As soon as he entered the capital, Shen Ruoyu went straight to the Jinghua Inn, settled Nangong Qiu in a first-class suite on the second floor, and told the maid named Dou'er to take good care of the county lord and not go out; He also deliberately told Xiao Er loudly that the owner of Cheng'an County lived in the east room upstairs, and he asked the store to take care of it, especially not to allow nuisances such as idle people.

Then, he left the inn, rode a second-rate son, rushed to the palace, crossed Chang'an Street, left his horse at the right gate and walked straight to the Chengtian Gate.

The soldiers guarding the outer Wulong Bridge blocked the road and asked who it was. Shen Ruoxiao smiled slightly, reported his name, and then stepped over the soldier's obstacle without saying anything, before these jaw-dropping Imperial Forest Army could react, he crossed the Outer Wulong Bridge, bypassed the soldiers guarding the Chengtian Gate, and entered the city gate, as if entering a no-man's land.

The soldiers guarding knew the origin of Cheng'an Yibin, and they didn't know what to do for a while, so they froze in place, and did not shout to chase, and let him go down with his sword.

Shen Ruoyu concocted the Imperial Forest Army guarding the Duanmen and Wumen in the same way. The guards at the noon gate were very loyal to their duties, but they found that they couldn't stop Cheng'an Yibin, Shen Ruoliao didn't do anything with them at all, and instantly crossed the Inner Wulong Bridge and entered the Fengtian Gate far away, so fast that they didn't have time to blink, and could only stomp their feet behind.

Shen Ruoyu walked through the Wenlou and walked to the Wenyuan Pavilion. However, he guessed wrong, Zhu Yunwen did not study here, only Fang Xiaoru and a few Hanlin scholars were ordered to edit the "Taizu Record". Seeing him come in, Fang Xiaoru was stunned at first, and then shouted:

"Ruo Few? How did you get in? ”

Shen Ruoyu saluted respectfully and said, "Mr. Fang, where is the Son of Heaven?" ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "It's in the Qianqing Palace." You're—"

"I'm back, and as you would expect, it's only April." Shen Ruoyu smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Fang." ”

After speaking, he turned around and walked out of Wenyuan Pavilion and walked towards Qianqing Palace.

He entered the Qianqing Gate with the autumn wind, and the guard's own soldiers rushed up without their strength, and they were knocked down two in an instant. Shen Ruoyu said politely:

"It's rude; Don't worry, I'm not here to assassinate. ”

Then, he walked straight into the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Yunwen was teasing his four-year-old little prince with Queen Ma, when suddenly the guards at the door rushed in in a panic, threw himself on the ground and stammered and exclaimed that Cheng An Yibin had arrived. Before the words fell, Shen Ruoyu had already walked into the hall calmly, knelt down respectfully and said:

"The Son of Heaven is above, please forgive me for being rude."

Zhu Yunwen was shocked, the clever Queen Ma had already picked up her son and ran away, went out of the Qianqing Palace through the back door, and ran back to Kunning Palace.

Zhu Yunwen walked back to his seat in a panic and sat down, and asked softly:

"How did Cheng An Yibin suddenly appear here?"

Shen Ruoyu said with a smile: "Your Majesty, you are really choked, from Chengtianmen to Qianqing Palace, there is no one in the Imperial Forest Army along the way." If I were an assassin, the Ming Dynasty would be doomed now. ”

Zhu Yunwen couldn't help but ask, "You're not an assassin?" ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "If I am really an assassin, I can't wait until now." I'm here to tell you, allow me to be your Imperial Guard. Otherwise, you soldiers, you might as well let them go home and pick up their children. ”

Zhu Yunwen was extremely shocked: "You want to be my imperial guard?" Is this what Uncle Four Emperors mean? ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "Yes and no." King Yan sent me and the lord of Cheng'an to the capital to serve the Son of Heaven. The prince's handwritten letter is here, and I would like to ask Your Majesty to read it. ”

He delivered the letter. Zhu Yunwen took the letter tremblingly and hesitated for a long time.

"But, but ......"

Shen Ruo saw that he hesitated for a long time, but he didn't dare to open the letter, and said:

"Your Majesty, what are you nervous about? I'm not forcing you to make a decision now. You read the letter first, and then discuss it with Mr. Fang, Qi and Huang, as well as with your queen mother. ”

Fang Xiaoru finally arrived anxiously at the same time as the Royal Forest Army team, and squeezed into the hall together. When Fang Xiaoru saw the Son of Heaven, he immediately knelt on the ground and shouted long live. Without a word, the guards had already surrounded Shen Ruoyu three layers inside and three layers outside, drawing their swords and glaring angrily.

Zhu Yunwen immediately stopped the guards, and then ordered Mr. Fang to get up quickly. Then, he asked Fang Xiaoru:

"Mr. Fang, the right person Cheng'an Yibin told me that he wants to be my imperial guard, what do you think?"

Fang Xiaoru glanced at the human wall surrounded by the Imperial Forest Army suspiciously; Shen Ruoyu was blocked inside and couldn't see.

He cautiously asked, "Is this what King Yan meant?" ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "It's King Yan's intention, but it's my own decision." ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "Cheng'an Yibin, do you understand the rules?" If you enter the palace without permission and trespass on the guards, you are guilty of a felony of disobedience. The Guards can kill you instantly; At the lightest, you will also be armed with your whole body and sent to the Three Law Divisions to file a case for questioning in order to rebel. You're still whimsical about being a royal guard? ”

Shen Ruoxiao was silent for a moment and said, "I didn't expect this. I just want Banzai to see that his Imperial Guards really don't look good, and they need to be reorganized and trained immediately. ”

Zhu Yunwen wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "I know, I understand." But you scared the hell out of me. ”

Shen Ruoxiao's tone was much softer: "Your Majesty, Ruoliao has no intention of scaring you. I'm afraid that I'm going to be out of the woods, and I won't be able to convince you that your palace is not safe, and your safety is not fully guaranteed, so I came up with such a solution. ”

Jianwen Tianzi said softly: "In this case, I blame you. These soldiers are loyal and righteous people, and when they meet each other in a hurry, they hope that they will not frighten you, and you will not embarrass them. ”

He waved weakly and shook his head; The Imperial Forest Army surrounding Shen Ruoyu looked at each other, reluctantly withdrew their weapons, and withdrew from the encirclement, but they were still not at ease, so they still stood behind, watching with fierce eyes, and refused to leave.

Shen Ruoyu smiled calmly and replied, "Your Majesty is serious. It is their duty to protect the safety of their majesty; It would be a great thing if they were surrounded by their troops. You can train if you don't have good skills, but if you don't even have a minimum sense of responsibility and vigilance, then it's hopeless. ”

"Cheng'an Yibin, why did King Yan let you come to Yingtian to be the imperial guard of the Son of Heaven?" Fang Xiaoru was still very skeptical.

Shen Ruoyu said: "King Yan said in the letter that there is something at home and the three princes are urgently needed to go home, but because he had to snatch the three princes away from the Son of Heaven, he was ashamed and uneasy, so he specially sent me and the county lord to the capital to serve the Son of Heaven. To put it bluntly, King Yan wants to use the two of me as hostages in exchange for his three sons. ”

Zhu Yunwen's face suddenly turned red, and he said weakly: "Why did the Fourth Emperor Uncle say this, the three younger brothers are just studying here, where are they hostages......

"Your Majesty," Shen Ruoyu said in surprise, "If you say so, then King Yan will already win." He will then press you to ask you why the court does not let them go home since they are not hostages; How are you going to answer at that time? ”

Zhu Yunwen was completely panicked by Shen Ruoyu's question in just a few words, and he could only look at him in fear, speechless at all. Fang Xiaoru asked suspiciously and vigilantly:

"Cheng'an Yibin, what do you mean?"

Shen Ruoyu said: "Your Majesty, Mr. Fang; King Yan only wanted his three sons back, and knew that the court would not release people in vain, so he came up with such a way to send the two of us over - one is the county lord, although he only recognizes it, but after all, he has a reputation; The other, who has some fists and feet, can let him use his hands on weekdays to support the palace table, and at this moment he is just sent to the Son of Heaven as a guard to show his loyalty. On the surface, everything is logical. If the court leaves me and does not let the three princes return to Beiping, the people of the world will accuse the Son of Heaven of being mean and unrighteous and bullying King Yan; If I don't keep me, I will be regarded by the world as a small-bellied chicken intestine, and in order to take the three princes as hostages, even the county lord and honor guests sent by King Yan to honor the Son of Heaven have been driven away, and they will also be laughed at by the world. Your Majesty, you are in a dilemma, all of this is in the calculation of King Yan. As for what happened to me and the county lord, whether we would be locked up by the imperial court, how much I would be wronged in the capital, whether I could return to Beiping in this life, and whether I would even have my life, it was just an excuse for him to use, and he didn't care at all. ”

Zhu Yunwen sat there in a daze, still embarrassed and dumbfounded. Fang Xiaoru frowned, and asked with some confusion:

"What do you mean ——?"

Shen Ruoyu said: "Mr. Fang, King Yan's attention to me is all for outsiders to see. Qiu'er has nothing to do with him in the final analysis. And I will always be Shen Rufeng's son, except for martial arts, nothing else; The knife is too fast, but it is easy to cut yourself, it is better to give it to the Son of Heaven, and you can also be a favor. He named Qiu'er the lord of the county and recruited me as a guest of honor, in fact, all so that he could exchange us for his son today. I don't care about wealth and fame, I don't care about running errands and sending letters for him, I just hope that he can trust me and recognize my abilities; I was unwilling to give all my efforts, but in the end I was just a chess piece in his hand, without my own personality and choices. He sent me to the capital to serve the Son of Heaven, and I could just take advantage of this opportunity to seek a righteous path for myself and Qiu'er, a long-term and stable backer. - Your Majesty, Mr. Fang, please forgive me for my words. I'm not here to ask the court for a living; But if you're in my place, you'll understand my state of mind. ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "What is the right way you are talking about? ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "The court pushed the boat down the river and accepted the salute of King Yan, but did not let the three princes go. From now on, I am a person who lives long live, only serving the Son of Heaven, and I am no longer under the control of King Yan. ”

Fang Xiaoru pondered for a moment and said: "Shen Ruoxiao, I only want to ask you one thing: King Yan sent you to Beijing, and Mao Sui recommended himself as the imperial guard, the real intention, in addition to replacing his third son, is it more for you to be the eyes and ears of the court for him; With you serving by the Son of Heaven day and night, His Majesty's every move will be under his control from now on? ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "You guessed right; This is exactly how King Yan's wishful thinking worked, I became the imperial guard, and he could kill two birds with one stone. ”

Fang Xiaoru sighed: "In that case, how can you teach the Holy Lord to believe in you?" How does the Church court accept you? Who knows what you just said, didn't you deliberately say it to coax the Son of Heaven, just to get that position? ”

Shen Ruoyu thought for a while and said:

"Your Majesty, Mr. Fang, King Yan sent me and the county lord to the capital as hostages, do you know how much he gave us?"

He looked at the expressions of the two of them and said softly, "Two ingots." ”

Zhu Yunwen had no idea, and instinctively looked at Mr. Fang. Fang Xiaoru shook his head in disbelief:

"Two ingots?"

Shen Ruoyu nodded: "I and the identity of the guest of honor of Qiu'er County are just an empty roster, there is no mansion in Beiping, there is no Yulu, and there is no real job, after getting married, I still live in my stepmother's small hotel, help her look after the store, and then there was some change, she was kicked out of the door by her own son, homeless, King Yan just had an idea, so he sent us to Yingtianlai, and only willing to give us two ingots, saying that after I became the imperial guard, I naturally have a fortune." Your Majesty, if you know the truth of cannibalism and do your best for others; King Yan left me and Qiu'er alone, kicked us to the court to feed, but asked us to serve him in turn and keep an eye on the tip of the court, I can't do this. ”

"This is too much," Zhu Yunwen couldn't help but say, "After all, the county lord's honor guest is the county lord's honor guest, although it is only in the name, but after all, there is a name, and you are the emperor's relatives; Uncle Four Emperors treats you like this, it is too mean, and it violates the etiquette system, and it hurts my royal dignity even more. ”

Fang Xiaoru frowned and said: "King Yan is eloquent and generous-minded, and he has never been a person who cares about the general situation and does not care about the general situation. ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "Your Majesty, Mr. Fang, you don't need to believe me now, and you shouldn't be so gullible. I know that all this is not only because of King Yan, but also because of my father's factors, which make it especially difficult to accept me. Shen Ruoyu will not force you to make any decisions; I just broke in, and I didn't want to force His Majesty to ask for me. I just want to show your choice and attitude to Your Majesty, I am willing to stay by your side, be a royal guard, and from now on I will only protect Your Majesty wholeheartedly and to the best of my ability, and will not listen to the dispatch of King Yan. If you decide that you don't want to believe me no matter what, give me a chance, just one sentence, I will immediately leave the capital with the county lord and go back to Beiping, and from then on, whatever King Yan tosses me, I will accept my fate. ”

"Where do you and the county lord live now?" Fang Xiaoru asked.

Shen Ruoliao said: "Jinghua Inn." ”

Zhu Yunwen sighed: "How do you live in the inn? It's all a family, you don't have to worry about all expenses, I will send someone to arrange it, the county lord's sister and Cheng'an Yibin can live in the capital without worries, and they can live as long as they want. ”

"Your Majesty, what Ruo Xiao wants is not a life without food and clothing, otherwise I don't have to leave Beiping;" Shen Ruoyu said, "Mr. Fang is right, King Yan is decent after all, we will stay in Beiping, and we will not starve to death." But he'll never really trust me and value me. Qiu'er and I came here to answer the sky, and he did only give us a total of two bills, just to unload the burden to the court as soon as possible. A lot of money had already been spent on the way when I came; In addition, the price of the capital is expensive, and we will not stay long, and the money will be spent quickly. The court doesn't want to believe me, this matter is easy, just hold down the three princes, and don't give any reply to King Yan, until the two of us go back to Beiping to ask for food, and the problem will be solved naturally. If Your Majesty really wants us to live in the capital, please also sincerely allow me to stay by your side and serve you. Ruo Xiao once lived begging on the streets of Beiping, I want to really rely on my own skills and people to live, and I don't want to ask for food again in this life. ”

Zhu Yunwen was a little moved, but at the same time he was extremely embarrassed, and looked at Fang Xiaoru for help. Fang Xiaoru thought for a long time and muttered:

"Your Majesty, according to what Weichen sees, this matter should not be decided in a hurry. And Rong Weichen discussed it with a few adults, and asked His Majesty to think about it again and again before making a conclusion. ”

Zhu Yunwen breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's the best." That's what I thought, too. Please settle down in the capital first, and I will give you an answer as soon as possible. If the guest of honor and the county lord have any needs, just tell me that they are all family members, so don't talk about cannibalism. ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "Ruoxiao, you go back to rest first." I guess you must have just arrived to meet the Son of Heaven. You have a good night's rest, and tomorrow I will visit the Jinghua Inn, and we will have a good talk. ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "Mr. is too polite, you say a time, I will visit your house tomorrow." The inn is crowded with people, and it is not a safe place. ”

Fang Xiaoru nodded: "It's okay, I'll be waiting at home on time tomorrow." ”

Shen Ruoyu returned to the Jinghua Inn, and Nangong Qiu was playing the Flying Star Qin given to him by King Yan. Shen Ruoxiao didn't bother her, sat down in the room, and thought about his plan.

Today's move went quite smoothly, and there were basically no accidents. He had already prepared to talk to Fang Xiaoru alone, knowing that if he wanted to get the unique position of the Son of Heaven's personal guard, he had to have Mr. Fang to help him speak. However, Mr. Fang alone was not enough, he also had to find a way to get past the hurdles of other civil and military officials, especially Wei Guogong. For Wei Guogong, he was unsure.