Beiyang City, North Palace.

There was a sound of needles falling in the main hall of the North Palace, a few lights looming, and the palace maids and eunuchs in charge of the guards bent down respectfully, not daring to raise their heads.

Standing for a long time until their numb and trembling legs could tell that they had been waiting here for a long time, and a layer of fine beads of sweat appeared all over their bodies. It's not that I'm nervous, it's that the fire in this palace is too hot, sweat is sliding down my head, and the sound of dripping on the ground is clearly audible.

On the dragon chair at the top of the tall staircase lay a man who was about the age of no doubt, dressed in a loose black nightgown with a wide open chest.

The dragon chair under him was already soaked with sweat, but the man turned a blind eye to it. A pair of eyes with heavy bags under the eyes drooped slightly, and the fingers moved gently on the dragon chair very regularly, and the long head kept swaying up and down with the movement of the fingers, as if enjoying it.

A father-in-law walked gently from outside the hall with small steps, couldn't help but raise his sleeves to wipe the sweat on his forehead, cautiously walked up the steps, came to the man's side and whispered: "Your Majesty, the eldest prince is here." ”

The finger movements stopped, and he rolled over a little lazily, facing the roof.

The father-in-law seemed a little embarrassed, but he didn't dare to urge, just waited quietly on the side, and couldn't help wiping his sweat and licking his boring lips.

After a long time, the man's eyes opened slightly, and his hands touched the wet dragon chair under him, as if he had thought of something, and said with great joy: "Who? Big brother is here! Please, please!"

"Xuan! The eldest prince will meet in the spring and autumn!"

A man in red came from outside the hall, but there seemed to be a pair of gentle eyes under the cold eyebrows, he didn't squint, walked to His Royal Highness and looked at the man lying on the dragon chair on all fours, waved his hands and saluted, and said: "Dachang courtier, Spring and Autumn, I have seen His Majesty the Emperor." ”

His Majesty the Emperor was still lying on the dragon chair, as if he hadn't heard the words, and just quietly looked at the roof above him.

The man in red did not repeat, but stood quietly at the bottom of the steps, maintaining the salute movement.

After another long time, the Emperor couldn't help but laugh. Raised his hand and patted his head, as if he remembered something, he didn't even bother to put on his shoes, and hurriedly got up and ran to the stage.

Picking up the man in red, he said with some emotion: "Big brother, I can't sleep." ”

"Why is Your Majesty sleepy?" asked Chunqiu straightened up.

The emperor let go of his hands holding Chunqiu, trembled his legs and retreated as if he were looking at a monster, tripped over the steps behind him, sat on the steps, trembling and laughing a little gloomily: "Big brother, with you, I can't sleep, or you die?"

The surrounding maids and fathers-in-law trembled when they heard this, and hurriedly knelt on their knees and did not dare to raise their heads, they naturally did not dare to intercede, but only out of fear.

The eldest prince of the Spring and Autumn Period looked at the skin and smiled without smiling, revealing a strange smile and just smiled lightly and said: "The king wants the minister to die, and the minister has to die." ”

The emperor lay on the steps with his hands outstretched, raised his head and laughed, "A good minister has to die, a good prince of the Spring and Autumn Period." ”

Standing up and staring at the man in red, his eyes narrowed slightly, he said, "So, why are you still alive? Or why am I still alive?"

The eldest prince of the Spring and Autumn Period laughed: "Your Majesty is merciful not to kill me, and it is the destiny of Heaven that Your Majesty is still alive." ”

His Majesty the Emperor got up and spat the ground, and stepped on it with his bare feet, until he could no longer see the filth, and then nodded with a little satisfaction.

He sat back on the steps, looked around, beckoned the red-robed man to take a step forward, and then gently took the hem of the man's clothes and wiped them on his feet.

"Look at my brain, I forgot that my eldest brother has a habit of cleanliness. If you stain your clothes, adults don't remember villains, and big brother won't bother with me, right?" His Majesty the Emperor patted his head hard, and said with a look of regret.

Spring and Autumn smiled, as if he didn't care about it.

The emperor walked up the steps, picked up the black dragon robe that he threw on the ground at will, gently draped it for the spring and autumn, looked around the man, gently smoothed the folds on the eldest prince's chest, and then nodded with some satisfaction and said: "It's a good fit, I hope the eldest brother doesn't worry about the younger brother." ”

Chunqiu gently took off the dragon robe on his body, and respectfully handed it over with both hands: "Your Majesty must not make such jokes with your ministers. ”

The emperor couldn't help laughing, took down the dragon robe and put it on the steps at will, and then sat on it and asked with a smile: "Big brother doesn't want to wear it, but it's hot?"

"Seeing Your Majesty is like a spring breeze. Chunqiu laughed.

The emperor roared almost madly and said: "You are like a spring breeze, do you know how I came to be in the more than 20 years when you were the crown prince! I feel like sitting in an ice cellar every day, and I am not afraid of the day you ascend the throne." ”

Pulling his heavily drooping eyelids to the man in red, "You see, I can't sleep every night, I don't dare to take off my clothes when I lie in bed in the middle of the night, and I tremble with fear when I hear the slightest movement." I dug a dog hole in the bedroom, and as soon as a dog barked outside, I immediately went in and didn't dare to climb out until dawn. Do you know why the fire in this palace is so hot? I'm afraid of the cold, I'm afraid of the cold, I'm afraid of the cold, it's cold, it's too cold. By the end of the words, His Majesty the Emperor was already trembling slightly, squatting on the ground and hugging his body tightly, repeating the words.

Then he put his hands together and kept swaying up and down, and then said: "Big brother, I beg you, I beg you, is it okay for you to die, only when you die can I sleep peacefully, and I can not be so cold." ”

Chunqiu looked at him quietly and said softly: "After so many years, I have worked hard for you." ”

His Majesty the Emperor walked up the steps, sat on the dragon chair and chuckled and asked, "Do you know what I mean?"

"I don't know. ”

"I am me, when the first emperor was there, I always felt that it was difficult to speak, but I felt that I was embarrassed to speak. His Majesty the Emperor then asked, "Do you want to know why I am still alive?"

Just now, His Majesty the Emperor has been using 'I', which means that it is just two brothers chatting, but at this time, using 'I' means that his position has changed.

The eldest prince of Spring and Autumn smiled but did not speak.

"The eldest prince Chunqiu, what a great prince Chunqiu! Sitting in the East Palace for more than 20 years, you have the sixth of the Jiuqing, and you have the second of the third duke! The three and two of the political power are in your hands! I will tell you today! I will not kill you because of the army hidden in the shadows, and you are willing to honestly hand over the position of the crown prince because of that army!" His Majesty the Emperor picked up a wine jug, took a sip and staggered down the steps and said loudly.

"Your Majesty. ”

His Majesty the Emperor leaned his ears forward, and after confirming that he had heard correctly, he laughed and said, "Your Majesty, Mingjian? Why don't you take a gamble with me?"

"How does Your Majesty want to bet?"

"Quite simply, that army is hidden in the shadows, and its purpose is unknown. It's better to do this, I have randomly selected and ambushed a hundred sword and axe men in this palace, and if they can kill you, it will prove that there are no people left by the emperor in these hundred sword and axe hands, and it also proves that the purpose of those people is not to protect you. The emperor took a sip of wine, stretched out a finger and pointed casually outside the hall.

It looked like two friends drinking and chatting about which girl in the hall was better.

Chunqiu couldn't help laughing: "The minister dares to ask Your Majesty, what should I do if the minister is not dead?"

"This seat is for you. Shall I get down here?" said the Emperor, who nodded and crouched barefoot on the top steps and rolled the flask down casually.

Chunqiu bowed slightly, bent down to pick up the wine jug that rolled down in front of him, took a sip, flicked his sleeves and turned around and walked towards the outside of the hall.

The pace was steady, unhurried, and the appearance was so light and breezy.

His Majesty the Emperor was still barefoot on the highest step, his long head poking forward slightly, his eyes narrowing into a thin slit, and the bags under his eyes were even more obvious.

"Kill, kill, kill!" Suddenly, His Majesty the Emperor shouted like a roar, as if he wanted to shout out all the grievances he had accumulated over the years.

With this command, a hundred sword and axe men rushed out from behind the scenes, all wearing armor, and the dim palace was instantly reflected in those cold rays, and His Majesty the Emperor raised his sleeves and slightly covered his eyes.

The wind and clouds outside the hall changed suddenly, gently blowing the red robe.

The eldest prince Chunqiu held the wine jug in his hand, poured another sip, raised his sleeve and gently wiped the wine stains on the corner of his mouth.

Without squinting, just walking step by step, he had already seen the morning sun outside the hall. He didn't care about what was going on around him, and it was like not hearing the mad cries of His Majesty the Emperor.

Suddenly, the red-robed man turned around, looked at the emperor who was squatting on the steps, and smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you don't dare to bet." ”

Blood flashed in the hall, dozens of heads fell to the ground like rolling melons, and even the shouts could not be made, and His Majesty the Emperor laughed madly and walked down the steps.

Stepping barefoot in the blood in the temple, he kicked away a wide-eyed head at his feet, walked up to the man in red and supported the ground with one foot, swept the hem of the red robe, wiped the raised foot, and then changed to another.

The hundreds of sword and axe bearers were on the side, and there was no movement, and the dozens of maids who were still kneeling on the ground had all become headless corpses, leaving only the father-in-law on the side of the dragon chair who knelt on the ground and trembled.

His Majesty the Emperor seemed to suddenly think of something again, and patted his head again and said in regret: "Big brother, look at my memory, and forget that you have a habit of cleanliness." ”

The eldest prince Chunqiu looked down at the hem of his clothes, and said with a smile: "I can't see it." ”

The emperor nodded thoughtfully, and said in agreement: "I can't see it, how can it be hidden so well." His eyes narrowed slightly, staring at the red-robed man and asked, "Do you think this army doesn't exist at all?"

"Your Majesty should probably take a gamble. At least get a good night's sleep. ”

The emperor shook his head, "I'm waiting for someone, Commander Lin is not in the palace, I don't dare to bet." Commander Lin is not here, and the Spirit Academy never cares about these things, why don't you gamble again?"

The eldest prince Chunqiu laughed: "I don't dare to bet either." ”

His Majesty the Emperor stared at Chunqiu Yin and said with a smile: "I forgot everything, and I missed one." ”

As soon as the words fell, a eunuch's unique scream came from the side of the dragon chair.