At the beginning of the shower, the long street is lonely. The evening breeze gently swayed the lantern on the narrow door, and the wind was already revealing the autumn mood, but the house was as warm as spring. A woman in gray walked into the inn with a panicked expression, hurriedly passed by a few drunken drinkers, and looked behind her while going upstairs, as if she was hiding someone. As if waiting for someone, after half the salary, he entered the upstairs guest room.

The thick man sitting at the table near the stairs stared blankly at her back, and only took a sip for a long time before he sighed: "What a handsome girl, if she is the sister of Manhualou, Lao Tzu will have a good time with her if she sells a few acres of land." ”

The thin man next to him just smiled and said, "Every time you see Peugeot Lady, you say so." But who doesn't know that your Zhong Daring is smaller than your eyes, so you can talk about it. ”

The man named Zhong Da glared at him with the strength of the wine: "Good boy, you show Lao Tzu." Wait for the little girl to come out later, Lao Tzu doesn't care who she is, she must be fragrant. ”

At some point, there was a tall boy in the shadow behind the door frame of the inn. The young man's face was hidden under the bamboo hat, revealing only a handsome and resolute chin, and the dim light shone faintly on his body, but it could not hide his proud aura. The boy suddenly straightened up and looked at the gray-clothed woman who had reappeared on the stairs.

The woman in gray wore a black cloak, and seemed to be hiding something in her arms. She didn't notice the boy, just lowered her head and hurried out the door.

The lean man swallowed a mouthful of saliva and slammed the tip of his elbow against Zhong Da in a malicious smile. Elder Zhong raised the wine bowl with a flushed face and swallowed it big, plucked up the courage to block in front of the gray-clothed beauty, pinched his waist and said roughly: "Little beauty stay!" ”

The beautiful woman in gray took a step back, and her pretty face instantly turned snow-white. It took her a long time to come back to her senses, and she took out a golden hairpin from her arms tremblingly, and held it to Zhong Da with both hands. Zhong Da's bull's eyes widened, and he didn't know what to say at all. Seeing that Zhong Da still didn't mean to get out of the way, the gray-clothed beauty gritted her teeth and took out a string of white jade necklaces and handed it to Zhong Da. Zhong Dazao was dumbfounded, but just waved his hand and shook his head.

Things were going too fast and too weird, and the guests in the whole inn just watched the beauty pull out the jewels and jade one after another, and no one could say a word. The beautiful woman in gray took out the last string of jade beads, and her strength seemed to be exhausted. She knelt softly at Zhong Da's feet, crying and saying, "Big brother, I only brought these belongings out." Please, please, please don't take me back. General, he's going to kill me, so please do well! ”

Zhong Da was more nervous than her, he stammered for a long time and didn't say a word, he was just about to pick up the beauty, but his ear was grabbed by a hand, and when he looked back, he saw a handsome woman with a tall figure and a slightly dark complexion staring at him. As soon as the lean man saw this tall beauty, he immediately became three points shorter, and he shrank and wanted to slip away, but he was also shouted loudly. The lean man immediately smiled all over his face and said, "Miss Qin, I haven't seen you for a long time. ”

Qin Rou didn't look at him, leaned over to help the woman in gray, and comforted softly: "Don't be afraid, sisters, they are not evildoers." He glanced back at the two of them, and then said, "At most, there is no color heart and no color guts." ”

The pretty face of the woman in gray regained some blood, and she threw herself into Qin Rou's arms and cried so much that pear blossoms rained. The young man hiding in the dark also quietly walked into the inn, silently standing in the corner and looking at the woman in gray.

Zhong Da rubbed his thick hands embarrassedly and said, "Sister, sister, don't blame you." Me, I'm just kidding. ”

Qin Rou picked up the wine on the Zhong table and poured a bowl, handed it to the woman and said, "Drink some wine to warm up your body and suppress the shock." It is up to them to make amends for your sins. If you don't drink it, this stupid big man won't be able to sleep for a few days. ”

The beautiful woman in gray took the wine bowl, frowned and took a sip of wine, and then choked and coughed. She slowly straightened up, bowed to Qin Rouyingying, and said softly, "Thank you, girl." The beautiful eyes wandered, gently swept over Zhong Da and the others, and finally stopped on the scabbard of the sword with seven jewels on the young man's waist, his face turned pale again, and he almost fell. The boy still didn't speak, but slowly walked towards the woman in gray. Qin Rou's eyes were fast, and she strode forward, stretching out her arms to block in the middle.

The boy seemed to frown, and said in a low voice, "Get out of the way." ”

Qin Rouliu raised her eyebrows, and said without backing down: "Why do you let you dodge and dodge?" This girl doesn't flash, so she hugs me away if she has a kind. ”

The beautiful woman in gray seemed to want to say something, but her mouth didn't open, but the young man's left hand had already wrapped around Qin Rou's thin waist and rolled down to the table with her. Qin Rou slammed his backhand into his face. The young man's wide bamboo hat was knocked off with a palm, revealing an extremely handsome face. Qin Rou couldn't help but be stunned, before she could come back to her senses, the young man had already turned over and jumped up, pushing away the beautiful woman in gray. Only a few sounds were heard, and there were dozens of poisonous needles glowing green on the wall. Qin Rou turned around blankly, only to find that there were more than a dozen unknown hidden weapons nailed to the wall directly opposite where she was standing just now. The boy had already left the inn and was entangled with several men in black. In the shadow of the sword and sword, I only heard him scream, and he jumped into the air, and his feet had kicked out more than a dozen times, and the men in black fell to the ground one after another, leaving only two people struggling to support. The young man pressed the heavy sword in his hand, and the cold light flashed, and blood spurted out from the necks of the last two, splashing a few white chrysanthemums all over the bright red. The young man put his sword into the sheath, and the woman in gray had already snatched the door out, and threw herself in front of him and wept silently.

The boy sighed, walked back to the inn, stuffed a gold leaf into the already stunned shopkeeper's hand, leaned over and began to look for the fallen bamboo hat. Qin Rou handed over his bamboo hat with both hands, and his low-hanging face was blushing hot. The young man took the bamboo hat and said, "Thank you." He put it on and walked out the door.

The autumn wind blows the sycamores, and there are bursts of coolness floating in the air. The young man pursed his lips and whistled, and a red horse ran on the bluestone path. He put one hand around the thin waist of the beautiful woman in gray and the other held the reins. Qin Rou's face was so red that she was almost dripping blood, and her voice was so light that she could barely hear it.

"I, my name is Qin Rou."

The boy still didn't look back, but the voice reached her ears clearly.

"I hear you."

The beautiful woman in gray leaned on his broad shoulders, the fear on her face had long since disappeared, and her eyes were full of peace of mind and adoration. Qin Rou looked at her intoxicating expression, and her heart was inexplicably filled with a strange sourness.

The horses roared, raised their hooves and ran out of the city gate, turning into a mountain road. The evening breeze blows on the leaves on both sides, and it sounds loudly. At the turn of the peak, a courtyard is hidden in the thick shade. The gate of the courtyard is facing the corridor, and at the end of the corridor is a wide door carved with ornate patterns, and the faint starlight shines on the gold ring, like the amorous eye waves of a girl.

The emerald green wine has a hint of warmth and the fragrance of plum blossoms. The shadow of the willow branch hung over Xiang Chonghua's face with thick eyebrows. A pair of hands silently wrapped around his waist, leaning against his back and trembling slightly. Xiang Chonghua gently broke free from the beauty's arms, stuffed a glass of sake into her hand, and his tone was concerned, but more helpless.

"Xiaotan, what happened? Why did Li Ben chase you? You've never been a headstrong girl. ”

The gray-clothed girl took the wine bottle and held it in the palm of her hand and took a big sip.

"The concubine is not Xiaotan anymore." A wry smile hung on the corner of her mouth, and she said: "Meimei is just a gift, the master wants to give it and kill it, why make a fuss?" ”

Xiang Chonghua avoided her gaze and said, "I know you hate me for giving you to Li Ben." But there were so many people who asked my father for you that all I could do was choose. I thought Li Ben would be very good to you, but I didn't expect ......"

Xiang Chonghua gritted his teeth and said, "It's me who is not good." Although I am the crown prince, I don't even have the ability to protect a woman. But don't worry, even if it's Li Ben, I won't allow him to hurt you. ”

Xiao Tan lowered her head and said with a wry smile: "The past is over, what's the benefit of talking more?" I don't blame you, and I don't want you to feel guilty and regret it. She raised her head, her firm eyes full of tears, and said, "So you must save Princess Xiya." ”

Xiang Chonghua suddenly grabbed her shoulders and said, "What do you mean by this?" ”

Xiao Tan gritted his teeth and said, "Jiang Guo has asked King Xi for marriage. Princess Ya will be sent to Jiang Kingdom in three days. ”

Xiang Chonghua's tiger body was shocked, and he exclaimed: "How can this be? King Xi obviously knows the relationship between me and Xi Ya, how dare he marry her to someone else? ”

Xiao Tan said quietly: "What if you know?" Although Princess Ya and you have no guesses, since she returned to China, what have you said? What's more, Jiang Guo and Xi Guo have always maintained a marriage relationship, and this relationship has become closer and closer with the weakening of Xi Guo and Jiang Guo's Zhongxing. If you were a king, what would you choose? ”

Xiang Chonghua said excitedly: "But she should understand my heart." I'm just, I'm just ......"

Xiao Tan sneered: "You just think that even if you don't do anything, you will do what people want, right?" You thought she'd be there forever waiting for you, waiting until you'd hesitated enough to take her away, right? But don't you understand how short a woman's years are, how powerless a woman's will is? If you care, why do you have to regret it before you feel guilty? She closed her eyes, her chest heaving.

Princess Ya proposed to go to Yongguo to pray for blessings and repay her vows before getting married. Xi Guo was worried that something would happen, so he specially asked General Li Ben to escort her. I don't know if it's an excuse for her prayers, but I do know that it's your only chance. ”

She slowly pulled out a plain silk from her arms and said, "The night before yesterday, when I went to deliver medicine to the general, I overheard their conversation, but unfortunately it was discovered by the general. You follow the route written above to find her. Don't miss it again. ”

Xiang Chonghua silently took the silk and stopped talking. Xiao Tan watched him spread out the plain silk under the light, and his face suddenly turned snow-white.

There was not a word on the plain cloth!

Xiao Tan grabbed Su Bo, turned it over and looked at it a few times, took a few steps back, and almost collapsed to the ground, saying, "How can this be, how can it be?" I, I wrote it clearly! I didn't lie to you. ”

Bloody tears poured out of her beautiful eyes. Then, blood oozed from the corners of her mouth. Xiang Chonghua hugged Xiao Tan, his eyes were also bloodshot, and he roared loudly: "Pass the imperial doctor, come quickly, pass the imperial doctor!" ”

Xiao Tan looked at his concerned gaze for a moment, the blood gushing out of the corners of his mouth had begun to turn black, and he said slowly: "I am so happy that you can hold me like this." Actually, I've been complaining that you didn't accept me as a concubine. She took a hard breath and said with all her strength, "Princess Xiya will be in the ......." ”

On both sides of the door, more than a dozen attendants with swords and an imperial doctor with a medicine box knelt at the door, looking at Xiang Chonghua holding the corpse in horror, out of breath.

Xiang Chonghua slowly put Xiaotan on the couch, and his trembling voice echoed in the room.

"No one is allowed to say anything about today's affairs, otherwise, there will be no forgiveness!"

The guard kneeling at the front slowly got up, his eyes were faintly filled with tears, and said, "Miss Xiaotan, she ......"

Xiang Chonghua's hand slowly slid over Xiao Tan's cold face, gently draped the purple robe on her stiff body, and said in a deep voice: "Buried with the gift of the prince's concubine." ”

The corridor turns, and the cold moon tilts obliquely. The wind blew through the corridor, like shaking off the starlight in the sky and throwing it into the water. Xiang Chonghua's hands involuntarily moved up his shoulders, not because of the cold, but because there was no soft hand to put a cloak on him. His heart was already filled with intense anger and sadness. But at this moment, he simply didn't have time to get angry and wail. The dead are gone, and he has more important things to do. Xiang Chonghua knocked his head hard and forced himself to calm down.

In order to tell himself a secret, Xiao Tan did not hesitate to betray the Li Mansion, so it was impossible for him to take poison by himself. In the meantime, the assassins who tried to assassinate her were unsuccessful. Who the hell and what went wrong? Where exactly is Siya going to pray for blessings? He sat down cross-legged with his head covered, and suddenly stood up suddenly, thinking of the woman named Qin Rou.

The timing of her appearance was too coincidental. And that glass of wine. Could it be that she dropped Xiaotan's plain silk and poisoned it? Could it be that she is Li Ben's meticulous work? If so, maybe she'll know where to see Siya too.

Xiang Chonghua Huo Ran got up, rushed back to the room and said to Yang Ke: "Immediately go find that woman named Qin Rou and live your mouth." ”

Yang Ke showed an embarrassed look on his face, and Zhao Yi on the side hurriedly said: "Daddy Yang is damp, and Brother Yang happened to accompany the doctor today, so I didn't see that woman." I'll find it. ”

Xiang Chonghua nodded and said, "The sooner the better, you must live your mouth." He turned back to Yang Ke and said, "You take the imperial doctor back to take a look in a while, and the house will be handed over to others in advance." ”

Yang Ke knelt down and said, "Thank you for your concern." It doesn't matter to my father anymore. ”

Xiang Chonghua picked up the wine bottle, but there was no wine in the golden cup.

Yang Ke lowered his head and said: "The subordinates were worried that the prince would be sad and hurt his body by drinking, so he took it upon himself to pour out the residual wine. Please forgive me. ”

Xiang Chonghua smiled bitterly and waved his hand, and after people left the room, he stroked the place where Xiao Tan had studied. The house had been kept spotlessly clean, and no one could tell that a beautiful girl had died here. Thinking of Xiaotan, Xiang Chonghua couldn't help but regret it. If I had kept her by my side, would it have ended differently? Ironically, if it weren't for her death, how could she have a chance to save Xiya?

But what if you can rob Xiya? Although Xi Jiang is small, it is also an intolerable insult for the princess to be openly robbed, which means the absolute loss of the position of the prince for a prodigal prince who is no longer favored. Even, he will be expelled from the royal family and will never be able to return to Yongguo.

Xiang Chonghua lay on the couch and pulled the quilt over his head. The thin dark clouds gathered thicker and thicker, gradually enveloping the moonlight. The slender rain silk floated on the sycamore in the yard, entangled the leaves, dripping until dawn.

Yonggong.