The eldest prince took the letter, raised his eyes and looked at his father, and saw that his father was summoning Yu Xianzhong to speak closely, so he hurriedly buried his head in reading it.

The emperor summoned Yu Xianzhong to his side and said softly: "Order everyone to get ready, we will return to the Central Plains in two days, so that Fang Fan and Lu Wu don't have to perform any more tasks and go back to the capital directly." ”

"Yes!"

Yu Xianzhong immediately withdrew from the study after receiving the order.

The emperor looked at Xufeng Zhuo Feng unhurriedly, and asked slowly, "Zhuo Feng, have you finished reading?"

The eldest prince put down the letter paper, his face ugly.

"Have you finished reading?" the Emperor asked again.

The eldest prince had a splitting headache, and his heart was blocked, but he didn't dare to show it, so he had to smile seemingly open-mindedly, and said, "The third brother is really capable-"

The emperor smiled softly and said, "Zhuo Feng, you have to remember that if you don't want others to know what you think in your heart, then the expression on your face will be more natural. ”

Being simply pierced by his father's thoughts, Xufeng Zhuofeng was so embarrassed that he coughed a few times and didn't speak.

"Alright," the emperor waved his hand, "you go back and clean up, we're going back to the capital." ”

"Yes. Xufeng Zhuofeng didn't dare to say much, and after kneeling, he prepared to leave.

The emperor suddenly stopped him: "Don't you ask me why I returned to Beijing early?"

"It's because... Third brother?" replied the eldest prince absentmindedly.

"Not really," said the emperor, "you are the crown prince, the person I appointed, and after a hundred years, the great cause will be yours, and if your thoughts are still imprisoned on personal gains and losses, you will not be able to see what an emperor should see." ”

Hearing his father say this, Xufeng Zhuofeng was frightened, and felt that he regretted making him the crown prince.

So he hurriedly turned around and knelt down, explaining: "The son is because he stays in the palace all the year round, and almost everything is done by his father, so he tries his best to do something to prove himself, and he is inevitably a little anxious and can't let go——"

The emperor raised his hand to interrupt the eldest prince's complaint, and opened his mouth to say: "You are right, so I give you this opportunity this time, firstly, to let you show me a little bit of yourself, and secondly, you really need some great achievements to convince the public." ”

When the eldest prince heard this, he was immediately overjoyed, and the previous haze was swept away: "The son must do his best and never give up!"

"Never give up... If you knew what I told you to do, you wouldn't say that," the emperor said, untying a jade pendant from his yellow satin belt, dividing it in half, and handing it to Xufeng Zhuofeng, "It's up to you whether you succeed or fail. ”

Xu Feng Zhuo Feng knelt on the ground with a thud, and took the jade pendant with trembling hands—more precisely, the soldier talisman.

**

Central Plains, in the mountains and forests.

Qiu Yi walked all the way back with the disciples of Xuanyue Sect, and almost everyone was depressed and unhappy.

Almost no one said a word along the way.

"Xuanyuemen ran all the way to Dinghua Mountain, the battle was big, but he didn't release a fart and went home, Qiuyi's old friend is really enduring. ”

The voice came from the forest, and it was difficult to judge from far and near, and the disciples of Xuanyue Sect looked left and right.

"Who is talking nonsense here!" Ling Qingxi was already angry, and when she heard that someone was actually provoking them, she couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Qingxi, you take the juniors and disciples to go first. ”

Qiu Yi was not angry but happy, which made the disciples even more worried.

"Boss, the other party hasn't shown up, is it friend or foe—"

"It's an old man of mine, you go first, I'll come after a few words with him, and no one should come with me. Qiu Yi didn't want to say anything, so he turned around and jumped into the path and entered the forest.

"Senior brother, what should we do?"

Ling Qingxi looked at the direction in which Qiu Yi disappeared and said, "Let's continue to hurry, since Master said it's okay, then it's okay." ”

Qiu Yi entered the woods and didn't walk long before he saw a black-clothed masked man sitting under an osmanthus tree waiting for him.

"My old friend is really old, it took so long to find such a distance," the man in black took out the jar of wine from behind him and threw it to Qiu Yi, "I don't know if the amount of alcohol has regressed?"

Qiu Yi took the wine, did not open it, and smiled dryly: "Now I don't have the heart to drink." ”

"Chen Yin, Xie Gu, or Dinghua faction?" The man in black gave three examples, each of which was Qiu Yi's pain.

"I didn't expect you to live in the palace, but you are so clear about the outside affairs, but don't worry, you, me, and the current Dinghua faction are all doing things for the imperial court, even if there is all kinds of hatred, my Xuanyuemen will also take into account the overall situation and endure it. ”

"My old friend is only half right, but what I'm worried about is that you will endure it," the man in black got up and said, "because the current court also has to be divided into which court." ”

Qiu Yi was stunned and asked softly, "What do you mean?"

"We don't talk in secret," said the black-clothed masked man, "I went to Dinghua Mountain this time in vain, but because of the third prince Xufeng Chenhui?"

"It's because of him," Qiu Yi sighed, "even if I know that he intends to defend the Dinghua faction and Chen Yin, there is nothing I can do, so I have to wait until the war with the Ma Si Kingdom is over, and then I will settle the account with them." ”

"As long as Xufeng Chenhui is here, you Xuanyuemen will have to bear these humiliations for the rest of your life, don't think about revenge," the black-clothed masked man didn't think about it, and said, "Now everyone knows that the emperor's three sons are working hard to seize power, although the emperor has appointed Xufeng Zhuofeng as the crown prince, but after a hundred years, no one is sure whether Xufeng Zhuofeng can sit in this position." ”

"Are you worried that Xufeng Chenhui and Xufeng Sijia will take the throne?"

"The only one who blatantly wants to take the throne is the second prince Xufeng Sijia, but he is not afraid," the man in black paused, and continued, "What I'm worried about is Xufeng Chenhui, he has been missing for so many years, and I don't know what he has experienced, and what he did when he returned to the Central Plains this time is to win people's hearts, and now it is obvious that he wants to draw the Dinghua faction behind him, if he succeeds, with Dinghua's prestige and influence in the rivers and lakes..."

"You know that I don't want to think about these intrigues," Qiu Yi interrupted, "But there is a truth in what you said, I understand it, if Xufeng Chenhui sits on the throne, then the Dinghua faction will be untouchable." ”

"Yes," said the man in black, "if my old friend can understand this, it won't be too late." ”

Qiu Yi shrugged his shoulders and said, "What is not too late, even if I know this truth, what can I do, why not kill Xufeng Chenhui directly?"

"Naturally not," the man in black said, "You just need to remember this truth, and I will take care of the matter for you." ”

Qiu Yi heard the man in black say this, but he didn't show much joy, but was a little cautious: "Since you said that we don't speak code words, can you tell me that you are helping the prince to protect his throne?"

The man in black shook his head and categorically denied, "It's not to help him." ”