Lan Zhijun did not answer.

In Bai Ling's dark eyes, Lan Zhijun did see himself, but this was not the kind of sight he expected.

From Pingjing, to Yuezhou, and then all the way north...... How difficult this road is, probably only Bai Ling, who has also walked it, understands.

"The encirclement and suppression of the imperial court is indeed ...... It's amazing. Lan Zhijun said softly, "Or rather, that person's guidance is very powerful." ”

"Hengyuan-kun."

“…… Who else but him can uproot Jian'an Pavilion like this. ”

"I thought that the Ange had already been uprooted...... Bai Ling muttered, Lan Zhijun chuckled, and Bai Ling raised his eyes, "Isn't it, the emperor cleaned it once in the first year of the Ming Dynasty." ”

"If you are really cleaned to the point of uprooting, will the Lan Zihao still live until you are relegated to the end of a hundred flowers?"

Bai Ling tilted his head slightly.

…… Also.

"In fact, when he thought about it this way, he got his wish." Lan Zhijun looked at the endgame on the chessboard, "Whether it is the emperor or the imperial court, no one will care who is the real royal bloodline, the real body and the puppet, sometimes it is just a thought of everyone...... Let's do one more game. ”

The candle flame flickered, and Bai Ling's hand was still on his lap.

"If I want to take your life now," Bai Ling lowered his eyes slightly, "and there are still ...... Can it stand in front of you? ”

"I advise you not." Lan Zhijun's voice was as usual, "You're good, I can still save your life, if you want to find death, I really can't do anything." ”

Bai Ling smiled and took back the few black pieces left on the board.

"There is one thing outside today, Lan Zhijun...... I guess I already know that. ”

"What?"

"Because of the capture of the two heads, Aquili received a heavy reward from the national capital."

"Heard it."

"I came to you to ask you a few things, and you said there was nothing you could do." Bai Ling said softly, "Now as a great hero, Lan Zhijun can not speak." ”

"Oh...... Are you talking about giving preferential treatment to slaves to the Zhou people? ”

"Hmm."

"What a coincidence...... Aquili was still asking me what I wanted this morning," Lan Zhijun laughed a few times, "It's okay to mention this matter now, but what do you want to exchange it for?" ”

"Just use it now."

As he spoke, Bai Ling grabbed a handful and stretched out his hand in front of Lan Zhijun, "Single or double?" ”

Lan Zhijun was slightly stunned, looking at Bai Ling's clenched fists, he wanted to laugh a little, but he couldn't.

Just use it now?

His gaze slowly moved from Bai Ling's hand to the eyes, which were staring at him.

The light of the candle flame reflected in her eyes, just like the sharp-toothed and unruly girl in the Lan Zihao before.

It's just that after years, the etching of wind and frost has made her texture harder, as if the snow from the south reaches the north and is frozen into ice.

Lan Zhijun sensed a slight ominousness in these eyes, but he really saw a certain vitality in them that he missed the most—perhaps Bai Ling was right, his pleasure was indeed to stand on the shore and watch Bai Ling's struggle in the water.

Who in this world can always stand on the shore and not be invaded by the waves? But perhaps it is precisely because of this that people are willing to stop when others are struggling, sometimes for courage, sometimes for resourcefulness, sometimes for some kind of sympathetic pain...... No one is immune to the fate of this struggle.

Lan Zhijun sighed softly, "Shan." ”

Bai Ling's five fingers were opened, and the chess pieces landed lightly on the chessboard, a total of four.

"Then, this time it's still me who is black." Bai Ling said softly.

Both of them lowered their eyes, and Lan Zhijun reached out and took out a few white pieces from the chess basket on the side, and held them in his hands to play.

In the afterglow, he looked at Bai Ling's engrossed appearance, and suddenly understood why the little emperor and Heng Yuanjun had the idea of keeping her by his side, not only beauty or wisdom, after all, there are too many beautiful and smart people in this world......

However, Bai Ling was different, not so much clever as clumsy, and there were so many things about her that made her out of place here, and by now, instead of being cut off, these edges and corners had been gradually polished into her style.

When Lan Zhijun thought of this, he suddenly remembered the wild finches that he kept in captivity when he was young, and after entering the cage, the little finches refused to eat until they starved to death.

He wondered if it was instinct or the bird's own choice.

To test this, the young man caught more wild birds, but every single one of them. The master of the bird said that he had caught the wrong wild sparrow, that the bird was too stupid and too easily frightened, and that it often died of fright and starvation before people could begin to grind their temperament.

However, this did not arouse Lan Zhijun's sympathy, but only made his curiosity more intense, and he continued to tirelessly hunt birds, feed them, and clean up the carcasses until he lost interest in raising birds.

When he was a teenager, he once happened to think about it one afternoon, and suddenly he was full of emotion—because after he became sensible, he felt more deeply every day than the day before that he was born to be a bird that lived in a golden cage, but this golden cage was the place where he really protected him from growing up safely.

Around him, no one can understand this contradiction...... And the only one who may be able to understand Heng Yuanjun is also friend and foe.

Now that I see Bai Ling, this similar curiosity is aroused again.

Burling's stubbornness was hidden beneath her gentleness, and this stubbornness, like the birds that refuse to eat when they are put in a cage, is something written in her instincts. However, compared to the birds, her wisdom has made her know how to bow her head and endure temporarily, so step by step to today...... Such stubbornness is really curious.

I wonder where this courage comes from, and how this belief can be broken.

Even if it is broken, it carries a different kind of beauty.

"We're alike." Lan Zhijun said softly.

Bai Lingwan smiled.

Although she didn't know why Lan Zhijun suddenly said such a thing, Bai Ling didn't bother to defend - whatever he projected on herself at the moment, she took it all.

……

Early the next morning, new thick felt and new clothes were sent to the Zhou camp of more than 400 people, and the supplies sent included even a little medicine, a change that everyone did not expect.

However, the Zhou people who had been assigned to do the administration of the place were not transferred, on the contrary, the work on them was heavier.

新的命令下来，打骂固然还是可以打骂，但如果有人因此而死，他们这些辖管者也要负责——可是天地良心！ Even if they don't do it, more than 400 men, women, and children may not be able to survive this winter!

However, there is no reason for the Jin people to talk about, and it was common in the past to say that change will change.

Most of the people of Zhou did not know why, but it was true that there were many fewer whips during the day, and the same was true for the dirty things at night.

In this day-by-day northward migration, the New Year is gradually approaching.