his brilliant talent, he has already reached the peak of the Seven Realms, and the reason why he has not been able to go further is because his ambition is to unify the north and the south, the latitude and longitude of heaven and earth, not to be a horseman with superior force.

Doing his best and dying, this is his choice, and it is also the difference between him and his master and brother.

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and a girl in white walked in and stood beside him. He didn't look up, still concentrating on cleaning up the pile of life in front of him.

As the master expected, it was indeed Lord Xiao who came in person, and the two sides almost fought. In the end, it was the sixth uncle who stepped forward and stopped Lord Xiao. ”

Zhao Xianglu stood with his hands down and briefly reported the final results of the auction.

Yuan Benxi was unheard.

"Uncle Xiao, he...... has been brought into the palace, and at the moment he is facing the saint in the imperial study. ”

Yuan Benxi was still silent.

Everything was exactly as he expected. He has lived in the palace for many years, and he knows the heart of the empress and Xiao Tieumbrella very well.

Seeing this, Zhao Xianglu stopped talking, and his eyes were filled with a touch of worry.

Yuan Benxi stared intently, staring at the fine scale on the scale rod, and cautiously pushed the rope to move, for fear that there would be a slight deviation in weighing.

"You're worried about him?"

Zhao Xianglu was stunned for a moment, and replied calmly: "He went out of Xiling with me, and originally had the friendship of classmates. My father has passed away, and he is now Xiling's biggest sustenance, and I don't want to see him have an accident. ”

Yuan Benxi's eyelids blinked slightly, and his tone was indifferent, "His ambition, how can he be satisfied with the little Xiling?" I'm afraid that this Chang'an City can't fit him. ”

Zhao Xianglu heard the chill in his words, hesitated for a moment, and pleaded: "Master, I know you don't like him. However, for the sake of the disciple's thin face, can you go through it yourself and save him in front of His Majesty? ”

Yuan Benxi poured the flavor angelica into the clay pot, put down the small scale, and was about to speak, when he suddenly coughed.

Zhao Xianglu was frightened, thinking that his words had made Shizun angry, so he quickly stepped forward and patted his back.

After a while, he finally calmed down, his face became more and more flushed, and he said, "Don't worry about it, his ability is far greater than you think." Not only will His Majesty not punish him, but he will most likely reward him and take his advice. ”

When Zhao Xianglu heard this, his heart was slightly relieved, and he hurriedly went to the inner room to get a wet towel and handed it to the master.

Yuan Benxi wiped the sweat he was holding back just now, and asked casually: "Do you know, I don't know him, why don't I like him?" ”

Zhao Xianglu shook his head.

"As a teacher all his life, he is good at treacherous scheming, hiding behind the scenes and weaving traps. I don't like to use yang schemes, and your little uncle is proficient in this way, and his methods are too arrogant. Just five realms, I want to run rampant in the capital, I think I am smart, but in fact, I am risking my life, and I am stupid! ”

Zhao Xianglu seems to understand whether he understands or not.

"The so-called yang conspiracy lies in taking advantage of the situation and calculating others in a bright and bright manner. Your little uncle has enough intelligence, but he doesn't have enough strength, he is obviously a fox and a tiger, relying on the master's grace, but what he actually wants to do is contrary to the master. Reckless, quick for a while, can only be regarded as self-inflicted! ”

Zhao Xianglu didn't understand it at all.

Yuan Benxi didn't care about her feelings, it was more like talking to herself.

"That's what I don't like about him. His Majesty and I have seen through his tricks, and the reason why we have not exposed him and allowed him to act arbitrarily is not because he is very clever, but because we want to take advantage of him and let him go. Wait and see, His Majesty will definitely take revenge on him in the future! ”

Perhaps because Ren Zhen's style is very different from his, and he is getting an axe from work under his nose, which makes him feel disgusted, and inexplicably thinks of an arrogant face after the success of his junior brother Yang.

Although Zhao Xianglu couldn't understand it, after hearing the word "revenge", his expression suddenly turned cold, and he said: "Master, he is your junior brother after all, or you ...... it."

Yuan Benxi snorted coldly and interrupted him, "I will watch from the wall, protect myself wisely, and I will never take the initiative to jump into this dispute." ”

He knew very well in his heart that Ren Zhen's Confucian sword initiates were indeed the best choice to solve the current crisis. His Majesty will adopt it, both in public and private, and he himself supports this proposal.

But he knew better that Ren Zhen's real ambition was to rise in the court, and he would inevitably offend the teacher and senior brother. At this time, if he takes a stand and stands on Ren Zhen's side, he will offend the other two parties, and the gains outweigh the losses.

So tonight, he never showed up, knowing it, but pretending to be a bystander who didn't know the inside story.

This is also the reason why he is unhappy with Ren.

Zhao Xianglu was a little helpless, and was about to persuade again, when a knock sounded on the door, and an inner supervisor walked in.

Seeing this, Yuan Benxi didn't wait for the inner supervisor to speak, so he stood up first, and sighed, "After all, I still can't escape ......."

He knew that His Majesty had summoned him to seek his opinion. Obviously she already had an idea, but she had to do more, obviously because she didn't want him to stay out of the matter and watch the excitement coldly.

Master, senior brother, junior brother, now even he, the second senior brother, is forced to get involved.

What else could he choose? As always, standing by His Majesty's side, of course.

He straightened his clothes, and under the guidance of the inner supervisor, he walked towards the imperial study.

The night was dark and the road ahead was dark.

The faint glow of the lantern illuminated his feet.

Stepping on the wide marble steps, he suddenly felt a chill.

He stopped and looked sideways, only to see a glimmer of light on the other stone path leading to the main hall.

A thin figure could be seen faintly, stopping there, as if looking at this one too.

The light was so dim that I couldn't see the man's face clearly.

But those eyes were glowing with a cold light, like a fierce wolf that had been dormant for a long time, examining its prey, which was terrifying.

This pair of brothers met and almost passed by.

The two looked at each other from afar, and at this time, what lingered in Ren Zhen's mind was the name that had appeared countless times in the secret file.

Yuan Benxi, the initiator of the three major cases of this dynasty. In order to help the empress sit on the throne, a series of conspiracies and tricks all came from his handiwork.

Obviously, the hatred is as deep as the sea, but Ren Zhen bowed down and saluted in the air.

"Meet Second Senior Brother."

His voice was very gentle, but Yuan Benxi felt colder and colder, as if he was afraid of Ren Zhen, quickly turned his gaze and strode towards the palace.

8)