And in a small town on the edge of the capital, a burly and sturdy middle-aged man came, but his behavior was a little strange, with a felt hat to cover his whole face, as if he was afraid that others would see his appearance, and after rushing into the restaurant with the people around him, he quickly ordered food and entered the room.

"General, why are you so careful?"

This middle-aged man is none other than Ning Zimo's father, Ning Guodong, a general on the edge of the town with hundreds of thousands of troops.

Ning Guodong's sword eyebrows were slightly raised, the expression on his face was very serious, and he didn't answer this question, but just ordered: "It's dark, hurry up and finish eating, and go to the palace overnight." ”

Xiao Er is very strange, these two people have paid for the room, why did they leave overnight.

Ning Guodong walked out of the gate of this Yuelai Inn with his front foot, and someone followed him with his back foot, Ning Guodong's behavior was originally very hidden, but the closer he got to the capital, the easier it was to expose his whereabouts.

In fact, Ning Guodong didn't know why the emperor ordered him to return to the capital privately, in fact, it happened that the day of his concubine and Lu was coming, and he would let him come back in the name of it, and others would not say anything.

Ning Guodong's brows furrowed, riding on horseback, imagining in his mind ten thousand kinds of grim situations that might arise in the capital right now.

There are actually not many people who are rushing to the night road, and the surroundings are very quiet, and now there are only a few of them on this sheep intestine path, and the people who are following behind are quickly discovered by Ning Guodong.

"Appeal ......"

Ning Guodong grabbed the reins, and quickly pulled out the blood-drinking knife he carried with him, this knife was extremely vicious, I don't know how many enemy soldiers were killed on the battlefield, at this moment the blade was glowing with a cold light, Ning Guodong turned around and looked at a few figures in the darkness behind, and shouted: "Such a young man dares to follow this general?" ”

The men had no intention of going to war, and when they saw that they had been discovered, they ran in the other direction as fast as they could.

The deputy general beside Ning Guodong was ready to chase, but Ning Guodong waved his hand and said, "Don't chase, hurry up and enter the palace, something will definitely happen in the palace." ”

Those people are the shadows of the nine-story building, responsible for the first-hand information of Gong Xuanzheng's subordinates, and they are non-stop at the moment, but when they arrived at the city gate, they found that the city gate had been closed, and they could only enter the city with another idea.

When Ning Guodong arrived in front of the city gate, the city gate was actually closed, but Ning Guodong held the secret holy decree and rode to the palace gate unimpeded.

"Quick, go and tell the prince that the general has already returned to the city."

There are always a few people in the palace who are hiding in the dark and can't see the light, and at this moment, seeing that General Ning is already in the middle of the night, and he has entered the palace in the dust, he knows that something is wrong at a glance.

In fact, foreign ministers are not allowed to wear swords to enter the palace, but Ning Guodong is an exception, at this moment he entered the palace with a blood-drinking knife in his hand, only to find that the emperor was already waiting for him in the Heart Cultivation Palace, and immediately became even more anxious, and quickly entered the Heart Cultivation Palace.

"The old minister lived up to His Majesty's expectations and rushed over before the twenty-second day."

As soon as they met, before the emperor could say anything, Ning Guodong took the lead in kneeling on one knee, with sincere words and a respectful attitude.

The moment the emperor saw Ning Guodong, the big stone in his heart was also put down, and he said happily: "General, please get up, the general returned to the palace overnight, it's really hard." ”

Although the emperor's reassuring words sounded perfunctory, as a courtier, the emperor would show a flattered look when he cared about you, Ning Guodong not only did not get up at the moment, but also continued: "The old minister does not dare to speak hard, it is my honor to serve Your Majesty." ”

The emperor looked at the general, who was also old, and said with some emotion: "It's been more than 20 years, I think that when I was still the prince, we drank and talked all day long, how happy we were at that time." It's not like now, there are countless troubles. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty is troubled, and the old minister is willing to share your Majesty's worries, but I hope the emperor will no longer be so worried."

The emperor nodded, did not beat around the bush, and asked directly: "Is it okay for Li'er to be in the General's Mansion?" ”

Ning Guodong's back stiffened, and he hurriedly said: "Very good, the young master from the General's Mansion, no one in the General's Mansion dares to make a mistake in front of him." ”

"That's good, I want to see Li'er can only take a look when he accompanies the prince into the palace, and he can't even say a few words, I'm afraid that the queen will see something, it's just that twenty-two is his birthday, and he has also reached the year of learning, and the gift I prepared at that time will be given to him in the name of Aiqing."

Ning Guodong nodded and kowtowed.

"By the way, I heard that you still have a concubine, and she also has a twenty-second birthday, right?"

Ning Guodong didn't expect the emperor to ask this, so he nodded helplessly and said: "I was also helpless back then, so I said that I gave birth to a dragon and phoenix fetus, and I asked the emperor to forgive me." ”

The emperor didn't expect that General Ning Guodong Ning would ask for guilt, so he quickly got up and helped Ning Guodong up with emotion: "Back then, it was Aiqing who did it for me regardless of his own danger, although I didn't say it for so many years, I am still grateful to you from the bottom of my heart." Don't say anything like that again. ”

Ning Guodong still said respectfully: "Yes, thank you emperor." ”

Ning Guodong slept in the palace that night, and he was used to sleeping on the hard bed when he was marching and fighting, and he was not used to tossing and turning over the high bed and soft pillows in the palace, and he was also thinking about the incident fifteen years ago in his mind.

He has been guarding that secret for fifteen years, he feels that with this return to Beijing, that secret may no longer be able to hold on, just now outside the words, he heard the emperor's satisfaction with Ning Xuanli, he understands the emperor, the emperor let Ning Xuanli be the prince's companion, so he has the intention to let the child receive a good education, yes, it is impossible for the emperor to give up the royal child and live abroad.

Ning Guodong fell asleep in a daze, but the emperor of the Heart Cultivation Palace couldn't sleep, and instructed the people around him: "Is the famous doctor who treated me this time from the prince?" ”

Eunuch Kui nodded, and said two more good words by the way: "No, I heard that the prince specially ran over to invite someone to go out of the mountain." ”

"But I heard so much that this magic medicine was given by Zheng'er?"

Eunuch Kui's expression stiffened for a moment, and then he smiled and said: "Your Majesty, you are seriously ill, and all the princes are worried, and the five princes are also worried about your illness, so they went everywhere to find it, and finally the emperor lived up to his wishes, so that the five princes found this peerless medicine." ”

A fierce gaze flashed in the emperor's eyes, and he said sharply: "Only the queen and the crown prince know about my serious illness, how do you say the fifth prince knows?" Did you tell him? ”

Eunuch Kui's heart trembled, and he quickly knelt down and begged for mercy: "No, the old slave has never told any prince about this, the old slave only knew about your serious illness after your health improved, the old slave really didn't know." ”

The emperor has always been a ruthless person, and the majesty accumulated for a long time has long suppressed the eunuch and did not dare to speak more, the emperor was angry, and the consequences were very serious.

The eunuch sweated out of the Heart Cultivation Palace, and asked the two little eunuchs waiting in front of the Heart Cultivation Palace, "Xiao Liuzi hasn't come back yet?" ”

The eunuch faintly felt that things were not good when he found out that Xiao Liuzi was missing yesterday, Xiao Liuzi was also a person in front of the emperor, how could this be gone, he didn't even say hello, his heart was pounding, and he felt that this little Liuzi was no longer in the palace, and even said that he might be dead.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and ordered, "Keep the Heart Cultivation Hall well." ”

After speaking, he went to Chonghua Palace by himself, looking for the palace maid Agate who was eating with Xiao Liuzi, Agate also said that he didn't know about it, but the eunuch was originally an old and cunning person, and he didn't believe what she said he didn't know, and he hoped to ask something else.

After asking about this agate, he went to Xiao Liuzi's room alone, hoping to find out some clues, this person can't disappear for no reason, let alone without an explanation, the only possibility is that he was killed.

Early the next morning, General Ning did not appear in the court to go to the court, but changed his clothes and returned to the general's mansion, the people in the general's mansion did not know that the master would come back, Ning Zimo was still bathing Xiao Li in the courtyard, and at this moment he was sprinkled all over his body by the water that Xiao Li made when he kicked his legs, and the whole person looked a little embarrassed.

A cat: Bathe me in public, I don't want to lose face? I'm wet and uncomfortable, take a hammer bath.

"If you move again, I'll put you in the pot and boil."

Ning Zimo was really angry, grabbed the back of Xiaoli's neck, and said viciously: "I still don't believe that I can't fix you, if you move again, you will go to sleep on the ground at night." ”

A certain cat finally settled down a little, but looking at Ning Zimo with contemptuous eyes, Ning Zimo couldn't help pinching its face again, and said while holding on: "You haven't bathed for so many days, and if you don't take a bath, I'll shave your fur." ”

Yunu watched his young lady pinch the cat again, and it was just a matter of putting it in normal times, but now that the master is back, the young lady must go to the front hall to greet him.

"Miss, don't wash it, the master is back."

Ning Zimo's hand paused, and he asked in disbelief, "Who did you say came back?" ”

"Miss, the master is back, General Ning is back, Aunt Wei and Aunt Liu have already gone to the front hall, and the slave will immediately inform you when he hears the news."

Ning Zimo didn't care about Xiao Li anymore when he heard this, and threw Xiao Li into the water and said, "You wash it yourself, I'll go." After taking a shower, obediently bask in the sun in the yard, and don't run around. ”

Xiaoli's figure is actually not small, he smashed into the water and splashed a large splash, and when he saw Ning Zimo running away, he sighed sadly: This meow is really too bitter, being thrown alive in the water to take a bath, it's too bitter, this life is too bitter.