Qin Shuo followed his elder brother Qin Li out of the Golden Horse Hall and walked to the stable in the middle of the palace and the Qunying Palace. It had recently snowed, and the ground was white, and the moccasin boots rustled on the snow that had not reached the instep.

"The snow in the Golden Castle must be knee-high by now. The little giant's white wool cloak was very large, embroidered with ears of wheat and horses, with a red fur around the silver piping, and a hood on his head that was slightly larger than his eyes. But fortunately, he was born tall and tall, and he also lowered his eyes when he looked at people.

"Do you really want to go home?" Qin Li patted the broken snow on his shoulder, he was wearing the same cloak as his younger brother, but he was half a head shorter.

"Really, don't you want to?"

"I thought you'd want to stay a little longer. ”

"Actually, second brother, to be honest with you, I want to go back, but I want to stay even more. I am not reconciled to leave like this. The little giant was looking forward to going back to the Golden Castle with his sister-in-law. He likes children and longs for the little nephew in his sister-in-law's womb to be born as soon as possible.

The second brother Qin Li is different from him, he doesn't easily reveal the thoughts in his heart, and sometimes he can't see what the second brother is thinking in his heart. But his father praised the second brother for this. The eldest brother Qin Ming followed his father to deal with foreign affairs all the year round, and many things in Jinbao fell on the second brother, such as some small frictions between princes, nobles and commoners, a series of problems caused by the expansion of towns, and tax adjustments in various districts in the province, which he was already familiar with.

"There's no point in staying here, let's go back to Golden Castle as soon as possible. Listening to his sullen tone, Qin Li enlightened and said, "Don't you want to help your father and eldest brother end that damn war as soon as possible?"

"Think, I have long wanted to go to the battlefield to cut off the heads of those barbarians, and it is because I didn't go that this war dragged on for a long time!" said this, the little giant's eyes became excited.

The second brother laughed "hehe" and led him into the stables.

The stables are a large courtyard-style brick and wood building, enclosed by high gray stone walls that form a number of compartments with wooden doors, thick hay on the floor, and rows of wooden pillars supporting the ridge of the towering canopy. The stables are divided into inner and outer areas, each of which has stables and garages. The area of the carriage is relatively small, and it is used to store and repair the carriages for travel. The stables occupy most of the area of the stables, and are divided into military stables and inner stables, the military stables store thousands of war horses, mainly for the use of the guards and the royal capital military guard regiment, and the inner stables are the horses used when the palace is usually riding. The stables are under the direct jurisdiction of the Minister of State, and there is a position of the Imperial Horse Division, who is responsible for the management of the stables, and the stables and garages each have a horse head and a locomotive. The inner area is for the use of the royal palace, and the outer area is for the use of other provinces and countries, and there are also horses brought by the guests, and the horses and carriages of the Qin family are in the outer area.

The stables in the outer districts are in charge of the special grooms arranged by the Royal Horse Division, but in general, visitors from other provinces prefer to use their own grooms to take care of the horses, and horses in different regions have different food preferences, and the stables, although rich in forage, may not be satisfactory to everyone.

The little giant saw Qin Shi from a distance, the head of the Qin family's stables, a lean man over thirty years old, he also saw the two young masters, and rushed up to greet them: "Two young masters, our horses have been fed well in the past two days, and the soybeans and wheat bran brought to them have eaten more than half, and a small part is left behind, mixed with alfalfa grass, for them to eat on the return trip." ”

"Is there honey in the alfalfa grass?" Qin Li walked through one compartment after another, inspecting his horses.

"The batch of feed on the return trip has been added, the intestines are absolutely smooth, and you won't be able to pull out the goods after running hundreds of dragon steps, the second young master can rest assured. ”

"Don't put corn, add more oats. Qin Li picked up a wooden stick, turned over the feed in the manger, and then looked at the cold-proof blankets and belts used by the horses before nodding with satisfaction. "Yes, we have to get on our way as soon as possible, and the horses must be able to hold on. ”

"Two young masters, according to the plan, are you leaving today?"

"Yes, an hour later. You need to be ready now. ”

"The villain has been ready for a long time, and when he thinks that he is going back to the Golden Castle, the villain is very happy. Qin Shi smiled innocently and whispered: "Speaking of which, don't be angry, the two young masters, this Wang Du villain is really not used to it, that is, there are more people, but what is the use of more people, the villain is a quiet person, no matter where you say it, it is not as good as our Golden Castle." ”

Qin Shuo laughed when he heard this, "It's the same as I thought." ”

Qin Li also smiled and said: "You should be careful when you speak, the king is full of ears and eyes, if anyone hears it and it reaches His Majesty, I am afraid it will cause trouble." ”

"That's, that's, the villain doesn't talk much, take care of this. Qin Shi touched the back of his head embarrassedly.

"Go back to the Golden Castle and say enough happily. "Qin Shuo interface.

"Madame, let us see how the horses are doing, and we are well prepared, so we will go back first. Remember, an hour later. Qin Li turned around and left as he spoke, Qin Shuo patted Qin Shi's shoulder and followed.

On the way back to the Qunying Palace, it was probably the second brother's words of reminder that worked, and Qin Shuo remained silent. The snowflakes are falling more and more densely, both eyes are a little blurry in front of them, and the few figures on the road are hurrying back and forth, no one will go out to wander in this kind of weather. The statue of the Holy King on Shenmu Square was still faintly visible, the Holy King was pointing forward with a long sword in his hand, the snow wrapped the sword, and it also formed an icicle at the blade of the sword, this scene made Qin Shuo feel a little funny. He followed his second brother and walked with his second brother deep and shallow, and the woolen cloak he was wearing was already covered with a thick layer of snow, but it was all white, and it was not obvious to look at.

I don't know how my sister-in-law is doing now. He wanted to just rush in and get people out, and none of those stupid jailers could stand his punches. If it is really like this, they can set up their sister-in-law as the real dragon monarch to fight against the rebellious pseudo-king, presumably there are many people in the country who support it. It is true that the puppet king currently has more than 100,000 troops, but his father also has such troops, but it is just ...... The nomadic tide was not over, and the army of the puppet king surrounded them. More than 100,000 troops, alas.

Qin Li looked back at him, "Look at your uncomfortable appearance, do you have anything to say, say it." ”

"It's not uncomfortable, it's just that the wind is uncomfortable on your face. ”

"Hehe, the announcement issued by His Majesty at the banquet this morning, I don't believe you have nothing to say. ”

"Mom told me not to say anything about it. He muttered. "Otherwise, I would have scolded a long time ago. ”

"You've cursed more than a hundred times in your heart. The second brother said.

"Of course. He spat into the snow, "I feel sick when I think of those people, they are not fucking things!

The second brother was silent, and walked a few steps before he said, "They are indeed not things." But in their eyes, we're probably about the same. Former allies are already on the verge of becoming adversaries. ”

Qin Shuo pinched the hilt of the long sword at his waist, "I want to rescue my sister-in-law." ”

Qin Li stopped and grabbed his sleeve with his backhand, "I said, don't do anything stupid." ”

"Can't even think about it?" he grumbled dissatisfiedly.

"I can't even think about it. The second brother was reprimanding him, "I don't know you yet?" I can't hide my face and mouth, I can't hide it in my mouth, you think so in your head, give those old foxes a few looks, maybe you will see through it." ”

"You have a lot of ways, so what do you say?"

"I'll wait until my mother sees my sister-in-law. Now we need to be cautious, it is best to do nothing, and everything is not helpful. Seeing that he was silent, the second brother's tone softened, "I sent a letter in the hope that I am lucky enough to be delivered to my father." ”

"Maybe the bird will freeze to death in the snow. ”

"You're talking nonsense, you can't freeze to death, but it's possible that you won't be able to reach the Valley of the Wind. The wind is too strong, and the snow is heavy now. I can't help it, it's taking too long to send the messenger, and Daddy needs to know about it as soon as possible. The second brother raised his head and sighed, and the snowflakes pierced through the white mist. "All this may affect the morale of the army, and if Daddy can't know about it before the soldiers and generals, it will be troublesome. ”

"But as long as I am a good man in the north, a real man, who will believe that kind of vicious rumor?" he spat again and scolded: "Only those shameless turtle grandsons would do such unsightly deeds!"

"It doesn't matter if we northerners believe it or not, what matters is what they say. The second brother continued, his tone was quite helpless, "Everyone is talking about gold, one person says it's a rumor, and 11,000 people say it, and it becomes a fact." You know, some people add oil and vinegar to it, but it's not messy enough. ”

"Those bastards, elbow out! May they all go to the Nether!" The more he thought about it, the more angry he became, and then he returned to silence, and the second brother stopped speaking, and the two of them couldn't help but speed up their pace.

When they returned to the Golden Horse Palace, they found that Luo Xun was also there, chatting with Mu Rong about something. The Governor of Northern Desert Province is an old friend of the Qin family, and they have long been very familiar with each other. Qin Shuo followed his brother and was about to retreat, but Luo Xun beckoned and said, "Two young masters, come and sit down." ”

He looked at his mother, and saw no objection from her, so he and his second brother approached, and the four of them sat around the round wooden table, and the servant brought a porcelain cup with hot tea. The fireplace in the room was lit and the chill was dispelled from the two of them.

"How's the preparation?" Mu Rong was not powdered, and her skin was well maintained, wearing a silver-gray fox fur coat, and inside was a light blue tunic floral cotton skirt, which seemed to be as beautiful as he remembered when he was a child.

Qin Li replied: "Everything is in order, we can set off on time." ”

"Good. Luo Ye and I just talked about you, and you just happened to be back. Mu Rong smiled, her nasolabial folds still couldn't be covered, and her mother was no longer young. "Yours will be talked about later. Dude, let's move on. ”

The years have left marks on my mother's face, and she will age faster during these days. For the first time, Qin Shuo found himself so sentimental. But he was glad that his mother had allowed the brothers to sit in on the hearing, which was undoubtedly an important discussion.

"Sisters, young masters, the situation is very bad now. Luo Xun's serious face furrowed deeply. After coming to the royal capital, no one saw him laugh once. "Long Chengtian knows us better than we thought. His strategy was successful. We had only been in the royal capital for a few days, and he had succeeded in dismantling the Northern Alliance. I have to admit that he is a difficult person to deal with. ”

"I can only say that those two bastards have no position. How the two of them showed their loyalty during the lifetime of the first king has completely changed now. He clenched his fists and said indignantly, "Two wall grasses, whoever is strong will fall!"

Mu Rong glared at him, but Luo Xun said: "The third young master is not wrong, it is a little rude, but with those wall grass, sister, what etiquette do you pay attention to? You treat them as your own, they are not rare!"

"Dude, we may have problems ourselves. In fact, the You family has been looking forward to the royal family confirming their bloodline inheritance for many years, which is very clear to us. As for the Gan family, I'm afraid we are still stuck in Gan Zhen's era, how much do we know about Gan Changsheng? You and my husband used to talk to Gan Zhen about wine and talk until midnight, but now what about Gan Changsheng?"

Luo Xun sighed when he heard this.

Mom's words seemed to make a lot of sense, and he hadn't thought about it from such an angle before. Gan Zhen, the father of the little fat man Gan Changsheng, is a good friend of his father and Luo Ye. Father and their brother said that the three of them fought together against the barbarians who crossed the dragon wall, and they got drunk together in the long cold night by biting the mutton on the fire, which was the friendship between men, and they had experienced blood and fire, cold wind and winter snow, deep and long, without the slightest falsehood. And what about Gan Changsheng? For my father and Luo Ye, I'm afraid it's just that chubby little nephew, an incompetent boy who inherited his father's family.

Perhaps herein lies the problem. Whether it is his father Luo Ye, or himself, or the eldest brother and second brother, no one regards Gan Changsheng as a figure who can be compared with Gan Zhen. Maybe Gan Changsheng is indeed a junior who has no ability, but he is indeed the governor of Lengquan Province, and if you want to say that his status in the kingdom, Gan Changsheng is comparable to his father and Luo Ye. The little fat man also wants to be worthy of fame and respect, and who doesn't?

At the banquet that began in the morning, the usurper made it very clear: the second princess, Long Xin, would become Gan Changsheng's wife, the royal bloodline of the You family would also be officially recognized, and starting with You Hao, the leader of the You family would receive the title of "prince".

Qin Shuo secretly thought, even if someone as stupid as me is, he can see that two of the four provinces of the Northern Alliance are now on the side of the usurper. Although the Golden Horse is the most powerful province in the north, it still needs allies, and it is difficult to do it alone in this world, and his father has admonished him countless times for this. But our allies are now left with only the weakest in the north, the Northern Desert. Can such a force compete with the usurper?