In the dead of night, everything is silent.

The night in Pu is as beautiful as the day, purer and deeper than the night sky of Daisei, and the vast starry sky above shines as if it were within reach.

A man in black quietly climbed over the wall and entered the inn, his movements as light as a ghost, through the courtyard, and then through an open window into the house, his body as light as a swallow, and landed silently.

There was no light inside, only the silver moonlight poured on the ground like flowing water through the window, and it was vaguely seen that on a square table in the center of the room, there was a light yellow quill chessboard, and Wen Wuchen, dressed in a willow-colored straight jacket, was sitting in a wheelchair, with a white seed twisted between his knuckled fingers, playing chess with himself.

Although the man in black didn't make a sound, his slender figure cast long black shadows on the ground, and the shadows extended to Wen Wuchen's wheelchair.

Of course, Wen Wuchen also saw it, he didn't look back, and directly landed the white piece in his hand on the corner of the chessboard, and said with a smile: "You're back." ”

The black-clothed man at the window answered, and the bright moonlight illuminated his handsome face, gilding him with a faint silver halo, making his whole person look majestic and heroic.

Feng Yan strode over to Wen Wuchen and sat down, casually glancing at the chessboard in front of him.

On the chessboard, the black and white chess pieces have gone through a fierce battle in the middle game, each dominating one side, and the chess game has entered the final stage.

The die is cast.

Feng Yan's eyes flashed, and he said slowly: "I saw my aunt......" Feng Yan sneaked into the palace tonight, just to see Xu Jingsi.

Wen Wuchen raised his eyes to look at Feng Yan, who was sitting across from him, and in the dim room, his dark phoenix eyes became deeper and deeper.

Feng Yan continued: "Aunt said that she didn't know that the second prince Mu Nai quietly took medicine at the monarch selection ceremony......

As she spoke, Feng Yan couldn't help but think of Xu Jingsi's expression that seemed to be smiling at that time, she first raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise, and then laughed casually, as if she had watched a good show, laughing happily.

Wen Wuchen narrowed her narrow eyes, casually played with a small celadon tea cup in her hand, her thoughts flew around, and she said slowly in an affirmative tone: "So, for her, among the two princes, Chi Deru and Mu Nai, no matter who succeeds to the throne, she doesn't care. ”

Although it is the height of summer in July, the summer nights in Puguo are as cool as water, and the day is like two seasons, the day is as warm as early summer, and the night is as cold as late autumn.

In the cold night breeze, the grass rustled, and it became more and more quiet and cool inside and outside.

Feng Yan nodded, "Aunt said that no matter who succeeds to the throne, she will be the queen...... And she only needs to kill someone on the night she decides her name, and then blame another person, so that she can sit back and enjoy the benefits of the fisherman. ”

The moonlight sprinkled softly on the angular left side of Feng Yan's face, illuminating half of his face and half dark, obscure.

Wen Wuchen's long eyelashes twitched slightly, he knew that Xu Jingsi was planning to kill Mu Nai on the night of the candle in the cave room.

"The county lord is too cruel to himself." There was a hint of hardship in Wen Wuchen's warm voice, and the corners of his mouth were slightly pursed.

Xu Jingsi used to be a smart, smart, confident and decisive girl, and now she is even more resolute, it can be seen from her changes that over the years, she has relied on "ruthlessness" to get to this point in Puguo.

Many past events flashed quickly in his mind, and Wen Wuchen's heart fluctuated for a while.

He didn't want Feng Yan to see the clues, so he bowed his head and took a sip of the warm tea in the teacup, and his rippling eyes gradually settled down again, and he was as calm as a mirror.

Feng Yan was also thinking about Xu Jingsi, thinking about every word she had just said, and didn't pay attention to Wen Wuchen's abnormality at all.

"Ah Yan," Wen Wuchen casually picked up another sunspot from the chess box, stared at his fingertips for a moment, and then asked, "County Lord, is she planning to 'blackmail the Son of Heaven to order the princes'?" ”

Heizi landed on the chessboard with his words, and Wen Wuchen used an inquiring tone, but his expression was very determined.

"Not bad." Feng Yan nodded again, this point was also guessed when Xu Jingsi said that she planned to kill Mu Nai.

"Aunt, she plans to kill Mu Nai and support the child born to a female slave as the king, and she herself will control the government as the queen."

"She said that she had been in Puguo for nine years, and she did not run it for nothing......"

Feng Yan's voice became more and more bitter.

As Wen Wuchen said, Xu Jingsi was too cruel to himself.

In fact, her plan doesn't have much strategy, but she is ruthless to herself, and she does not hesitate to marry the father and son in a row, does not hesitate to defile herself, and does not hesitate to leave a reputation for the sound of axes and candles, all just to achieve the goal!

She is like a she-wolf aiming at her prey, and she will not give up until she achieves her goal.

Feng Yan raised his head, turned his head to look at the silver moon surrounded by stars in the night sky, and was silent for a moment before he said, "Aunt also said that if we have any other plans, she can try to cooperate with us." ”

Wen Wuchen also looked at the crescent moon hanging in the night, those narrow eyes shone like jewels against the background of the moonlight, and the whole person was handsome and unparalleled, like a fine jade.

"Sowing discord and taking advantage of the chaos, this plan is good, but it can be done in another way." Wen Wuchen smiled slightly, and naturally exuded a trace of blade-like sharpness all over his body, "It's July 3rd, and Mu Nai will ascend the throne on July 11th." He paused, his warm voice almost whispering in the night breeze, "Before that......"

According to the custom of Pu country, the strong are respected, after the selection of the new king, a notice will be issued to announce the whole country, five days later, the new king will go to the temple to pray for blessings, receive the blessing of the gods, and finally the new king's enthronement ceremony.

The prayer for the new king was scheduled for the 6th of July, and early in the morning of that day, the people of the capital were awakened by the sound of a whimpering trumpet.

The people of Pu spontaneously gathered on both sides of the street, and one by one the Pu soldiers stood guard on the street to maintain order, and when the sun rose, a convoy set off from the palace under the escort of the palace guards.

The leader was the second prince Mu Nai, who was wearing a golden brocade robe and a gold silk crown hat, and he was riding on a horse covered with gold and silver, and the whole person looked majestic.

Everywhere he passed, the people in the middle of the road were all boiling, all cheering in Pu language, and they all greeted the new king one after another, and at the same time threw flowers from the basket in their hands and scattered towards the convoy, and countless flowers fell in the air one after another, forming a rain of flowers, achieving a road paved by flowers, full of flowers.

The excited cheers of the people came and went, until Mu Nai's motorcade left the city with great momentum, and the people were still standing by the roadside, not leaving for a long time.

After leaving the city, the convoy began to accelerate little by little, and the sound of horses' hooves rumbled like thunder, and they galloped away, and wherever they passed, hundreds of horses' hooves stepped on a flying dust mist, and the sound was huge.

Escorted by a group of Pu soldiers, Mu Nai came to the temple five miles away from the capital.

The huge temple sits at the foot of the mountain, half of which dives into the cliff, and a huge stone Buddha is carved on the cliff wall, which is still magnificent after hundreds of years of wind and rain erosion.

The golden temple looks golden and brilliant in the bright sun, this is the most sacred place in the whole of Puguo, and it is the place where the people here believe in it, and it is sacrosanct.

"Second Prince, please come here."

The spirit master in the golden robes personally led more than a dozen monks to welcome Mu Nai's arrival, and then surrounded Mu Nai to the main hall of the temple.

In the hall, a gold-lacquered Buddha sits cross-legged on the lotus seat, his palms are knotted with a meditation seal, his eyes are half-drooping, and he looks down serenely.

The walls on both sides of the main hall are painted with colorful murals, telling the deeds of gods and Buddhas throughout the ages, and rows of red candles are lit on both sides, and the dense candle flames illuminate the main hall as bright as day, solemn and solemn.

Mu Nai folded his hands, then crossed the high threshold into the main hall, walked to a futon without squinting, knelt down reverently, closed his eyes and prayed.

"Squeak—"

The door at the back was closed from the outside, bringing a breeze, leaving Mu Nai alone in the huge main hall, empty.

There was silence all around, except for the occasional sizzling of the candles burning on either side.

"Bang bang bang!"

Mu Nai only felt that his heart was beating faster and faster, and it was getting louder and louder, echoing clearly in his ears like a drum.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes suddenly, his eyes were full of light, and the whole person seemed to have taken some panacea, and he was full of spirit.

He raised his eyes to look at the kind and solemn face of the gold-lacquered Buddha in front of him, without blinking, and slowly, the corners of his mouth hooked a slightly mocking smile.

The people of the whole country have faith and believe that God and Buddha will bless them.

However, he did not believe it.

He has the blood of the royal family in his body, but because his biological mother is a female slave girl with no name, the son is inferior to his mother, and he was once just a humble slave, since he was born, he has been trampled on the soles of the feet by the eldest prince for more than ten years, and even those famous princesses do not look at him in his eyes......

It wasn't until thirteen years ago that he desperately saved his father on the battlefield that he was recognized by his father, and since then he has risen to the top and become the second prince respected by the whole country.

Everything he has now has been earned with his own blood, with his own life!

Who would have thought that the son of a slave girl, who was once as humble as dust, would one day ascend to the position of king of this country?!

He did it!

In five days, he will be able to kneel down in the midst of his ministers and ascend to the supreme position, this Pu country...... And Dasheng's Xinle County Lord will belong to himself!

Thinking of the peerless beauty in the palace and the vast mountains and rivers of Puguo, Mu Nai's heart was blazing, and his eyes were shining.

After he sits on the throne, he wants to let the whole country see that he is more wise and martial than his father, he wants to exterminate all the disobedient tribes around him, he wants to unify this Qingnan Plateau, and make Pu the only country on this plateau, and he will go down in history!

Five days to go......

It's only been five days.

Suddenly, Mu Nai, who was kneeling on the futon, felt a fierce wind faintly coming from behind him, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, like a mang's back.

Almost at the same time, he noticed that the two rows of candles on the right of the hall, which had not been exposed to a trace of wind, were swaying slightly.

Wrong.

Mu Nai hurriedly looked back, only to see a tall beam, a sturdy black-clothed masked man jumped down nimbly, like a wild goose with wings spread, the other party's right hand held a long scimitar, the sharp blade was reflected by the candle flame, the cold light flashed, dazzling a little dazzling.

"Someone, there's an assassin!"

Mu Nai frowned and shouted.

He wanted to dodge, but he was kneeling on the futon, his knees were slightly paralyzed, and he was rolling to the right with all his might, but it was still too late......

The man in black who jumped down was a stone's throw away, murderous, and the sharp scimitar stabbed him in the chest without mercy......

"Whew-"

Mu Nai could almost hear the sound of the blade piercing the flesh, clearly echoing in his ears, a sharp pain coming from his chest, blood spreading rapidly from the wound in all directions, staining the fabric of his chest red in the blink of an eye.

Mu Nai's eyes shrank sharply, his eyes were full of despair and horror, was he going to die here......

No, he wants to be the king of Pu, he can't die!

"Bang!"

A fierce knock on the door sounded from behind, accompanied by the nervous high-pitched voices of several men and the sound of messy footsteps:

"Quick, there's an assassin!"

"Hurry up!"

Seven or eight Pu soldiers swarmed in from the main entrance, and one by one they pulled out their scimitars in their scabbards, with grim expressions and menacing attitudes.

At a glance, they saw the second prince Mu Nai lying next to the futon, his right hand was clutched on his right chest, and blood had already oozed from between his fingers, staining his five fingers red, shocking.

A man in black armed with a bloody knife was slamming into the window on one side, and with a "bang", he slammed open the window and flew out like an eagle......

Some of them shouted "The second prince has been stabbed", two or three people hurriedly chased after the window, shouting "chase quickly" and "don't let the assassin escape" Yunyun's words, and a tall man dressed as the captain of the guard nervously shouted in Pu language: "Quick! Go find the Witch Doctor! ”

Immediately afterward, a soldier hurried out of the main hall and sweated profusely to find the witch doctor.

Inside and outside the temple, there was a bustle of chickens and dogs, and the soldiers searched around the temple for the whereabouts of the Assassins, but until the witch doctor who arrived in a hurry treated the wounds of the seriously injured and unconscious Mu Nai, they still found no trace of the Assassin.

After deliberation, the captain of the palace guard who accompanied him decisively ordered everyone to escort Mu Nai back to the capital first, leaving dozens of people to continue searching for the assassins here.

When the group came, they were high-spirited, but when they left, they were exhausted.

Half an hour later, the soldiers hurried Mu Nai back to his own mansion.

Although Mu Nai has not officially ascended the throne, when he defeated the eldest prince Chi Deru in the monarch selection ceremony, he was already the new king of Pu Kingdom.

His assassination was like a thunderbolt that exploded out of thin air, and in the blink of an eye, it spread throughout the capital, shaking the whole city and causing panic in the hearts of the people for a while.

When Queen Xu Jingsi heard the news, she immediately ordered the guards to search the city inside and outside the capital for the whereabouts of the assassins, so martial law began at the city gates, and the entry and exit of the city had to be strictly checked.

The sound of horses' hooves, shouting, and footsteps could be heard everywhere...... As soon as the ears were heard, the air in the entire capital became solemn, as if layers of heavy clouds were pressing down on the sky, and the storm was coming, which made people breathless.

Many people began to close their doors for fear of catching fire, and the streets were noisy and unprecedentedly deserted, and there were no passers-by in sight.

In the afternoon, Fu Qian came to the post house with seven or eight Puguo soldiers without warning, asking to see Feng Yan and other Dasheng envoys.

Feng Yan and his entourage gathered in the lobby of the post house and received Fu Qian and others.

"Brother Feng," Fu Qian politely performed the etiquette of the Pu Kingdom to Feng Yan, and said with an awkward sigh, "I think you have also heard that the second prince of our country was assassinated this morning while praying for blessings in the temple, this assassin is simply bold and vicious, and now he is absconding." The second prince was seriously injured by him and is still in a coma for the time being, and this enthronement ceremony may be delayed for a few days. ”

After a pause, Fu Qian said in a reassuring tone: "Brother Feng, you and a few envoys can stay here for a few more days. ”

"But these days, I'm afraid there is some chaos in the city, so as not to accidentally hurt a few distinguished guests, if there is nothing to do recently, a few people should not go out." He kindly persuaded.

Feng Yan also bowed his hand to Fu Qian, and said with a smile: "Brother, we have a saying in Dasheng, Ji people have their own natural appearance. Since the second prince of your country is the true son of your country, he will definitely be able to turn the danger into a disaster. ”

"I've taken the title of my brother." Fu Qian let out a long sigh, and also learned to seal the flames and arched his hand.

He showed hesitation, and after hesitating for a moment, he still opened his mouth to express the true meaning of this trip: "Actually, I came to the post house today to find Brother Feng, and I have one more thing to ask for, I heard the queen and the witch doctor say that the imperial doctors of your country are all very skilled, and I don't know if I can use the imperial doctors of your country to treat the injuries of the second prince......

The Dasheng envoys came all the way from the capital, and the topography and environment of this Pu country were very different from the Dasheng Central Plains, lest the envoys and their entourage not adapt to the water and soil, and the emperor was a cousin, and specially ordered a imperial doctor to accompany him.

"Brother, how can you and I say that they are also in-laws, just a trivial matter, there is no need to be so polite." Feng Yan smiled kindly, and responded without saying a word, "We also brought a lot of wound medicine from the Central Plains on this trip, if it is helpful to the second prince, it can be regarded as making the best use of it." ”

"Thank you, Brother Feng. I'll invite my brother to drink next time! Fu Qian was overjoyed, thanked Feng Yan again and again, and then he left in a hurry with the imperial doctor and the wound medicine.

In the hall, the people of Puguo left in a hurry, leaving only Feng Yan, Wen Wuchen, Mu Jinfan and other envoys.

The sound of messy footsteps on the street outside faded away, and the house was silent.

As soon as the person left, Lord He, who was sitting on one side, couldn't control his mouth, and began to ramble again:

"What a place to turn away!"

"What do you mean by these pus?! Do you still want to put us under house arrest in the inn?! ”

"How can this be true, how can it be true!"

"Lord He," Feng Yan raised his eyebrows, and interrupted the other party with a smile, "If you want to go out, just go out, I want to see who dares to stop us Dashengren!" He looked fully supportive and righteous.

"......" Lord He looked at Feng Yan, his mouth opened and closed, and he couldn't answer for a while.

He can get out of the inn, and the Pu people didn't stop him from letting out, the problem is that if he goes out, if he is collided by those barbaric Pu people, who will stand up for him in this foreign country where he is not familiar with life? ! I'm afraid that even if the emperor knows about it, he will only think that he is acting recklessly, right?

Feng Yan didn't bother to pay attention to Lord He anymore, so he casually sent everyone else away, leaving only Wen Wuchen and Mu Jinfan. After the three of them left the lobby, they walked towards the courtyard where Wen Wuchen and Feng Yan lived.

Feng Yan personally helped Wen Wuchen push the wheelchair, and the wooden wheel of the wheelchair rolled on the ground of the courtyard unhurriedly, making a "creaking" sound.

The monotonous and rough grinding sound echoed in the air repeatedly, again and again, but this sound was extremely cordial to Feng Yan's ears, with the power to soothe his heart.

When he was a child, as long as he heard this voice, he knew that it was Wuchen who came to see him.

"Wuchen," Feng Yan's eyes flashed, and he said nonchalantly, "These Pu people are suspicious of us, and they specially brought people over to see if we are in the inn." ”

Today, on the bright side, none of them in their group have ever left the inn, which Fu Qian knows casually.

As for secretly......

Feng Yan smiled slightly, under the sun, on his handsome face, the smile was extraordinarily bright, with a bit of a young man's wanton and free and easy.

"Next, let's make this muddy water even more muddy." Wen Wuchen, who was in a wheelchair, said slowly.

Wisps of fresh breeze blew in his face, causing a few strands of hair on his cheeks to caress his left cheek, making his warm and jade-like face instantly add a bit of laziness and casualness.

Mu Jinfan walked beside Wen Wuchen, naturally heard the conversation between the two, and subconsciously slowed down, looking at Feng Yan and Wen Wuchen back and forth, and there was inevitably a trace of surprise in his cold eyes.

The implication of the two of them was obviously that the assassination of the second prince Mu Nai was done by them!

And what surprised Mu Jinfan even more was that Feng Yan and Wen Wuchen actually said it in front of him, of course, it was impossible for the two of them to forget that they were still there, but they didn't shy away from it, so they ......

Mu Jinfan stopped where he was and looked at Feng Yan with an indifferent expression.

Feng Yan also stopped, and the sound of the wheelchair rolling also stopped.

There was silence all around, except for the sound of the wind and the swaying of the grass and trees.

Feng Yan looked at Mu Jinfan beside him, and asked with a smile, "What do you think of Pu Guo?" ”

"......" Mu Jinfan's eyes were a little darker, and her thin lips were slightly pursed.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment, and there was silence in the inn; Outside, Jinluo City was still shrouded in a hustle and bustle, and all kinds of noisy sounds seemed to come from near and far......

The summer breeze is warm, and the sun is shining.

Feng Yan didn't expect Mu Jinfan to answer, he looked up at the blue and transparent sky, and said with emotion: "This land is vast, majestic, and rich in resources and minerals, especially copper ore, far beyond the Central Plains. ”

"Not only that, it is also a necessary road from the Central Plains to several countries in the West, for hundreds of years, the caravans of the Central Plains have been transporting silk and tea from this road to the west for business, but since the rise of Puguo and Beiyan one after another, the two westward trade routes of the Central Plains have been blocked."

"This Qingnan Plateau is extremely high, the terrain is complex, for the Central Plains, it is a natural barrier to isolate the western countries, but also coveted the enemy on the side, I don't know when it will wave troops to the east again......

After a pause, Feng Yan turned his head to look at Mu Jinfan again, "What do you think of Dasheng now?" ”

Mu Jinfan was still silent, his handsome face was indifferent, but his hands were unconsciously clenched into fists at his sides.

The memories of the past half a year flashed quickly in his mind, he thought of his grandfather's house still in prison, thought of the imperial court, and thought of the emperor, his eyes rose and fell like a turbulent sea, and his eyes were slightly trance......

Feng Yan hooked his lips and smiled, and said: "Although Pu Guo is good, whether the two countries have diplomatic relations or wars, they can't all rely on women's sacrifices, right?" ”

What do you mean?! Mu Jinfan's brows moved, which was regarded as asking.

Feng Yan smiled even deeper, patted Mu Jinfan's shoulder and smiled: "So, it's up to you next." ”

Mu Jinfan was still confused, and couldn't understand where the logic of the two sentences before and after Feng Yan was, how could he rely on himself? !

Suddenly, a somewhat interesting smile appeared on his indifferent face, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled.

He had a hunch that it seemed to be quite funny!