After the rain, there is a strange smell of rotting wood and the fragrance of weeds and wildflowers.

In the courtyard, the weeds were raging, and the flowers that had been crippled by the waterfall rain were pitifully staggering, and the soldiers stepped on them and trampled them deep into the mud.

Ji Lie followed behind the armorer, bent down with a calm face, and straightened up a wild flower that survived but fell at the corner of the steps, this flower grew extremely beautiful, Ji Lie has been paying attention to it for a long time, it is the most beautiful bunch in the courtyard, although it is only the first bud, but it is already colorful, its body stem is broken, if the stem is not treated, it will not be long before it will rot and die like those flowers that have fallen into the mud.

"Houzi, the king is waiting."

The old palace man was urging beside him, but Ji Lie ignored him, but squatted down, found two branches to clamp its body stems, and then tore the hem of its clothes, tying them tightly together.

After doing all this, Ji Lie wiped the muddy water off his hands, stood up, and walked forward.

The old palace man followed behind him and chuckled: "Hou Zi is really a kind-hearted person, that flower can definitely be saved by Hou Zi like this, and he will definitely be able to survive." ”

Ji Lie looked back at Hua and said in his heart, "I hope so, there is only so much I can help you!" Turn around and keep walking.

The old palace man smiled: "Hou Zi, do you know what kind of flower this is?" ”

Ji Lie shook his head, he didn't know what kind of flower it was, just watching it struggle in the wind and rain, unyieldingly blooming with its own unique beauty, this stubbornness touched his heartstrings at once.

The old palace man said in a low voice: "This is the blood letter, we don't have such a flower in Anguo, it grows in the Yingyue Valley of the Song Kingdom, as long as there is a place for it, there will never be any other flowers." Hou Zi took pity on it so much, the old slave might as well come and have a scene, and later ordered someone to take care of it, and in two years, there will only be it in this courtyard. As he spoke, he smiled again: "Don't be surprised, Hou Zi, this flower has disappeared for seven years, and now it must have a reason for suddenly blooming, so the old slave will look at it differently." ”

Ji Lie looked at the old palace man fixedly, only then did he realize that he was not a palace man, although he was wearing a coarse linen robe, but his sleeves and robes were embroidered with the sun and moon dark lines, and this belonged to the symbol of the witch who served the great god of Haotian.

A palace man handed over a snake-headed crutch, and the old witch official took the crutch, held it, and looked at Ji Lie with a smile.

Anguo Shangwu Guan Shudu, of course Ji Lie has seen him, but every time he sees him, this old guy is presiding over the sacrifice, wearing a high hat on his head, and his face is also painted with heavy colored clay, which is the same as not masked, and his words seem to be talking about flowers, but they mean something, as long as he is not a fool, he can hear it.

It's a pity that Ji Lie is a fool, how can a fool understand such meaningful words? So, Ji Lie smiled, buried his head and walked straight, leaving the old witch behind him, the old witch squinted his eyes and followed disapprovingly.

Out of the "Fang Rong Palace", the prosperity of the Shaotai Palace is displayed in front of you, the beautiful buildings, the graceful palace maids constitute an ethereal picture, if it were not for the patrol of the long halberd armor to destroy the artistic conception, the Shaotai Palace after the rain is a fairyland on earth.

The sculpture stands in front of the sacrificial platform, it is the only way to go to the "Qi Yu Palace", all the people who come here will light their steps, because the stone is like the pride of the Anguo people, every Qing and the scholar see it, they can't help but think of that period of time, hundreds of years ago, this land does not belong to Anguo, King Wuying divided here, the first generation of Anjun came here with his retainers and staff, after decades of bloody battles, drove away the Shanjung, beat away Dongyi, and finally firmly planted the Vermilion Bird Flag here.

Anguo people have always remembered the old, so they wrote their achievements on this sculpture, so that every future generation can admire and remember.

Ji Lie stood in front of the sculpture, once again felt this kind of shock, from a distance I don't feel it, up close it is a behemoth, up to seven zhang, divided into three parts, the bottom of the base seal carved a battle, the middle is a six-wheel drive carriage, the top is the first generation of An Jun wearing armor, looking at all directions.

The old witch's voice sounded beside him again: "The merits of the predecessors, the silk books of the future." Under the attention of the great god of Haotian, every Anguo person is proud of this, and he also takes this as an example to have today's Anguo. Although today's Anguo is still not strong among the 800 princes, it is rich and strong. The old slave believed that one day, under the guidance of God, Anguo would rise among the princes because of the wise king. What does Hou Zi think? ”

Ji Lie tilted his head and didn't answer, the old and immortal old ginger is the hottest, the old and immortal fox is the most cunning, every word of this old thing is extraneous, but it makes people unable to grasp the beginning and the end, what does he want to do? Isn't he Guan Shudu? The king's closest confidants! How could it be implied that I would stay and compete for the throne of the Prince? What does his repeated hints so anxious mean?

Hehe, things are abnormal, they must be demons, you fool me like this, when I am a three-year-old child? If I stay, will you help me? Can you collect the body for me?

Ji Lie sneered in his heart, but the expression on his face did not change at all, and he slowly put down the hand on his eyebrows and said, "Ji Lie doesn't understand. After speaking, he turned around and walked towards the "Enlightenment Palace", walking fast and fast.

The old wizard was stunned for a moment, and chased after him with his crutches.

……

"Father, Father......"

In "The Palace of Enlightenment", An Jun's other two sons, Ji Feng and Ji Xuan, knelt in front of the desk with tears streaming down their faces, knocking their heads to the sky.

An Jun sat behind the case with a blank expression, turned a deaf ear to the sad crying of his two sons, took out a bamboo tube from under the low case and put it on the case, and said coldly: "Who is it, I will no longer pursue it, who are you crying and grabbing the earth to see?" The matter has come to this point, let the god Haotian decide, which of you will come first? ”

The cold voice did not carry any warmth, the two Hou Zi heard the shock, the second son Ji Feng raised his head, looked straight at the bamboo tube, and saw that there was a full tube of bamboo sticks inside, some long and some short, and this length and shortness will determine the fate of their brothers.

Three times, Ji Xuan raised her tearful face and shouted hoarsely: "Since the monarch is so suspicious of the child, why don't you just give the child a death?" After the child's death, the monarch's father will know what innocence is! ”

"Innocent ......"

An Jun's expression became even colder, and he stretched out his hand to push the bamboo tube: "For hundreds of years, something like this has never happened in An Guo, do you still know what shame and innocence are?" Now, being a father doesn't want to go against human ethics, but you still don't know how to be grateful, do you really want to be ruthless for your father? The elders stay, the short ones go, and each has its destiny! With that, he closed his eyes.

"Father, ......" The second son, Ji Feng, bowed deeply to An Jun: "The son is not innocent, but please think twice about the father, the son has become a vassal of the Houmen Ping Domain, and has his own vassal territory." If the monarch's father wants his son to go to the Song Kingdom as a hostage, the son will not dare to disobey, but he is afraid that once he leaves, the vassals will be uncontrolled and the territory will be wasted. ”

An Jun said: "No matter who goes, the Hou clan will not take back the territory, and your territory and vassals will be inherited by their respective eldest sons!" ”

"Thank you, father, son comes first!"

Ji Feng smiled miserably, and was about to pick up the bamboo tube, but Ji Xuan got up awkwardly and said angrily: "The monarch's father is unfair, since he is resigned to fate, why can't he see the fourth brother?" Could it be that he is not the son of the monarch's father? ”

At this time, someone finally remembered the fool, and someone finally called Ji Lie the fourth brother, not the son of Song Ji!

Ji Feng's hand paused, and he also looked at An Jun.

An Jun's eyelids jumped, and when he opened his eyes, his eyes were even colder.

"He's got his own place!"

……

"Cuckoo, cuckoo......"

The birds on the beam jumped around, the candlelight shook An Jun's uncertain face, the bamboo tube on the case was empty, and there were a bunch of bamboo sticks scattered on the ground, and the two sons left with their respective bamboo sticks, some rejoiced, and some cried bitterly.

It's been seven days, all the clues have gathered together, but still haven't been able to come up with a clear result, who is the mastermind behind the scenes, An Jun is too lazy to investigate, since the problem appears at the source, then solve the dispute at the source, leave one and exile one, so as not to happen again.

It's just that he has more than three sons, and one ......

And this one is the most headache.

Just when An Jun had a headache, the last son came, An Jun cheered up, straightened his waist, and watched his youngest son cross the threshold and walk towards him step by step.

There is a rainbow above the temple gate, and the mottled light and shadow are thrown into the corridor covered with a vermilion cloth carpet, and the column heads are also reflected in the light, and each column head is carved with a cloud-climbing vermilion bird, which is made of fine Qi lacquer. Anguo is indeed rich, and such a magnificent arrangement is afraid that only the rich Qi country can do it.

Ji Lie walked in the light and shadow, not squinting.

The bronze jade tree lamp shook around, but he couldn't shake An Jun's face, Ji Lie didn't look at his own monarch father, his eyes moved with his toes, until he came to the case, knelt down silently, and pressed his knees silently.

"Look up." An Jun said.

Ji Lie raised his head, and An Jun looked carefully.

'It's exactly like her......

It's been seven years, since Song Ji's death, An Jun is the first time to look at this stupid son so closely, his eyebrows are thick, his eyes are warm, his nose is like a knife, and his thin lips are like a knife.

This feeling made An Jun feel as if he had returned to twelve years ago, when the proud little marquis looked at him condescendingly, and the corners of her mouth were also like this, slightly upturned.

After a while, An Jun came back to his senses and looked directly at Ji Lie: "Some people say that you are a fool, and some people say that you are pretending to be stupid, is it in your eyes that everyone in the world is a fool?" ”

An Jun's voice was not loud, and even the cuckoo cry on the beam could cover it up, but it was such a sound that shot straight into Ji Lie's chest like a cold arrow, exploding violently.

Stinging, a little deeper.

The more painful his heart became, the more calm Ji Lie became, pressing his knees, tilting his head slightly, and staring at the high monarch. His eyes are hollow, but they are like water lines, and you can see yourself rippling in them when you look into them.

After a long time, An Jun actually squinted, avoided Ji Lie's gaze, pointed to another bamboo tube on the case, and said coldly: "You smoke one, the elder stays, and the short one goes." If it is a short bamboo, if I don't die, you will not return. ”

The elders stay, the short ones go, if you don't die, I won't return! Haha, you still hope I'm a fool, but unfortunately it backfired, I finally let you down, my lord!

The corners of Ji Lie's mouth sank imperceptibly, let go of the hand that pressed his knee, and stretched out to the bamboo tube on the case, the bamboo tube was very large, and there were only two thin bamboo sticks inside, one long and one short, which was clear at a glance......

An Jun frowned and stared at him, waiting for his choice.

Outside the hall, the old witch official's face was solemn, and his wide robe swayed in the evening breeze.