Lin Piao didn't know what happened to Shen Hong and Han Xiu, but seeing that Shen Hong seemed to be a nobody, he rarely asked about it, thinking that since he didn't make any waves, it meant that this matter was probably not serious.

Especially the head catcher who used to love to report to him, but now he hasn't been here for a long time.

In reality, however, things got much more serious.

Lin Piao felt that maybe he was temporarily stable, so he didn't think much about Mu Yu's affairs, but he just cared about Erzhu and made friends, so he didn't make any mistakes during the exam.

In February, Han Xiu and Wen Shuo had already shown a decline, but the emperor kept his face and did not deal with it quickly with the momentum of thunder, but did not mention it.

But their opponents were naturally not vegetarians, and they naturally wanted the emperor to pay attention to this matter and knock down the last and most important hammer.

Erzhu participated in the martial arts examination, and Lin Piao and his second aunt Uncle Qiu both went to see him at the scene of the martial arts competition, and saw him pull out the mountain with great strength and throw his opponent off the stage, or struck an elbow and a grappler and pinched the opponent in his hand like a chicken, like a genius descending directly into the novice village and shining brightly.

There was no need to wait for this result, and Erzhu hit the end alone, but considering that it depended on the opinions of several examiners, he finally waited for the news, and found a way to send some suitable gifts.

The final result came out, Erzhu was the head of the county, the county government was the first to carry the handle by force, and a martial artist in the family fell from the sky.

I was so happy that my second aunt didn't sleep all night, and the first thing I said when I saw anyone was, my second pillar has become a martial artist!

So a big banquet was held, from the head of the alley to the end of the alley, and it was very lively for several days, and it was so busy that it did not touch the ground.

In April, Han Xiu and Wen Shuo resigned themselves to their fate and played chess in the quiet room, where they sat around the chessboard and watched the chess game in front of them with only silence.

"The mother clan of my father and mother mediated this, and I am afraid that it will not be able to drag on until now, because there are layers of checkpoints, and all the methods and favors that can be used have been used, and the general trend has gone."

Han Xiu fell into a position, and his expression was cold: "We have no worries about our lives, and we can still save ourselves, but the people below will be abandoned, and we can only keep our heads up today and wait for the next game." ”

Wen Shuo's face was also full of discouragement, this was the biggest thing he had encountered when he grew up, and his father didn't even allow him to go back to Luodu, telling him to stay here well, saying that he would not be able to help anything when he went back, and would only become a burden and a point to be used by the other party.

This was the year in which he thought about the situation the most, and there had never been such a moment of complicated feelings: "This is a dead end, and no one can break it." ”

They all knew very well that this was a situation set up by the five princes in order to deal with them, and that in general terms, Xianbei and the Daning dynasty were enemies, and from a reasonable point of view, the family and the border were not clear, and none of them could be overthrown.

Even if His Majesty knew that they had not committed such a profound mistake, he would just be unwilling to dig into it and would like to take it high and commit it lightly, turn a blind eye and let them escape from it, and would not overturn the situation for them.

There are two ends to this scale, one end is the family that he needs checks and balances and does not care much about, and the other end is the son born to the woman he loves.

They want to turn over, that is, they want His Majesty to slap the five princes in the face, even if His Majesty is not satisfied with the five princes for making such a big move, he will not do this to the five princes on the face for the sake of the family.

In all senses, this is a dead end, and we can only drag it out, cracking it layer by layer, playing games, and mediating it, so that the results come as slowly as possible, and the consequences as small as possible.

But they are the only ones who will be stripped of their skin.

Shen Hong picked up a chess piece, lightly landed on the chessboard, and his fingertips went into the hinterland of the sunspot.

"This game of chess has indeed become a dead game, the chessboard is set by the five princes, and the chess pieces are also made by the five princes, no matter how we go, we are all in his game, and we will not be outside the game."

Han Xiu was silent for a while, then suddenly looked up at him: "Brother Shen has something to say?" ”

Shen Hong didn't answer, Han Xiu was extremely intelligent, but Shen Hong found that he was missing one thing, that is, he was from a family, everything was disciplined perfectly, and there was nothing wrong with following the rules, so he didn't dare to think about it enough.

Han Xiu looked at him straightly, and suddenly asked, "How is it outside, do you know?" ”

Shen Hong suddenly glanced at him: "I only say this to my friends." ”

Han Xiu asked rhetorically, "Aren't you and me?" ”

"I want you to be my friend for the rest of your life, and never turn your back on me."

"Okay, I, Han Xiu, swear with my life, and I will be friends with Shen Hong for the rest of my life, share wealth and power, and never turn my back."

After Han Xiu finished speaking, he looked at Wen Shuo, Wen Shuo took a moment to realize what was happening, and urgently raised his finger and swore fiercely.

Han Xiu looked at him, he had a feeling in his heart, Shen Hong really had a way, although he often gave advice, but more often it gave people the feeling of being a cold bystander, others couldn't see it, but he could feel it, Shen Hong had been silent for a long time: "You should be trustworthy about our character, since you have made an oath, no matter how the world changes in the future, we are all friends and will never turn our backs." ”

"Treat others the way they do."

Wen Shuo was dumbfounded: "What do you mean?" ”

"He made a bureau for you, you can't break it, you also make a bureau and give it back to him, he draws a salary from the bottom of the kettle, and you can also draw a salary from the bottom of the kettle."

Wen Shuo blinked, his head was confused, but he was thinking hard.

Han Xiu only thought for a moment, then he slammed the chess game and stood up, and the bang was like thunder through his mind, and the chess pieces on the chessboard splashed everywhere.

He stood up, breathed rapidly, looked at Shen Hong, who was still sitting, his mind was suddenly clear, and the blocked road suddenly became a new world, and he trembled for a long time before he looked at Shen Hong and said slowly.

"Brother Shen, be a real national player."

Wen Shuo was dumbfounded, what? Why were they able to make him understand every word, but not every word?

Chapter 99

Wen Shuo's eyes looked left and right blankly, landed on Shen Hong's face, and then raised his head to look at the other side, looking at Han Xiu's excited expression.

He was also excited in his heart, because Han Xiu's appearance meant that what Shen Hong said was useful, and it might not be useful at all, it might be very useful.

But what exactly?

"Brother Shen...... Brother Han ......, "He called them dryly."

Han Xiu suddenly turned his head to look at him, "Wen Shuo, if you want to give it a go, how far can you convince your father to go?" ”

Wen Shuo straightened his back under his burning gaze, and he felt like he was being spot-checked by Mr. in the hall and stood up to recite the strategy.

"I ......," he thought about seriously: "Although my father is in harmony with the side branch, the dignity of the family of the descendant cannot be crossed. ”

Of course, Han Xiu knew the Wen family, and every family was like this, the dignity of the descendants could not be trampled on, and their status, power, official position, and dignity were all firmly tied together, and no one else was allowed to offend them in the slightest.

Immediately, Han Xiu sat down, sat opposite Shen Hong upright, and began to seriously discuss the specific details and ideas.

Shen Hong's meaning was very simple, to treat others as they would be, and the five princes took advantage of His Majesty's preference for him and Daning's rejection of foreigners.

But in a situation, the probability of success and failure is the same.

His Majesty favors the five princes, and if you look at the situation a little more thoroughly, you can understand that it is because the mother of the five princes is a favorite concubine, and judging from the current trend of the emperor, there are two conditions required to become his favorite concubine, one is that the emperor himself likes, and the other is that the mother's family cannot be too powerful.

Neither of these two points can be too true.

The fifth prince and his mother can give the emperor the purest love and affection, at least the emperor feels like this, there are no threats and checks and balances here, even if they are too favored, it will not cause trouble, and it is the gentleness that an emperor who is in a high place and cannot be cold.

The fifth prince was so aggressive this time, probably because he understood that he could not be compared with other princes except for the emperor's favor, so he was anxious to bring all the families that had not yet stood in line to his banner.

This may not be harmful to the emperor, but the emperor's heart may not necessarily overlook the overall situation.

Once the five princes succeeded, they would be able to check and balance the other princes, and even if he failed later, the side branch folded in, the lineage was revived again, the family still stands, and the overall situation of the court will not be greatly shaken.

His Majesty's imperial mind played this chess hand quite beautifully, but he turned a blind eye to the situation, showed favor to the lineage, and checked and balanced the relationship between all parties.

His Majesty wants to check and balance the other princes, but he is afraid that they will be busy wanting to be emperors now, and he intends to let their brothers consume each other first.

But what if he found out that the five princes were greedy for merit and were afraid that he would not be able to succeed in ascending to the throne in the future, and now he was anxious to become emperor?

Once the struggle for the throne begins, the balance between the rest of the princes will be broken, and the emperor who sits in that position will become the target of public criticism.

At this time, will the emperor continue to watch the chess and remain silent, or will he suppress the five princes' faction and support the descendants of the family who refuse to stand in line early?

After the situation changed, the restraining force between them also changed, and as long as there were people who were neutral and free, and the princes did not dare to act rashly, the emperor's checks and balances would be established again.

Shen Hong didn't say that when the dean left a year ago, he wrote a letter to him and Han Xiu to maintain a good situation in the Ludong Academy, and at the end of the letter, he told him that there was a secret compartment behind his study, which contained "The Book of Shang Jun" and "Emperor Fan", which were the emperor's learning, and told him to read more, probably so that he could understand the emperor's mind and have a better ability to play chess.

Previously, the dean often talked to him about "Han Feizi", and at that time, the dean asked him that Han Feizi was jealous of his classmates, but people often talked about it, this was the emperor's order, and what do you think Han Feizi died?

Shen Hong replied: "Han Feizi, died in "Han Feizi". ”

The emperor cherished his talents, but he was eager to offer his talents to prove his worth, which not only proved that he was highly capable and difficult to control, but also made him lose his value.

At that time, the dean looked at him for a long time: "You have a natural discernment and can perceive people's hearts, and you must cultivate your moral character, and you must not fall into your heart and disappoint your sister-in-law." ”

He was good friends with the lineage of the family, and in the future, he wanted to be a loyal and upright minister who was smooth sailing, and not to let his sister-in-law be frightened anymore.

Han Xiu and Wen Shuo understood what he meant, and felt that it was really crazy, but in the chaos, they couldn't retreat a step, and they had to stand and move forward steadily, which was worth fighting, this time it was not only a turnover, but it could even be said to be a powerful counterattack against the five princes, which could directly knock the five princes into the quagmire.

They immediately nodded, and began to ponder in their hearts how to practice this matter, they could not go back and did not dare to return at the moment, once they acted rashly, it might make the people of the side branch more vigilant and crazy, but if they wrote back and leaked the secrets, they must not do it, and after thinking about it, they could only let their brother quickly rush back to Shangjing Luodu and present this plan.

They discussed the details of all parties, and in the evening, the sky looked gray, and tomorrow was the day of rest, and Shen Hong used to get up early the next morning and go down the mountain.

Today, for some reason, after forming an alliance with Han Xiu Wenshuo and making a plan, the chess player had insight into the overall situation, and the feeling that the slightest wisp of it was in his heart dissipated, and all that was left was a feeling of emptiness.

Power seems to be a big thing, and the royal family seems to be on high and high, but at the moment he falls into chess, it seems that everything is meaningless, like a boulder on the top of a mountain, a huge wave of the sea, but it can be destroyed so easily, and what he pursues is only these meaningless things that can be dissipated in a moment.

However, when he found that he was capable of playing chess, this sense of overlooking could no longer be eliminated, and the feeling of playing chess was more satisfying than the pursuit of power.

It's dangerous.

Shen Hong suddenly wanted to go home to meet his sister-in-law.

So he took the carriage down the mountain, and when he got to the street, he got off the carriage first, and walked slowly along the street, this point house is estimated to have just finished eating for a while, he remembers that there is a family selling hawthorn cakes nearby, sweet and sour, he occasionally rests and goes home, and sees his sister-in-law eat one or two pieces.

Take some back and eat them, so that you can eat them.

Shen Hong bought a pack of hawthorn cakes in front of the stall, carried the oiled paper bag to the door of the house, knocked on the door, pushed the door into the courtyard, and saw Juan'er and Xiaoyue sitting in the courtyard talking, and the second aunt and Uncle Qiu were busy working on the side, but did not see the sister-in-law.

"Shen Hong? Why did you come back at this time? When the second aunt and Uncle Qiu saw him, they came forward in surprise, and Xiaoyue and Juan'er also stood up and looked at him, and whispered to him Brother Shen.

Shen Hong walked into the courtyard and put the hawthorn cake on the table: "What about my sister-in-law?" ”

"Your sister-in-law went out to play, and she went out after lunch at noon, and she hasn't come back yet."

Shen Hong raised his eyes and looked at the second aunt: "Play? Is he alone? ”

"Not really, Erzhu accompanied him, just over there in the martial arts training ground, saying that he wanted him to go over to see the hidden weapon to play, and by the way to see how they practiced martial arts, Erzhu's senior brothers wanted to order a few sets of neat and good-looking clothes, and now Erzhu has not been admitted, they have a light on their faces in the martial arts training field, and they want to take this opportunity to spread their fame, saying that they want to cooperate with Piao'er, and ask Piao'er to guide and guide them, and Piao'er often goes to them to play these days."

"It's getting late, how many days have it been?"

The second aunt saw that although there was no obvious change in his expression, she obviously did not agree with this matter, so she hurriedly said: "Don't worry, nothing will happen to this, don't say that it is dark, no matter how late it is, Master Lin will personally escort him back, and Erzhu will also follow him to ensure safety." ”

Shen Hongyu glanced at the hawthorn cake on the table: "That's fine." ”

He asked again, "Has my sister-in-law eaten?" ”

"In the evening, I asked someone to bring food to the martial arts training ground, I must have eaten, you come back, sit down and rest, but what is the matter? Have you eaten? ”

"It's okay, I want to come back and see it, I've eaten it at the library."

The second aunt wants to ask, what about the second dog? But since she didn't come back with her, maybe there was something else, so she didn't ask.

Juan'er and Xiaoyue washed up and returned to the room early, Shen Hong sat on the chair outside and waited quietly, Uncle Qiu lit a lamp for him on the table, put it quietly after covering the gauze cover, and then let Da Zhuang come out to sit and talk with him.

They went out and said they would come back in a while, leaving Da Zhuang in the hall.

Da Zhuang sat a little stiffly, not knowing what to say, after all, he always regarded Mr. Shen Hongru in his heart, except for exchanging and asking about academic matters, or talking about what the people in the family have been doing recently, there is really nothing else to talk about, especially since the accident at the Ludong Academy, I don't know why, although Shen Hong's face has always been like that, and he has never become serious and fierce, but the breath that exudes is different from day to day, making people feel inexplicably afraid.