Xiao Tingchen scooped up a jar of wine, took a big sip silently, and did not answer his words.

"You don't like me, and rightly so." Yuan Xiao smiled, "But I like you very much, and my sons combined can't match your excellence." I like you, I want to make you the prince! ”

The emperor is the most subtle.

But he said it so bluntly and passionately, it was shocking.

Xiao Tingchen raised his eyebrows.

Yuan Xiao: "I asked Su Jiu yesterday, how about you being the prince, guess how she answered me?" ”

"Su Xiaojiu?" Xiao Tingchen smiled, "She will definitely tell you that I am not suitable to be the heir of the empire." ”

"Yes. She said that although you have a heart for the country, but you are sharp, unscrupulous, and cruel, not only is it easy to be plotted when you sit on the throne of the prince, but it is impossible to become a benevolent and righteous king in the future. She said you crave invasion. Skip another country, and you will increase the conscription, and make all the men go to war to fight for you. She asks me not to make you the crown prince. ”

Xiao Tingchen smiled faintly on his lips.

The hand that carried the wine jar couldn't help but tighten quietly.

Su Xiaojiu knew how eager he was to ascend to the throne, but he still exposed all his shortcomings in front of the emperor.

But he damned it, he couldn't hate her.

Yuan Xiao chuckled a few times, "But I think that all the shortcomings she said are precisely your strengths." The family has controlled the Great Qi court for hundreds of years, and even I need to look at their faces to act, and even have to go to great lengths to win over them. But in just a few months of your reign, you have uprooted more than a dozen families...... What about the cruelty of the means, after all, some obstacles have been cleared, right? ”

After a pause, he said: "If there are many kingdoms today, it is not a peaceful and prosperous world. The emperor of Great Qi does not need benevolence and righteousness, he only needs to be able to fight well, and he only needs to have the will to annex the world. And these are exactly what Huai Jin has. ”

Xiao Tingchen half-lowered his eyelids, "However, the emperor still won't canonize me as the crown prince." ”

"Not bad." Yuan Xiao took two sips of wine, "You once set foot in the Yan Kingdom, and this military achievement is still worthy of pride today, this is a bargaining chip to make you the crown prince." But the Chaozhong family has a deep opinion of you, and if I want to make you the crown prince, I won't be able to pass their pass in the first place. Huai Jin, do you understand what I mean? ”

Xiao Tingchen raised his eyes.

The music has reached its climax, and the dancers are dancing heartily, and the skirts are flipped, which is beautiful and picturesque.

He said lightly: "The emperor wants me to marry the family." ”

Yuan Xiao's face couldn't help but show appreciation, "Huai Jin is really smart!" Now you lack a main concubine and two side concubines. I have already found a good candidate for you, and one of them is your favorite Su wine. Her father Lu Yi has a lot of prestige in the army, I demoted him to the border pass, and after you succeeded to the throne, I will recall him from the border pass, Lu Yi is simple-minded, and he will be grateful to you and swear allegiance to the death. In this way, it is equivalent to winning over the family in the army.

"The second side concubine is a rumor. The Rong family supports Rong Qin, the son of Concubine Rong, but the Rong family only has one daughter. If you marry Rong Yu, it is equivalent to holding the Rong family. On the Queen Mother's side, I also have an explanation.

"As for the selection of the concubine......

Yuan Xiao showed a hint of interest on his face and slapped his face.

The music gradually faded.

The dancers respectfully retreated to both sides of the main hall, and a girl wearing a peony red heavy gauze palace skirt, masked with light veil, came slowly.

She is tall and slender, and her beautiful eyes exposed outside the veil seem to be full of autumn water, and there is a frightening beauty in her anticipation.

The temperament of the body is unparalleled in the world, and it directly suppressed all the dancing girls around.

She stepped forward, lowered her eyebrows, and bowed to the emperor and Xiao Tingchen, "The courtiers have seen the emperor and the four princes. ”

The light and ethereal voice, mixed with the unique charm of the daughter's family, is dignified and seductive.

She is Hua Yueji, and she is also the dream lover of every man in Chang'an City.

There is no man who does not crave her.

Yuan Xiao patted Xiao Tingchen's shoulder meaningfully, and said in a low voice: "She is the first big gift that your father gave you. ”

He left the scene with the attitude of "brushing off his clothes and hiding his merit and fame", giving the two young people time to get to know each other.

Hua Yueji bowed her head at Xiao Tingchen, "Your Highness is going to go outside?" ”

Xiao Tingchen remained silent and left the Chengle Hall with her.

The two walked through the waterfront veranda of the Imperial Garden, and the palace lights were lit up one after another, and the summer night view was extremely beautiful.

Hua Yueji said lightly: "There are many families in Chang'an City, and the Hua family is not eye-catching. Because the emperor hated the rumors of the Yin and Yang family, many people even thought that the Hua family was no longer as glorious as it used to be. ”

"But rumors, after all, are just rumors." Xiao Tingchen put his hands behind his back, and his voice was indifferent.

"Yes, rumors, just rumors, after all. The Hua family is still deeply favored by the emperor, just as Lu Guogong's exile in Liangzhou is only a means used by the emperor. I am the crown princess of the inner design, and I will marry the emperor's favorite prince. ”

The verandah gradually winds its way into the middle of nowhere.

Surrounded by vines and vines, clusters of wisteria roses bloom unscrupulously, and the air is filled with the sweet fragrance of flowers, which should have been a very romantic twilight.

Xiao Tingchen stopped and admired the water, "There are still many princes in Chang'an City, and I may not be able to ascend to the throne smoothly." What would you do if I lost the battle? ”

Hua Yueji stood side by side with him, and her tone was cold: "Good birds choose trees to perch, and the Hua family needs a queen." As for who the emperor is, it doesn't matter. ”

She was serious and ruthless, not at all like a girl.

Xiao Tingchen suddenly pinched her cheek.

The light and shadow were dim, and he was so close to her, close enough to feel each other's breathing.

His gaze shifted downwards to the girl's plump red lips.

The girl was very calm, "If His Royal Highness needs to use the body of the courtier, the courtier thinks that it is better to go to the hugging house over there." At the very least, it can save your face and mine. ”

Xiao Tingchen chuckled.

He tilted his head, and through the thin veil, his thin lips were almost close to the lip flap of Kazukihime.

His eyelashes were lowered and his voice was low and muffled. Ambiguous: "Back then, the eldest lady defeated Jin Xuanyin with a shocking dance, and the world shook. The eldest lady is famous, even if the main hall is far away in Jinling, those teenagers in the academy will talk about your demeanor endlessly. The eldest lady is the dream lover of men all over the world, naturally, when I was young and my love was first opened, I also thought about you. ”

Every man, when he is young, thinks that he will be a hero under heaven.

Drink the strongest wine, hug the most beautiful woman, and look down on the common people with a staring attitude.

Xiao Tingchen was ignorant back then, and like other hot-blooded teenagers, he also imagined the demeanor and beauty of Hua Yueji when he dreamed back at midnight, imagining pressing her under Shen and rolling her up.