Song Ran sighed, and said: "I know that Ah Ke must not want to be trapped in his hometown for the rest of his life, but he is not as good as Qianshan still running around - of course, I don't want him to leave his hometown again, and there will be any damage accidents, but I also know that he can really help me- He has always had a tacit understanding with me, I first came to the capital, most of the time I have to deal with another identity, always inevitably negligent, with his intelligence, even if I can't see, he can handle a lot of things behind me for me, and it is precisely because he can't see, as far as the rules of Heizhu and the recorder are concerned, there is just less possibility of leakage, if I want to find a helper, he is more suitable than anyone else. Pen Fun Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info weighed the comings and goings, and I finally agreed to him, so that he would also come to Lin'an later, just hoping that the eldest brother would not think that I was making my own decisions. ”

He said this in a low voice. The mountain shadow longed for him, and it became more and more obvious that he was actually worried and tired. Xia Yan knew that Song Yan was dead, Song Ke was blind, Heizhu changed hands, and the helm changed places - these things happened in just two months, and for the Song family, all of them were really earth-shaking changes - Song Ran said that it was calm and relaxed, but all these burdens were only on his shoulders at this time, and the prince suddenly had a plan for the "Shaoxing Six Scholars" - even though the "three test leaders" were well prepared, The identity that has been in business for a long time, it is difficult for him to do it alone, and it is very human to have such a performance, if he wants to demand something from him at this moment, he is punctual, conscientious, and perfect, but I am afraid that it is also extremely unkind.

"It's been a hard time these days, Prince Song. He paused, "Childe is a few years older than me, in fact, I don't have to call me 'big brother' - the identity of the deacon is different from others, let alone under me, there are many things, and there is no need to ask me, but I have a lot of things in the Black Bamboo Society, and I have to slowly ask Childe for advice." ”

Song Ran laughed. "I don't have many opportunities to be alone with my eldest brother, and in front of outsiders, I am afraid that I will not have a chance to be called like this. "Then what should I call it, Fang is in line with the mind of Prince Xia?"

“...... Call me Jun Li. I'm not welcome, just call you 'Brother Ran'. Xia Yan said. Since he became the owner of Heizhu, returned to his surname, and called him by the word Jun Li when he met, there were only a few people close to him - nothing more than Thorn Thorn, Okra, Vermilion Bird, Yiyi, Ling Li, etc., and of course, Shen Fengming, who couldn't call him a "Taoist priest" anymore. Although he had just met Song Ran, he thought that he would only have to deal with him in the future, so why be so estranged. Moreover, he doesn't hate Song Ran - he has a good impression of him, but he is afraid that he has much more than he has for Song Ke.

The night has eroded the mountains and forests more and more, but fortunately, the two of them have already descended the ridge and are slowly walking north. "If I don't go to talk today, next-how is Brother Ran going to find me?" Xia Yan smiled casually.

"Then you'll have to think differently. Song Ran smiled. "It's hard to ask for it, but you can't help it—I know that the post was sent to the Suzaku Mansion a few days ago, and I also know that the okra girl in the house isn't there—as long as he sends someone, it's probably you. ”

"'Shaoxing Six Scholars' - according to Suzaku's judgment, it is the prince's attraction behind it, including this Qing Talk, which is also due to his promotion. I heard that Brother Ran had already mentioned the crown prince in his words, so I think this guess should be good?"

"Suzaku-sama is really not simple, there is no need to come forward, just from a letter of invitation, you can see the stakes behind it. Song Ran said, "The meaning of the prince's wooing is indeed very obvious. The 'Six Scholars' were all well-known scholars—he was interested in the fame of the six of us among the students. It would be good if the six of us could do something big for him, but even if he didn't, he was still young after all, and his future right-hand man and officialdom strength were likely to be among these Tai students—he would have to pull those people to his side one step ahead of others. ”

He paused, and hurriedly added, "I'm not boasting, I don't dare to claim any talent, but this reputation is indeed a lot of effort." ”

"Brother Ran, why should you be too humble, even if you haven't won the Jinshi - Lord Liu was right in the morning, you don't bother to take the test, it's not that you can't. 'Three test leaders' no, 'two test leaders' are always genuine, how can it be said that there is no talent to learn. ”

Song Ran shook his head. "Jun Li Gongzi thinks that I took the two Kui Capital exams?"

"Isn't it you?"

"I was the only one who signed up for the third test in the capital. The two leaders were both taken by Ake as a native of Xinxi County. ”

"Is it the second son?" Xia Yan was surprised, "but—ten years ago? Wasn't he only thirteen or fourteen years old then?"

"That's right – he's only thirteen. However, at that time, everyone was nameless, and who would care about the candidates next to them when taking the exam, even if they saw that it was a teenager, at most they looked twice, and they couldn't match the name. Ake has been smart and studious since he was a child, and he has the ability to never forget, and I am better than him in essays and martial arts. At that time, we didn't have such a long-term plan, but because the deacon has always collected thousands of books, and we are the children of a well-known family in Chenzhou, so we always have to catch up with the excitement. I took the test in Chenzhou, and Ah Ke was still young, and he was afraid of attracting the attention of acquaintances, so his father took him on a three-hundred-mile journey to Xinxi County, his mother's ancestral hometown, to report his name. Speaking of which, I took the exam seriously, but he was just having fun, and no one expected him to take the first place - let alone that he used my handwriting and wrote my name. At that time, no one cared too much about the top name of a state and county, and there was no Song Ran in Xinxi, and there was no one in the township who passed on the word to the hundred, so he just gave up;

That's when my father began to think about what to do next. Zhilu has its own mission, not that you can't be an official, it's just that once you pass the Jinshi, you often can't help yourself, if the emperor sends you to a certain place as an official, even if it is remote, you have to go. But as the leader of the two tests, if you give up the temple test and don't go, it will cause people to talk. After I discussed with my father, he said that since the gold medal wall is barren and the Jianghu has moved south, after he passes on the position of deacon to me in the future, I will have to go to the south sooner or later - it is better to take this opportunity to go to Jiangnan to walk around more first, and when it is really time for the palace examination, I will find an excuse and quit.

"I went to the capital alone to enter Taixue. Coincidentally, in the twenty-seventh year of Shaoxing, my mother did die of illness on the eve of the palace examination. When I got the news and rushed home, I didn't see my mother for the last time, and I was depressed at that time, and it was not false at all. Since then, I have never planned to take the exam again, how do I know that there are several Taixue in the same year in the capital, and I have never forgotten it in the past few years, and I have been asked many times. I didn't want to pay attention to it, but Ah Ke reminded me that now they are just letters, and the so-called 'ancestral house' of Xinxi only needs to leave someone to receive and pass on the letter, but if they really find Xinxi one day, it will be more troublesome to be blindsided. I had to write back to those people and promise to take the test again.

"In recent years, if there is an important thing in the Black Bamboo Society, the deacon always has some status, but just last year, my father vaguely felt that something was wrong, so he sent the third brother Ah Yu to the capital, and joined the Black Bamboo Club to inquire about the situation without his identity, which confirmed the matter of Brother Gong Chang's refuge in Suzaku. It was only then that we began to really think about going to Lin'an. My father said that since I actually have a reputation in the capital, it is better to use it, and with a public identity, many things will be convenient. ”

"So you re-applied for the temple examination this time, so that you have a reason to come to Lin'an again—but you only took the first exam, and once again you found an excuse not to take this year's re-exam, and only answered outside the temple, which not only attracted people's attention, earned fame, but also prevented you from being sent elsewhere by the Holy Order—is that so?"

"Yes, the plan was supposed to be perfect - it should have been perfect. Song Ran hung his head instead.

"Isn't it perfect now?"

"For me, maybe it's perfect......" Song Ran sighed lightly, paused for a long time, and then said again: "It wasn't until this time on the way back to pick up Ake that he told me that whether he deliberately used my name for winning the first two attempts, or later persuaded me to reply to my friends in Beijing, it was because he had always hoped that I could go to the court as an official. Only in this way can it be his turn to take the position of Heizhu Zhilu. For so many years—ten years, or even more—I have never noticed that Ah Ke has such a hidden obsession in his heart. He was far more talented than me, and if he really wanted to compete with me, it would have been easy—but in the end, everything he did made me happen. I know he didn't want to embarrass me—if he hadn't been blind now, he wouldn't have been able to do it anymore, and he wouldn't have spoken it to me. I can't imagine how sad he was at that moment. ”

Xia Yan was silent. The Song Ke who seemed to him to be impulsive and selfish, and would even go out of his way to assassinate Suzaku, was a different appearance in Song Ran's mouth, so that he was speechless, unable to comment or comfort.

Song Ran continued: "Actually, even if there is no Ake's words, I know that our Song family has already paid too much price. That is, on the day when I finally waited for the title of 'Shaoxing Six Scholars' at home, I also heard about it at the same time...... I heard the news of Ah Su's death. ”

His expression grew darker and darker. "In retrospect, Ah Qian was also in Lin'an before and after I came to take the temple examination, and he, even if he didn't know when I came, should have heard my name after the temple examination. But we never tried to get in touch, because we were afraid of revealing our identities, so we didn't see each other in this Lin'an City. It wasn't until I went back home after the palace exam, and after Heizhu's 'Twin Jade Expedition', Ah Zhen also went back to Chenzhou - that was the last time we met. Ark said that he died under the poison of the Illusory Realm—I believe that. With his usual flying sword skills, if the other party hadn't used poison, how could he have hurt his life? So, this time, Qianshan said that he would go to gather at the request of the 'Gold Medal Order' and go to deal with Guan Feisu, and my father, Ah Ke, and I did not object. ”

"The matter of the third son...... It is unfortunate indeed. Xia Yan said, "Brother Ran doesn't have to think about it, Feng Ming has a careful plan this time, and he is bound to win, and he will definitely be able to avenge Ah Yan." ”

Song Ran nodded. The two were silent for a while, and Song Ran suddenly said, "I can also ask Jun Li about Gongzi, right?"

"What's the matter?"

"Recently, the wind in the rivers and lakes has spread the life experience of the son, saying that you are actually the eldest son sent to the Taoist in Xiajiazhuang in the past, I don't know if this statement is true or false?"

"Brother Ran thinks it's true or false?"

"According to my thoughts, if the son of Jun Li is really the son of the Xia family, when the Xia family village is uncertain, of course he must return to the village and take on the responsibility of the owner of the village - but you don't; In this way, the son is more or less related to the Xia family. ”

Xia Yan smiled: "The rumors in the rivers and lakes must not be believed, nor should they be believed." Brother Seesy Ran's interpretation is enough. ”

Song Ran shook his head and smiled: "I didn't want to inquire about Gongzi's private affairs, I just thought - if Gongzi is really the rumored son of the Xia family, then Gongzi and I also have two younger brothers, and we have some similarities - listening to me talk about those things, I must be able to feel a little empathetic." ”

I have two younger brothers. Xia Yan said in his heart. Luckily for you, they're all fine now, and less fortunate than you for me, I've never even been brothers to them.

"Even if it weren't for this, I would have felt that it was too late to meet Brother Ran. He turned to it, "It's a pity that Brother Ran's identity can't be seen, and I'm afraid that I will have to part ways when I get to the city, and I can't sit down and have another drink." ”

"Sit across from each other and drink, it's already been drunk in the morning. Song Ran waved the folding fan in his hand and said with a smile, "We might as well say everything that needs to be said here first-as for meeting in the future-it depends on whether Prince Jun Li is willing to condescend and go to Taixue for a walk." ”