Outside the city gate of Pingcheng in the Northern Wei Dynasty, Emperor Xuanwu Yuan Ke dressed up in gorgeous clothes and greeted Zhongshan Wang Yuanying, who returned from a great victory, outside the city gate. Pen Fun Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 After this Yiyang victory, Yuan Ke had already made up his mind in his heart, vowing to destroy the Southern Liang and incorporate all the territory of the Southern Liang into the territory of the Great Wei.

Yuan Ying saw Yuan Ke's guards from afar on the horse to welcome out of the city gate, his heart was overjoyed, and he rode his horse to Yuan Ke, and when he saw Yuan Ke, he hurriedly dismounted and knelt down: "How can the last general be able to meet Emperor Lao in person?"

"General Yuan, you have made several southern expeditions over the years, and you have been undefeated, and you have won every battle, which is really a rare thing since ancient times. You have achieved such a great achievement, I just went out of the city to greet him, what is it?" Yuan Ke hurriedly helped him up.

"The emperor has won the award, the last general was born to lead the army to fight, if my Xianbei clan does not ride a horse to fight, what kind of hero is it, if this battle is not won, how can I be worthy of the ancestors of our Xianbei clan, how can I be worthy of the emperor's love for the last general?" Yuan Ying naturally did not dare to invite credit, of course, this credit must be dedicated to Emperor Xuanwu.

Yuan Ke heard Yuan Ying's words, and his heart was very happy, thinking that the Zhongshan King of our Tuoba family made people feel comfortable when he spoke.

"Come on, let's go back to the city, I want to hold a big celebration banquet and wash the dust for General Yuan. Yuan Ke ordered excitedly.

As soon as Yuan Ying returned to the city, he wanted to go back to the house to visit his wife, but when he heard the emperor say this, he swallowed the words on his lips and followed the emperor to the palace.

The banquet had already been set up in the palace, the music was playing, the singing and dancing were appreciative, and the monarchs and ministers sat together, but there was a joy that was not usually there.

Yuan Ke was also extremely happy, and when everyone was on the rise, he said: "Everyone, today my Great Wei has been fighting for many years, all of which are victories, and this credit General Yuan is the first merit, but when the morale of this Southern Liang is now sluggish, how will I deal with this incompetent Southern Liang in the future, this ...... What do you think?" Yuan Ke looked around at the civil and military officials gathered together.

At this time, the civil and military officials, after hearing Yuan Ke's words, were silent. At this time, what the young emperor was thinking in his heart, they didn't know, but no one wanted to say it first. When the big platform heard Yuan Ke's words, his heart suddenly sank, could it be that the emperor wanted to ......

Yuan Ying beside him stood up suddenly: "Your Majesty, now that Nanliang has been defeated year after year, the national strength is empty, those soldiers who can lead the troops to fight, as long as they hear the sound of the horses' hooves of my Northern Wei, they are all frightened, and now when the national strength of our Wei State is prosperous and the morale of the army is soaring, I hope that the emperor can be kind to the brigadier general, continue the southern expedition, and take down the Southern Liang in one fell swoop!"

"The last general supports General Yuan! The last general is willing to go with General Yuan and bring the land of Nanliang into the territory of our Great Wei. General Yang Dayan also stood up and asked for his life.

"The last general is also willing to go with General Yuan to attack Southern Liang. Xiao Baoyin also stood up and shouted loudly.

"The last will go!"

"The last general is willing to go!" the generals stood up and echoed.

"Good! good!" Yuan Kelian said three good words: "There are many generals going to conquer Southern Liang, and the day when my Great Wei will unify the country will only come soon." ”

"The emperor will be able to dominate the country and prosper forever!" Those civil officials hurriedly took the opportunity to burn a fire at this time, which made the emperor even happier.

At this time, among the civil and military officials, only Daxingtai Xing Luan sat in place, without making a sound, and when all his colleagues around him stood up and echoed, his state of mind suddenly became extremely desolate. If Nanliang is really so easy to destroy, can he wait until the Wei State to destroy it? He didn't know how to say the words full of words, if he told these words to the emperor at this time, the emperor who was on the rise would not only listen to them, but also greatly punish his own crimes, thinking of this, he could only swallow back the words that came to his mouth, and sat there alone, drinking bitterly.

Yuan Ying had noticed Xing Luan's frustration since the beginning of the banquet, this big star has always been known for his calmness and resoluteness, why is he silent today?

"Lord Xing......" Yuan Ying sat down beside Xing Luan, "I, Yuan Ying, have been away from Pingcheng for almost a year, and just came back today, the emperor held a banquet, and it was rude to not be able to talk to Lord Xing." ”

"General Yuan's words, Xing Luan can't stand it......" Xing Luan hurriedly returned the salute, "General Yuan has won one battle after another since the Southern Expedition, which is really gratifying." A smile appeared on his face, it was a smile of sincere praise, Yuan Ying saw it in his eyes, and his heart was a little comforted, but he didn't know why this old man always had a dull face.

"Lord Xing, since Yuan Ying returned to the court, I have found that you seem to have something on your mind?

"Ah, this house...... Nothing. Xing Luan suddenly remembered the rebirth, he really couldn't bear to talk about it, he couldn't tell Yuan Ying, he was dignified in Wei State, in order to save the lives of his whole family, he sent a weak woman to the wolf's den, wouldn't Yuan Ying look down on himself? He smiled bitterly, why let others look down on him, he already hated himself for doing this.

"Lord Xing, do you still have the kung fu to sit here and chat with General Yuan?" Then Cui Liang came behind the two of them somehow, and preached without yin or yang.

"What does Master Cui mean by this?" Yuan Ying's face sank, he didn't hear others talk about the good things that Cui Liang had done, and now that this good guy came to him, he was looking for trouble.

"General Yuan, Lord Xing, I, Cui Liang, naturally have something to face the emperor, I don't know if the two of you will go to the early dynasty?" Cui Liang's face still has scars, he has finally recovered from his injuries for a long time, half a month ago, Yuan Xiang beat himself full, he will not forget, one is Xing Luan, the other is Yuan Ying, he will definitely settle the account with them.

Cui Liang put down these few words and walked away, Xing Luan and Yuan Ying looked at each other inexplicably, completely unaware of the meaning of his words, it seems that this Cui Liang and them are secretly stronger, this person is a complete villain, and he has to guard against it.

"Lord Xing, when the morning comes, you and I will ......," Yuan Ying quietly pointed to him and Xing Luan, "You have to be careful when that time comes." ”

"Xing Luan, thank you General Yuan for reminding me, I will be more careful!" Xing Luan naturally knew that the villain's face was not easy to deal with, but it was very difficult to think of a perfect way to keep himself away from that villain. The collusion between Cui Liang and Lu Chang is very tight, and Yuan Ke loves to listen to Lu Chang's words very much, Xing Luan has naturally never been afraid of leading troops to fight, but he can't use any tricks to deal with this kind of caution.

As soon as the Fan family gained a foothold in the capital, Ling Xiao said his plan to return to Yongzhou, which made Fan Yuncheng stunned: "Go back?" Madam, we just arrived in the capital a few days ago, and you want to go back today, why?"

"In front of the grave of the lord and the lady, I will go and add a handful of soil. Ling Xiao is not good at lying on weekdays, but now as soon as he said this, Fan Yuncheng didn't believe it.

"Ling Xiao, I want to hear you tell the truth. He grimaced.

Ling Xiao was silent for a while, and slowly walked in front of him, Fan Yuncheng's face was obviously much older after going through these things, Ling Xiao looked at him with some distress: "I'm not going back alone, I'll go back with Xing'er." ”

"What are you going back to do?" Fan Yuncheng was really angry, "You have been alone in your father-in-law's mansion for most of the day, and you haven't had enough? He thought of the tragic situation on the day of the tragedy, his heart was extremely painful, how could he bear to let Ling Xiao experience this pain again, he didn't understand why Ling Xiao at this time could still say the words of going back so calmly.

"Yun Cheng, I haven't sorted out a lot of things yet, and I need to be alone and quiet. ”

"Do you have to go back to Jing? can't I be by my side?" asked Fan Yuncheng loudly.

"I ......" Ling Xiao has too many things to say to him, she has to go back, after a long time, it will bring too much trouble to the teachers, if this is the case, then the matter will really be out of control.

"I think about this every day, those murderous demons will be damned. But why do you have to go again, why do you want to suffer again?"

"Promise...... Listen to me ......"

"I, no, want, you, leave, leave!" Fan Yuncheng roared angrily.

"Cheng Gongzi! Listen to what I'm talking about. Ling Xiao also raised her voice, and there was a hint of poignancy in her voice.

This voice of Cheng Gongzi finally made Fan Yuncheng quiet, this is a manifestation of Ling Xiao's patience, he didn't say anything anymore, seeing his wife, who had always been calm, staring at him with round eyes, he suddenly felt sadness.

"Don't you understand? Our Fan family is in trouble. Cheng Gongzi, you and I have lived a good life for 20 years, but I'm afraid it's really coming to an end. Ling Xiao said softly.

"Ling Xiao ......" Fan Yuncheng took his wife in his arms, and the tears that he had endured for a long time finally flowed, "Why do we want to cause these disasters for no reason?"

"Buddhism is the most important thing to talk about cause and effect, admit it, there is a cause to have an effect, I am easy to marry you for Miss Qifeng, and enjoy a happy life for 20 years, this life is enough. Ling Xiao wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, she knew why Fan Yuncheng didn't let her leave, because over the years, they had been inseparable, and the coming bloody storm made them feel a kind of fear in their hearts.

"Ling Xiao, don't leave!" Fan Yuncheng held her in his arms harder and harder, refusing to let go.

"Half a month, more than a month, I will come back. Ling Xiao smiled and said, "Our whole family will be fine, agree." ”

“...... I hope so. ”

"Tomorrow, when you go to see the prince and his wife, don't be reckless, don't say much, everything is waiting for me to come back. ”

"Hmmm......"

"Talk to Jun'er, look forward to Yu'er......" Ling Xiao's heart can't let go of the most, is this little son, he still doesn't know that his grandfather, who has always loved him, is no longer alive, the big and small things that happen in the family, as if they have nothing to do with him, he has been living in an illusory beautiful world, enjoying his own happiness, sometimes Ling Xiao really envies this lovely child, she can't bear to tell him those cruel things, can make him happy day by day, I don't know when, he will lose this only joy.

“......”

They didn't need to say anything more, those words had not yet been spoken, and they already knew about it, but the unknown future, none of them could have predicted, nor dared to guess......

Fan Yuncheng said goodbye to his wife and packed up his mood to meet Xiao Hong, the sixth prince. He was dressed in civilian clothes and walked to the palace with Yan Fei. The streets of the capital are different from Qiaozhou, they are very lively, but Fan Yuncheng is not in the mood to wander around at this time, he is worried about Ling Xiao, who has just left home, and he doesn't know what kind of scene she will be in Yongzhou. At this time, there was chaos ahead, and dozens of tall horses rushed from the front. Fan Yuncheng was thinking about things in his heart, and was walking with his head down, not noticing that the war horse in front of him had arrived in front of him. Yan Fei pulled Fan Yuncheng to the side of the road, and the person on the horse was wearing armor, three locks of long hair floating on his chest, and a spear in his hand, which was really majestic. When he rode past Fan Yan and the others, he gently pulled the reins of the horse, and the horse stopped suddenly, raised its front hooves, and let out a series of neighings.

"This gentleman is ......," he said, putting away his spear and turning over and dismounting.

"The newly appointed young secretary of Guanglu Temple, Lord Fan Yuncheng. Yan Fei stopped him with a calm face.

"Fan Yuncheng, I have heard of a great name for a long time, and I was able to meet today, and I will be polite at the end. The man glanced at Yan Fei and saluted Fan Yuncheng with a fist.

"The general is ......" Fan Yuncheng couldn't remember who he was for a while.

"Under what is the sign. The corners of He Zheng's mouth brought a wicked smile, "Presumably, Lord Fan has never seen the last general." ”

"I have also heard the name of the general for a long time, and my lord is a great war in the frontier, and everyone knows it. Fan Yuncheng said coldly.

"Haha...... The emperor's birthday is approaching, and the last will come to congratulate the lord on his birthday. I don't want to meet Master Fan today, it's really a blessing in three lives. He Zheng laughed three times, got on his horse and walked away.

Fan Yuncheng felt that this person's behavior was arrogant, a little incredible, and he felt uncomfortable, but he couldn't say anything else.

"Big brother...... Let's go. Yan Fei saw Fan Yuncheng staring at the direction He Zheng was walking, and he was a little distracted.

"Oh......" Fan Yuncheng remembered about going to the palace.

Xiao Hong was particularly enthusiastic when he saw Fan Yuncheng, Fan Yun's nephew, and the emperor's important minister, although he was implicated in Zhang Yuanzhi's murder tragedy, but this Fan Yuncheng still behaved decently, and he did not have the slightest stage fright. Although Fan Yuncheng is not the queen of the royal family, his uncle Fan Yun is the person most valued by Xiao Yan, and he still cares about and loves the Fan family.

"Lord Fan, this journey is hard, just arrived in the capital and will start to be busy, this king is indeed a little unbearable, but next month is the emperor's birthday, there will be Lord Lao Fan. ”

"Lord Wang, you are polite, this is a matter within the duties of the lower officials. Fan Yuncheng hurriedly stood up and saluted.

"It's just that some of the gift lists are in the hands of Madame, and Master Lao Fan has to go to help with the procurement. Xiao Hong handed the gift slip in his hand to Fan Yuncheng's hand, and said lightly.

"Xia Guan will go now, but I don't know where Mrs. ......" Fan Yuncheng was stunned in his heart, but he didn't show any dissatisfaction.

"Madame lives in Liubei Lane, she is my outer room, naturally she will not live in the mansion, but there have been a lot of things recently, and I hope that Lord Fan will worry a lot. Xiao Hong looked at Fan Yuncheng with a smile on his face, this Fan Yuncheng seems to be a pedantic scholar, I don't know how he survived his career in the past 20 years, in today's world, he does not form a party or engage in personal interests, and he can still mix in the officialdom, Xiao Hong also secretly admires this honest Fan Yuncheng.

"The lower official took his leave. Fan Yuncheng bowed out.

Xiao Hong smiled coldly and watched Fan Yuncheng leave.

Fan Yuncheng was on the way to Mrs. Hui's outer house, the more he thought about it, the more wrong it became, a dignified prince, he should have done what he should have done but asked one of his outer rooms to do it, how to think about it is unreasonable.

"Brother Yan......" Fan Yuncheng couldn't help but ask Yan Fei.

"Big brother, what's wrong. ”

"This Mrs. Hui, why don't you see us with the prince?"

"It's weird. Yan Fei frowned, he couldn't figure out why.

When they came to Mrs. Hui's outer house, the housekeeper at the door received their name cards and sent them to the inner house, and after a while, a young girl came to the gate.

"This gentleman, please stay, and Madame only invites Master Fan to go alone. The girl stretched out her hand to stop Yan Fei, signaling that Fan Yuncheng could only go alone.

Yan Feijian's eyebrows were upside down, and he was about to go crazy, Fan Yuncheng waved his hand at him lightly, signaling him to stay outside, he remembered Ling Xiao's instructions before leaving, don't offend the sixth prince and this Mrs. Hui, since he came to her mansion, then he can only listen to her, thinking of this, he stepped in by himself.

The courtyard of this outer house is wide, the scenery in the courtyard is extremely beautiful, the center of the courtyard is a pond of lotus pond, it is the season of lotus blooming at this time, when the breeze blows, a burst of lotus fragrance floats through the air, which makes people feel refreshed. The girl motioned for him to come into the house to speak, and Fan Yuncheng hesitated slightly, raised his legs and walked into the house.

Fan Yuncheng walked into the house, and after slowly getting used to the light in the room, he saw a noblewoman in costume painting at the desk, and a bottle of freshly picked lotus flowers and lotus leaves was placed in front of the table.

Fan Yuncheng was about to salute, when he saw Mrs. Hui's raised head, her mouth seemed to be sealed.