It's late autumn, but it's already snowing heavily.

The snowflakes are flying, but they are not thick.

It was overcast, black clouds were rolling, and the howling wind was so strong that the windows were about to break.

Candle shadows flickering.

Gu Zi'an held the tea and sat in front of the bookcase, the fragrance of the tea allowed him to calm down and think.

The lamp was lit in the room, and his ivory-white robe looked very soft.

Gu Zi'an was holding a book of poetry with an indifferent face, but his mind was flooding with what had happened in the past two days.

Assassinated in the alley, Yi Ning was poisoned, what will be the next time?

It happened that Spring and Summer came back from outside, and there were snowflakes on his head and body, and his head turned white after a short while.

"Have you done everything you wanted?" Gu Zi'an didn't raise his head, and said in a low voice.

Chunxia muttered, "No one will see it, and the snow will cover the traces in a while." ”

Gu Zi'an smiled, a little confident: "That's good." ”

He put down the book and got up to find Jing Chi, wanting to ask what the hell was going on and whether he could find the person who poisoned him.

But he saw Jing Chi walking straight towards him, he was wearing a cloak of dark blue and red flower brocade, and the blue bat-patterned gold ribbon around his waist floated with the wind.

Soft snow fell on his head, and he looked like a scholar, warm as jade.

The smoke is misty, the snow is slight, the clouds are light and the sun is cold.

"Your Highness." Gu Zi'an leaned against the door frame and smiled lightly, the white robe merged into the vast world.

Jing Chi also laughed, his expression was hearty, and he seemed to be covered with a warm light under the warm sun: "I just happened to be looking for you." ”

As soon as the two entered the house, they didn't care about chatting much, and they didn't leave Meng Yining at the beginning.

She has been relieved of the toxin, need to recuperate, the old mother in charge of the kitchen is missing, according to others a few days ago when there was no monthly money, this person suddenly became lavish and spending, bought a lot of fine silk, said that his son was married to take home to make quilts.

Two days ago, it was cold, and the water on the ground froze, and someone saw her fall, and a lot of gold ornaments fell out of her clothes, which looked not as elaborate as those in the house, but they were also full of gold.

At that time, everyone only thought that their son had made a fortune in business, and he might have to take his mother home to enjoy happiness after a while.

Who knows, now it seems to be related to Yi Ning's poisoning.

Gu Zi'an listened and didn't speak for a long time, it seems that the other party has been deployed for a long time, and even the palace has been infiltrated, and I don't know how many people around him can believe it.

Yining, spring and summer are okay, but what about Jingchi?

They are friends, but their positions are different.

The two sat opposite each other and drank tea, and suddenly there was a knock on the door, and the guards outside the door were respectful: "Your Highness, there has been a person wandering at the door for more than an hour, and I don't know who I want to visit, so we will go down and ask." The man refused to make it clear, and we were about to drive away, but he said that he was here to find Gu Shizi. ”

Gu Zi'an put down the green jade teacup in his hand suspiciously, oh?

After leaving Beiyang for more than seven years, there should be no old people coming. But in Great Xia, there is only one friend in Jingchi.

Faintly uneasy.

Jing Chi was also puzzled, got up and said, "Let's go, let's go and have a look." ”

The sunlight swept through the jade steps, and the barren grass was buried in the vast snow.

Gu Zi'an saw a figure with his back to him through the wisps of light, a little emaciated, a little clumsy.

Dressed in a brown-red dark patterned robe, he was admiring the beautiful picture of flowers hanging on the wall.

The man happened to hear the sound of people outside the door, and turned back with his hands behind his back. Gu Zi'an saw his face clearly for a moment, and met his vicissitudes of life, stunned, ecstatic but also sad.

I haven't seen him for eight years, and it's like a world away.

At that time, he was high-spirited, scolded Fang Xuan, argued with hundreds of officials in the court, and traveled around to communicate with neighboring countries.

He once wore a seal and went to the Quartet.

used to be his teacher, teaching him the art of war every day and reading hundreds of schools.

It's just that when we meet again and again, Gu Zi'an has grown into a young man who stands up to the sky, and he has also grown old, and the years have added a lot of traces to his face.

The only constant is the burning eyes.

When he saw the two of them coming, he waved indifferently: "King Rui, Your Highness." ”

Gu Zi'an was happy in his heart, but he didn't dare to show it on his face, he just took two quick steps and picked up the teacher who was over seventy years old with both hands.

"Weichen Beiyang is the prime minister of the dynasty, Zhang Ji, I have seen His Royal Highness King Rui." Zhang Ji turned around lightly.

"I have long heard of the name of Ji Lao, thirty years ago, he visited Great Xia, promoted the Northern Xia Alliance, and resisted Chunning's 200,000 troops together, my father often mentioned it." Jing Chi said, his eyes full of adoration.

Zhang Ji smiled: "It's over." ”

Gu Zi suddenly felt a sense of home in his heart, he helped Ji Lao, and his eyes glanced at the two black figures on the roof.

It's the Shadow Guard.

The three of them sat down and made tea, the golden tea soup reflected the afternoon sun, but you could see the sparkling waves, and the green smoke rose repeatedly.

There are three or two plates of snacks on the table, bean paste dumplings, lotus root flour and hawthorn rolls, and a small plate of pea osmanthus cake.

Gu Zi'an sank, and he didn't know whether he should tell the whole story of the teacher-student relationship, so he could only say: "It's a tiring journey, trekking through mountains and rivers, and it's late autumn......"

Gu Zi'an was interrupted before he finished speaking, and Zhang Ji looked at him with a somewhat panicked look and said: "The first king immortal died, presumably His Highness has also heard of it." You are the son of the world, and you must go back to preside over the overall situation. ”

Zhang Ji said a word, his words were calm, and there was no wave.

But when Gu Zi'an heard it, he suddenly felt a bloody storm coming.

One word at a time, not sad or joyful.

Gu Zi'an didn't speak, looking at Zhang Ji's gray hair and deep wrinkles.

There was silence.

Jing Chi was stunned, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he was happy from the bottom of his heart: "That's the best, you have been away from Beiyang for so many years, and you can finally go home." I also went into the palace to plead with my father and let you go back. ”

Gu Zi'an and Jing Chi have been together for four years, and they are reluctant, but it is also good news, but he also knows that he let the prince go to Daxia just to stabilize Beiyang.

Thy son is with me, and thou shalt not act rashly. So Jing Chi didn't know what his father was thinking.

The first time he met Gu Zi'an was at a dinner party. Gu Zi'an was followed by Meng Yining and Chun Xia.

The little girl was a little timid, only he was neither humble nor arrogant, and his eyes were empty. In the eyes that are as light as water, people can't see it at a glance.

Gu Zi'an was originally placed in a very remote dormitory in the palace, although he was imprisoned, but he was not too harsh.

He was fifteen years old at the time, and in the garden he saw sixteen-year-old Gu Zi'an sitting in the pavilion flipping through a book. The book was so old that it was about to fall apart.

Jing Chi loves to read books very much, cherishes books, and cherishes people who love books.

begged his father to let Gu Zi'an be his companion.

Gu Zi'an Wenwen was weak, and he didn't seem to be able to stir up any waves, and King Xia doted on the four princes again, so he allowed it at that time.

As a result, Gu Zi'an spent four spring and autumn seasons in the Ruiwang Mansion safely, and the outside world almost forgot about this prince of another country.

In fact, Jing Chi is also very afraid of letting the tiger return to the mountain, and he will meet in the future.

But after many years of getting along, Gu Zi'an has a gentle temperament, and he has never killed, and he doesn't even dare to kill fish and rabbits.

It turns out that during the spring hunting, he didn't open the bow, which was cheering on the side. When others roasted deer, he was far away, sitting on the rocks by the lake and reading a book. And I was relieved.

Zhang Ji opened his mouth steadily and bowed slightly: "The old minister thanked His Royal Highness for the first king." Can you let the old minister and the prince say a few words alone? ”

Jing Chi agreed, stood up, and called out a group of people to wait.

The mahogany door closed quietly, and Gu Zi'an held the tea cup in his cold hand and took a deep breath.

After hesitating for a long time, he couldn't say a thousand words, so he only asked in a low voice, "Teacher?" ”

"In these two days, the delegation from Beiyang will come over and will intercede with King Xia." Zhang Ji looked at this grown up teenager, who was silent when he was young, and this has not changed at all until now.

"What's going on lately?"

Gu Zi'an was silent and said slowly: "Three days ago, Yan Rong's envoy came to see me. After the dinner, Yi Ning and I returned to the Rui Palace, where we met five Assassins, only one of whom ran away. ”

Zhang Ji's eyes were dark: "You drew your sword?" ”

"Yes."

The cold air condensed with a sigh.

Gu Zi'an knew that before leaving eight years ago, Zhang Ji came to see him and told him not to expose himself to practice martial arts since he was a child after he went to Great Xia, but to practice diligently in absolute safety. The body should not be too strong, the mind should not be too smart, just be a sick man with peace of mind, and don't draw the sword easily until the last resort.

Thanks to the spring and summer of medical science, Gu Zi'an had several serious illnesses without breaking his heart, and Gu Zi'an, who had never been sick, confirmed his reputation as frail and sick.

Zhang Ji sighed: "It's okay, it's good if the person is not hurt." ”

Gu Zi'an's hand clenched the teacup, warmed it into his throat, and continued: "Later, the next day, someone poisoned it. That day, I only drank white porridge and did not eat poisonous side dishes, and I escaped. Yi Ning felt that the taste was wrong at the time, so he took a bite and put it down, but fortunately the poisoning was not deep. ”

After a pause, he couldn't help frowning when he thought of the blood gushing out of Meng Yining.

Zhang Ji nodded slowly, stood by the window, and pondered: "That's good." What you think is not bad, Yan Rong colluded with Beiyang internally, and he will definitely kill you. ”

A hint of surprise flashed in Gu Zi'an's eyes, and then he nodded again, thinking.

The north wind was howling outside the window, and the next words made Gu Zi'an shudder and breathe uneasily.

Zhang Ji stared at the auspicious cloud carving on the window lattice: "I came this time, and I have something to inform you." ”

Gu Zi'an looked at the teacher's serious back, and his heart was a little cold.

Zhang Ji was silent for a while, and finally spoke slowly: "After the death of the first king, I ordered Imperial Doctor Zhao to secretly go to see it, the tips of his fingers were black and purple, and the corners of his mouth were blue. ”

Gu Zi'an was stunned for a moment, and looked at Zhang Ji in amazement.

Suddenly, the wind blew violently, blowing open the door with a bang, and the cold wind swept in, and even the clothes exuded the smell of late autumn. The maid outside the door respectfully closed the door again.

Gu Zi'an didn't know what his expression was, his whole body stiffened, and his qi and blood stagnated.

Five days ago, I learned the news of my father's death, and although I haven't seen him for eight years, I can't help but be sad. Now that I learned that I had died of poisoning, I was stunned and panicked.

Zhang Ji looked back at Gu Zi'an's stiff resistance and patted him on the shoulder.

Green smoke rises from the incense burner, and the scent of pears fills the room.

Gu Zi'an lowered his eyes, locked his eyebrows, and said hoarsely: "You know, who is it?" ”

"I don't know."

A flurry of heart palpitations.

"What about Mother?"

"All is well." Zhang Ji looked at him comfortingly.

Gu Zi'an sighed and nodded.

"You have been gone for more than seven years, and the court is treacherous and chaotic. Your father's health has deteriorated since he fell seriously ill four years ago, and this may be a sign of poisoning. ”

"Is there anyone in the DPRK and China colluding with Yan Rong?" Gu Zi'an asked.

"Yes." Zhang Ji broke off, "These days, Queen Zhao is in the court, and her two brothers, Zhao Yan and Zhao Qi, are in charge of all public affairs. Over the years, Beiyang and Yanrong have become good friends, and there has been an endless stream of envoys from both sides. Among them, there is a Yan Rong Wenchen named Su Yu, who is a distinguished guest in the palace. ”

Gu Zi'an remembered Queen Zhao, and even remembered Queen Zhao's son, the eldest prince - Gu Chongwu. Violent and cruel, once because the tea was cold, the palace maid brewed slowly, so she raised her hand to turn the stove over, and the carbon ash raised the palace maid's face, and the whole face was hot and foaming. This was not enough, and I heard that he was dragged down and killed.

Gu Chonghe relied on the identity of the prince and the love of the queen mother, and often did evil in the palace, if he became the emperor, overnight, Beiyang would be gone.

"Moreover, they have their eyes on the Lord of Fenghua. In the fifth year after you left, the father of the lord of Fenghua died, and she took his place, holding 20,000 soldiers and horses to defend the western territory. has never been married, and I heard that Empress Zhao invited her to return to Yangshang many times, but she refused on the grounds that there was a small group of enemies harassing her. ”

"Nonsense!" Gu Zi'an was angry.

She grew up with Xia Fenghua, and in the years of Great Xia, I also heard that she had grown into a heroic female general. It's just that Empress Zhao is afraid that she thinks she has two hearts, so she is eager to take back the military power in her hands.

Gu Zi'an told Zhang Ji about the letter again.

After listening to this, Zhang Ji thought for a long time: "I have to help you with this." ”

Late at night.

In the boundless darkness, candles are lit and swaying in the wind.

"Newspaper—"

The sound of horses' hooves tore through the silent night sky of the Imperial City, and a figure galloped in.

The imperial study was brightly lit, and Xia Wang Jingcheng looked at a somewhat wrinkled letter on the red sandalwood carved table, and looked at it carefully word by word, his brows were deeply locked.

Standing next to him were the military generals of Wenchen who had fought for Jingcheng in the south and the north over the years, Zhang Zhong and Lian Tan.

After a long time, Jing Cheng handed the letter to the two of them, sighed, and looked hesitant.

In addition to the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table, there is also a note sent when investigating the streets and alleys of the Beiyang Shizi at noon today.

The content of the note coincides with the letterhead, and after the matter is completed, tell Beiyang.

What's up?

Assassinate the prince of Beiyang.

Why?

Zhang Zhong looked at the letterhead and said warmly: "Your Highness, the old minister also heard about something. ”

"Please."

"The minister heard that when Gu Zhang, the first king of Beiyang, died, his mouth and nose were black and purple, and there was blood in his ears. But later, it was erased by the Zhao family, the queen of the dynasty, but the blue and purple fingertips were not treated. Zhang Zhong thought about it for a long time and said cautiously.

When Lian Tan heard this, he asked before Jing Cheng could speak: "Is the news true?" What good can you gain by poisoning your own king? Although Gu Zi'an is the son of the world, in my Great Xia, if Queen Zhao's child wants to be the emperor, he will not be at this moment. Weichen sees that there must be other reasons. ”

Zhang Zhong said: "Now that Yan Rong is colluding with Beiyang and assassinating the prince of Beiyang, I am afraid that the joint efforts of the two countries will not be good for my Great Xia in the future." ”

"Beiyang is in the north, Yanrong is in the west, if the two countries collude, it will definitely form a situation where the Tong clan will merge into my Great Xia. The natural danger of the battle is also very unfavorable. Lian Qin sighed.

Jing Cheng said quietly: "The widow sent someone to follow the people of the Yan Rong mission, and the letter was intercepted by the guards from the path in the dense forest outside the city. Yan Rong has something to do with Beiyang, and the first king of Beiyang was poisoned and died, and Yan Rong is inseparable. The alliance between the two countries is not good for Bactria and must break up their alliance from it. ”

Zhang Zhong sighed and quietly scattered in the empty palace.

"The minister thought that he had never treated Gu Zi'an, the prince of Beiyang, badly and sickly, he was a good candidate to use it. There are still some doubts, though. Zhang Zhong said while wiping his gray beard.

Lian Qin also echoed it, and after many years of fighting, he said in a rough voice: "Then Gu Zi'an, we have been staring at it for so many years, and there is no big basket." The little girl next to me, although she has a bit of kung fu, always feels stupid and stimulated, with a straight face, and no one smiles. ”

Zhang Zhong squinted his eyes and laughed when he heard that the general was still in his fifties and still paid attention to such a thing.

"But now that the interior of Beiyang is in chaos like a pot of porridge, we can take the opportunity to lay it out. Queen Zhao's son is not credible, but is Gu Zi'an credible? Seven years without any omissions, either he really didn't, or he was extremely smart. Moreover, Gu Chongwu, the son of Queen Zhao, heard that he loved beautiful women and beautiful jade, and he was cruel by nature. Such a person as a king must be more suitable for us than Gu Zi'an. Zhang Zhong said the pros and cons.

Lian Qin asked rhetorically: "I heard that Gu Zi'an was not a favored prince back then, and he temporarily sealed the prince to go to my Great Xia. If he was smart, why couldn't he have escaped? If Gu Chongwu becomes the king, most of them will be controlled by Queen Zhao and Yan Rong, and when the time comes, the two countries will unite, what should we do? What to do with spring plowing and autumn harvest? Let all the farmers go to the battlefield? ”

Zhang Zhong squinted his eyes and shook his head.

"Zhang Zhong, Lian Tan," King Xia said majestically, "I still have a letter here, and the Beiyang mission will arrive in Chengping in the next three or four days." ”

Lian Qin's expression froze: "The minister sent people to keep an eye on the Beiyang and Yanrong missions. ”

Zhang Zhong sighed: "I don't know if I came to find Gu Zi'an, or to kill Gu Zi'an." ”

Jing Cheng rubbed his temples and didn't speak.

Lian Qin and Zhang Zhong are right, if Gu Zi'an returns to China, he may have raised tigers for all these years and let them return to the mountains. But Gu Zi'an is indifferent, and he has been not thin on him all these years. Yan Rong assassinated him this time, and he must not stand on Yan Rong's side, so it is fine, so he will protect Gu Zi'an. If Gu Chongwu, the son of Queen Zhao, becomes the king of Beiyang, Beiyang Yanrong will collude and form a pincer situation, and Daxia will be in danger.

Jing Cheng kept rubbing the sandalwood beads in his hand, his face was gloomy, he nodded for a long time, beckoned the guards in, and said, "Let's arrange it, keep an eye on Yan Rong and the Beiyang Mission." ”

King Xia hesitated between Gu Zi'an and Gu Chongwu because he couldn't determine that Gu Zi'an would definitely go to Great Xia, and King Xia didn't know if Gu Zi'an knew that the assassin was Yan Rong's person, so he needed to add fuel to the fire.

"Lately, how have you been staring at the Crane family?"

"After the disappearance of the head of the Crane family, there has been no movement of money. It may be that the money ran away, and the Crane family did not declare such a big thing, which is indeed strange. Zhang Zhong stroked his beard.

When King Xia heard about the sale of the He family, he investigated by Zhang Zhong and found a large amount of gold and silver, but it was forced to terminate because of the disappearance of the housekeeper. Daxia Qingming does not allow hundreds of officials to be corrupt and pervert the law, and this was the case of the Fu family twenty years ago.

。