incomprehensible

Chapter 56 First Snow

At the beginning of November, there were faint signs of snowfall in Danlu. In the early morning, there were hoarfrost everywhere. It was colder by day, and a thin layer of ice formed on the large and small ponds in Baixiu Garden.

Yiguo's envoy was already on his way, and it was estimated that he would arrive at Danlu in the middle of the month. The court affairs were busy, and Ye Xuehuan couldn't hide anymore, so he moved back to his official residence in Shangcheng from Baiyong Garden.Tong Xuan was too embarrassed to put on a shy face and kept taking a rest, taking care of him every day.

Lu Yao's mouth was so raised that he could hang a bottle of oil, but he didn't dare to be pretentious at this juncture.Fortunately, Ye Xuehuan's official residence is near the imperial city, only two streets away from Beishi, so it is very convenient to travel.

As soon as winter entered, Lan Qi's lack of energy and blood was fully manifested.During the day, he was still sweating during the drills against the Xuanfeng guards, but at night his hands and feet were cold. If he didn't use hot water to warm him up before going to bed, he could cover the whole bed and Ye Xuehuan in the bed cold.This is the result of Wen Luo's recuperation for several months, otherwise he would have developed frostbite.

Ye Xuehuan couldn't help worrying, but Lan Qi didn't take it seriously, explaining that after the deed Gu recognized the master for the second time, it became a part of the heart. Overflow, a hundred poisons do not invade.However, Gu worms have no body temperature at all, and the Gu blood is naturally cold, even with him as the host, it can't warm up.

Ye Xuehuan was silent for a long time after hearing the words, but Lan Qi said: "Didn't you still say that I am cold in summer and comfortable to hold? If it is cold today, why not?"

Ye Xuehuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he could only hold his small body tightly, and said with a wry smile: "It's really worth paying for it. You let me cool the mat in summer, but now it's my turn to warm your bed."

Fortunately, this kind of coldness is only caused by physical fitness. Although the body temperature is low, it will not cause illness. Pay attention to keeping warm, and it will not affect daily life. It is just that I am tired and lazy, and I don’t want to move much.And the young master, who is the royal favorite, doesn't like to hang out so much recently, and often hides in the study, sleeping all afternoon.

The young master is no longer the young master of the past. Now he has a big face, a long body and a thick tail, with two heavy bells hanging behind his buttocks. According to people's observations, it seems that he has harmed many little female cats nearby, and his temper has become more and more wild.Gao Qian has been thinking about eunuching it in the spring of next year, so that he can take care of it.Ye Xuehuan also didn't want to be abducted by the mother cat in heat, so she nodded in agreement.

The young master naturally didn't know that he was about to lose his glory, so he foolishly played on his parents' lap all day long.Ye Xuehuan has been busy lately, and often stays away from the house all day, even if he doesn't go out, he has a lot of paperwork to deal with. He can't take a nap with Lan Qi like in the past; Lan Qi can't sleep warm, so he has to rely on him sleep.Fortunately, Ye Xuehuan has already practiced, holding someone with his left hand and writing with his right hand, without any delay.One in his arms, one lying on the desk, two lazy cats, one big and one small, all depended on him with peace of mind, and felt very satisfied in his heart.Even though the situation in Danlu City was getting tighter day by day, he was not in a hurry and took every step.

So when the prince came back from the southern border in a hurry, he came looking for him aggressively, he saw that although he was holding military papers in his hands, his arms were sweet and soft, and on the desk was a big fat cat sleeping on its back, holding its butt facing outside.

The crown prince saw some extremely indecent things, his brows were erected with anger, and he said in a rage: "In broad daylight, what is the proper way?!"

His voice was so loud that the young master jumped up in fright.Although this cat has no morals on weekdays, it can tell who can rub and who can't, and the cross-eyed man in front of him obviously belongs to the category that can't rub, so it hides in the bottom of the case in desperation, with its jet-black fur In the shadows, he couldn't even see the outline clearly, only a pair of green eyes were shining with vigilance.

The difference between humans and cats is that cats will be scared away when they wake up, but humans can still pretend to be asleep when they wake up.Lan Qi had already woken up when he heard Tong Xuan report the prince's visit, but since Ye Xuehuan didn't tell him to avoid him immediately, he knew what to do; facing the prince's anger, he just turned over and put Most of his face was buried in Ye Xuehuan's chest, his attitude was very arrogant.

The prince was even angrier, and cursed as soon as he stretched out his fingers: "The slave in your mansion is really powerful. Don't say it's just a male favorite, even your concubine. When she sees this palace, she should pay respects every week. It's just disrespectful. , I can pull him out and beat him to death with sticks!"

After Tong Xuan led the prince into the study, he consciously stood behind the desk. Hearing this, he was quite disdainful, but he didn't dare to show it on his face, and silently turned his head away.

"Brother Huang is so majestic."

Ye Xuehuan put down his pen, wrapped Lan Qi's blanket tightly, and said calmly: "It's a waste of money to come to my house to frighten my kittens with such a prestige." more?"

There was something in his words, he directly poked the prince's sore spot, immediately discouraged him, pressed his hands against his lips, and said nothing more.

The five princes of the current dynasty all looked like their mothers, each with their own style.Ye Xueyuan has a cold demeanor, the corners of her eyes are raised, her pupils are small and the whites of her eyes are too much, there is a hidden sword pattern between her eyebrows, coupled with a golden crown and red robe, she is quite calm and majestic.Except for the pair of glazed eyes, there are only those two thin lips that are very similar to Ye Xuehuan, and when they are pressed together, there is only a sharp lip line left, which is so sharp that it seems to be able to pierce the corner of his own mouth, life To sip the blood.

"Brother, don't blame me."

Ye Xuehuan asked someone to show him a seat to pour tea, but he himself stroked Lan Qi's back, and his voice was very soft, as if he was really still asleep, "My kitten is cold, so greedy Warmth needs someone to hug. I usually don’t see any guests at this time of day, but the emperor’s brother came suddenly, so it’s not easy to teach you to wait. Please speak lightly if you have anything to do.”

It was as if he valued the crown prince so much that he made an exception for him.

Ye Xueyuan's anger was choked up in his throat, but after all, he had something to ask for, so he could only endure it forcibly, and sat down on the guest seat.

The servant served tea, and there was a small white flower floating in the light apricot-colored tea soup, which made him bored again.He picked up the teacup and took a sip, then glanced at the young man wrapped in a blanket in Ye Xuehuan's arms, his voice was inexplicably lowered, but his tone was still cold: "A male favorite, ye You don't follow the rules. If you can't teach it well, then you simply don't want to raise it anymore."

Ye Xuehuan ignored his slavish male favorite, and replied leisurely: "What rules does the kitten have to follow? She is cute if she is petite and self-willed. If everything is taught well, and everything will be obedient, wouldn't it be Became a dog."

Ye Xueyuan's ears were especially stinging when he heard these words, which clearly implied that he was about to become an obedient dog of the Liu family, but he couldn't refute it—because the facts were so, otherwise he It's not like to come to this emperor brother who has been incompatible since childhood to ask for help.So even if Ye Xuehuan wanted to put on a show to show him off, it was perfectly normal.

In fact, Ye Xuehuan really wanted to help him. After all, the matter of the Liu family had already surpassed the category of "strife for throne" and became "usurpation", which had to be resolved first;Both public and private are beneficial and harmless to him.

Ye Xueyuan's sudden visit must have been leaked to him by Ye Xuequan; but if he hadn't really been desperate, he would never have the shame to come to him.The two had been at odds for many years, not to mention that Ye Xuehuan couldn't treat each other sincerely for a while, maybe Ye Xueyuan couldn't accept his hospitality.If you don't make your attitude more arrogant, and don't make your words more eccentric, Ye Xueyuan will be embarrassed instead, and you will feel that he is hiding a knife in his smile and has other intentions.

It's so hard to be a good person sometimes, you obviously want to help, but you still have to pretend to be so evil, so that others don't feel that you owe yourself favors—although Ye Xueyuan's embarrassing appearance also made him secretly happy for a while.

Ye Xueyuan didn't want to talk too much with him, so she said impatiently, "You..."

He considered his words, but in the end he still clenched his lips irritably.The Liu family was originally his backer, but now this mountain is already overwhelming him; no one wants to be a pawn that is thrown away when it is used up, but if he wants to push down this backer with his own hands and completely withdraw from this competition, And really not reconciled.

Ye Xuehuan looked at the vacillating look of the emperor brother, with a smile on his face, but he didn't feel any pleasure in his heart.Although Ye Xueyuan was the eldest son, he was actually only born more than two months earlier than Ye Xuequan. From the end of each year, he was said to be one year older. Almost, they can barely be regarded as the same age, but they always look at each other and hate each other.

Ye Xuehuan's 24th birthday will be next month, and when he thinks about it carefully, in the past 24 years, he has never seen the emperor's brother, nor thought about his situation.

The central government has been in power for a hundred years, and it is already the fifth king. On average, each term has been in power for less than 20 years. Almost all of them ascended the throne when they were young, and passed away when they were young. Basically a peaceful handover.For several generations, the emperors have been either born or born, but Ye Xueji made an exception.It's not that he is so popular, but that all his brothers died before he ascended the throne.It's hard to say whether there are any hands and feet that he moved, let alone now that he is the emperor, it's even harder for anyone to say.

The current emperor personally proved to the entire central court that the background of his mother's family and the dignity of his eldest son are all false, and only by living hard for a long time can he be considered a true talent.It was not the same when he ascended the throne, and it was the same when Ye Xueyuan entered the East Palace. He was the crown prince for nine full years without any merit or demerit.

He also once firmly believed that this was the safest way to do it, no matter how outstanding Ye Xuehuan's military achievements were, as long as he didn't make mistakes, this reserve position wouldn't be able to be replaced; If it is not right, it will not go well, and it will be even more difficult to succeed.So he doesn't need to risk his life to earn military merits, and he doesn't need any reputation for being a virtuous person. He just needs to do his duty as a prince and never take a step forward—this is also the code of conduct that Liu Ting has taught him over the years.

When he finally understood, he had become a puppet in Liu Ting's hands, with strings tied to his body and nails stuck in his bones, and his flesh would be torn apart with a little struggle.On the one hand, he dared not make friends with courtiers, and on the other hand, he dared not cultivate cronies. The court and the central government believed that there was a huge Liu family behind him, but in fact he was completely isolated and helpless.Now that Liu Ting's ambitions are clearly revealed, if he doesn't draw a clear line with him, I'm afraid that he will really become a tool for him to plot against the restoration.

But once you choose this path, without the support behind you, how will the end be better?

Thinking of Ye Xueyuan's current dilemma, Ye Xuehuan couldn't help but sigh again, their father really played a good game of chess, everyone thought it was because of his cowardice, which caused the powerful officials to become foreign relatives, approaching the majesty of the royal family, But now?Ye Xuehuan and the Chu family look like each other, Ye Xuexun hates the Nangong family deeply, and Ye Xueyuan wants to turn against the Liu family directly.

Ye Xueji actually wanted to use this method to attack the three families from within.

Lan Qi is the Gu raised by Empress Chu in the Skylark, and why are these princes not the Gu raised by Ye Xueji among the three families?I don't know who the two of them have learned from whom.

The Liu family has the heart of rebellion, and they will not hesitate to punish them; but the Chu family and the Nangong family are both heroes of the founding of the country, how will they deal with it in the future?

—— Ye Xueji will definitely leave these problems to them.

In terms of being a king, Ye Xue is impeccable; but in terms of being a person... Nangong Yayu can only be said to hit the nail on the head.

"The matter of the Liu family is no longer just about you and me." Ye Xuehuan said softly, "Your today, why not my tomorrow? If it really gets to that point, I will only have a harder time than you. If it's not for helping you, Just helping myself."

Ye Xueyuan glanced at him, the corners of his mouth finally relaxed, and he lowered his voice: "...Rong Cai."

For more than 20 years, this was probably the first time he called Ye Xuehuan's substitute in such a low voice, and was extremely awkward for a while, "What exactly do you want?"

Asking this kind of words is undoubtedly admitting defeat.The Liu family had to be removed, but once removed, his position in the Eastern Palace would become a rootless apple, precarious, and he would no longer have any power to compete with Ye Xuehuan.He had to ask Ye Xuehuan for a promise, or to put it more bluntly, for comfort, for a resolution, even though he himself knew that these things had no real effect at all.

Ye Xuehuan couldn't help being a little funny when he saw his attitude of seeing death as if he was at home and waiting to be dealt with, but when he thought about it, he felt a little sad.The Liu family endured it for a hundred years, and only now did they show their fox tails, not all of which were hooked by Ye Xueji.

Can't bear to let the children not be tied to wolves, this sentence can't be more appropriate when applied to their father.

He and Ye Xueyuan had been at odds for many years, but they were just struggling to survive in their respective wolf dens.

"It's not my turn to do this." Ye Xuehuan replied seemingly casually, "I just want to settle Zhao Ying's case and ask Yiguo to give me an explanation. As for the relationship between Yiguo and the Liu family What a trick, it should all be found out by the emperor, and it has nothing to do with me."

Ye Xueyuan was stunned for a moment, and then heard him continue to say: "The prince is high-spirited and upright, and he kills relatives with righteousness. Who can match such a broad-mindedness? The position of the East Palace is none other than you."

These words really sounded like a sarcasm, it sounded sour and stinky, but Ye Xueyuan could hear the meaning behind his words, and stood up with a flick of his sleeves, and asked in surprise: "Are you really...?"

Ye Xuehuan looked at him, and said with a leisurely smile: "Brother Huang lived in the East Palace for a long time, even if he went to the three southeast counties this time, what he saw must be the prosperity and prosperity of the city. Brother, do you know what this ten-thousand-li borderland and the splendid rivers and mountains look like? Do you know what experience it is like riding a horse to fend off an enemy, and piercing armor through the yellow sand?"

Ye Xueyuan vaguely understood what he wanted to say, and couldn't help frowning, the sword pattern between the eyebrows became deep and obvious.

"Eight thousand miles of road, cloud and moon, I haven't finished walking, I haven't seen enough." Ye Xuehuan lowered his head, like teasing a kitten, back and forth stroking Lan Qi's scattered hair, "Mrs. Small, too stuffy, so stuffy that my cat doesn't like to move."

Ye Xueyuan stood dumbfounded on the spot, unable to speak for a long time.He and Ye Xuehuan had disagreed since they were young, and they didn't talk speculatively. It was the first time in more than 20 years that they had such a serious conversation.Everyone thought that Ye Xuehuan was an ambitious wolf, armed with heavy troops, waiting for opportunities to move, but in fact, he had already let go of his temper in the northwest, and now he didn't even care about the throne.

He led a side army as a prince, and even if Ye Xueyuan came to the throne in the future, he would not dare to do anything to him, so he could only be a prince on one side. The strength cuts his vassal.Even if the throne is won, for him, it will not climb much higher than it is now. Not only does it not mean much, but it will be a cocoon.

He even revealed a deeper meaning, that when the Liu family is eliminated, he will even support Ye Xueyuan's succession, help a non-threatening person to sit on the throne, and he will have the military power, roam freely in the world, Instead, he became the biggest winner, and his wishful thinking was crackling.

Ye Xueyuan simply didn't know whether to cry or laugh. The number one enemy he considered himself didn't even bother to fight at all, so he handed over the throne to him, so why was he being so careful all these years?What is the purpose of sticking to the East Palace and trapping myself into an incompetent mediocre person?

It is true that he has never seen the magnificence of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, nor has he experienced the pride of being drunk on the battlefield, but that is beyond his choice.He has only been instilled with one goal since he was a child, his vision is limited to that chair, and he has become a frog trapped in the well of the "Eastern Palace", which he has to admit; but Ye Xuehuan It seems that there should be no qualifications to laugh at him. After all, he didn't go to the Northwest voluntarily, but he was forced out.

Ye Xueyuan hadn't had a good time.

Back then, Empress Chu was too powerful, and even the court and harem were overwhelmed by her; when she died, the backlash was too strong, and even the Chu family couldn't stand it, so they had to send Ye Xuehuan to the Northwest Army. Exercise, in fact, is to avoid disaster.

During those two years, the once unrivaled Concubine Chu's son was hardly cared about, the Prince of the Eastern Palace was very popular, and the Liu family became the head of the three families for a time.However, no one expected that Ye Xuehuan would be so ruthless. Under Lin Yuan's tent, he slowly accumulated military exploits and quietly cultivated his own power. Three years ago, he became famous in the first battle. in mastery.Even the Chu family didn't expect him to have such an achievement, so it is inevitable that they can't control him now.

Ye Xuehuan found a way out for herself, but Ye Xueyuan was forced to a dead end.He did get a guarantee, the throne can be said to be easily obtained, but it also means that he will be controlled by others from now on, and he may only be defeated by Ye Xuehuan in his life.

Yet he had no choice.

Princes were born to pursue power, and these two words were deeply imprinted in their minds. Even if Ye Xuehuan wanted his Lu Yun and Yue, the first thing he had to do was to seek power.Those depressed and poor literati always preach about staying away from the temple, plums, wives and cranes, all of which are foolish thoughts; if there is no right, the so-called freedom can only be a bird in the field, and only when the right is in hand can one ride the wind Dapeng on board.

For princes like them, power is the foundation of everything, and then they are qualified to think about some so-called pursuits.Ye Xueyuan looked back, and it seemed that he had never obtained real power in his hands, so he never thought about whether this throne was what he really wanted.

Now that the arrow is on the string, it is desperate to send it out, and Ye Xueshi will be a sinner if he does not send it out, he has only one choice.

Ye Xuehuan watched the hands in his sleeves clenched and loosened, then clenched and then loosened, the expression on his face went from struggling to bewildered to calm, and finally closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he had made up his mind, Liuli There seemed to be frost and snow in the white eyes, which were bright and clear.He couldn't help showing some respect for the emperor, and felt that the Haikou that he boasted to Yu Wushuang at the beginning was finally recovered.

——The Ye Xue family has no mediocrity.

He made a gesture, and Tong Xuan behind him listened to him, and after receiving the order, he responded, took out a small brocade box from the small cabinet behind him, and held it in front of the prince with both hands.Ye Xueyuan glanced suspiciously, then opened the lid of the box, and inside was a cylindrical wooden seal the size of half a finger wrapped in silk.He picked it up and flipped it around, and saw that the seal was not a famous seal, but a small wing, so he couldn't help asking: "What is this?"

Ye Xuehuan said: "You show it to Huangsao, she will naturally understand."

This seal is naturally Hongling's thing.According to Lan Qi, Hongling had already stepped down as Yushou, and she did not have the Yushou jade badge, but this seal had the same authority as Yushou, and could even temporarily dispatch the thorns in the beak.

When Zhao Ying's case was just found out, Ye Xuehuan once handed over the seal as evidence to Dali Temple, but Hongling couldn't speak anyway, and Zhao Ying didn't dare to confess about the Skylark, only saying This seal is Hong Ling's private seal.After returning to Danlu, Ye Xuehuan sent someone to Dali Temple to say hello, and secretly took the seal back.The people in Dali Temple didn't dare to ask the reason, and they didn't dare to speak up. Fortunately, it wasn't any important evidence, so they let him take it, and they didn't dare to keep a record.

Tong Xuan looked at the prince playing with the seal in his hand, his face was inevitably a little stiff; everyone in Xuanfeng knew where this thing was taken out, even after washing it with water countless times, no one would touch it.

Ye Xueyuan didn't know the tricks, but when he mentioned the crown princess, he frowned: "How much do you really know?"

"If you don't want to arouse suspicion, you can't know a little bit from me." Ye Xuehuan shrugged, "As much as the second brother told you, that's how much."

Seeing that he was unwilling to speak, Ye Xueyuan didn't bother to ask any more, and put away the box together.After the two had finished talking, Ye Xueyuan was about to leave; Ye Xuehuan suddenly said: "Brother Huang, did you ever think that one day you will ask for me?"

Ye Xueyuan's eyes turned cold, but Ye Xuehuan smiled and said, "I didn't expect it either. So, Liu Xiang probably didn't expect it either."

Ye Xueyuan looked at him thoughtfully.At this moment, Lan Qi moved just right, without opening his eyes, he just rubbed against his shoulder lightly, complaining in a murmur, "Stop talking, let me sleep for a while..."

The corners of Ye Xueyuan's eyes twitched. He actually understood what Ye Xuehuan meant, so he wasn't angry. He just felt that he, the little boy, cooperated too well. It is indeed rare.Lan Qi's reputation had already spread throughout the court during his southern tour, but very few people really knew the details, and most of them were rumors; Ye Xueyuan naturally knew more, but he didn't expect Lan Qi to meet him. It's such a character.

After thinking for a moment, he suddenly stepped forward, grabbed the teacup and threw it on the ground, with a bang, the broken porcelain pieces scattered in all directions, and the little white flowers in the tea sat on the ground, looking very pitiful.

"Ye Xuerongcai, don't deceive others too much!"

After swearing inexplicably, Ye Xueyuan kicked open the door of the study and walked away.Ye Xuehuan shook his head amusedly, fearing that the news that the two of them had a big fight and broke up unhappy would spread throughout the court tomorrow.

Lan Qi opened his eyes, the dark eyes were clear and clear, without any sleepiness.

Today, Ye Xueyuan came suddenly, just happened to bump into Lan Qi taking a nap, and then acted out; in the past, when Ye Xuehuan discussed matters with others, although he did not shy away from him, he never participated.He will only watch and listen, guessing and deducing from some details, so as to extract key information.

Lan Qi is the top skylark golden eye. In addition to the outstanding light and concealment skills, he also has a keen judgment ability. He can find the most useful information from the massive amount of information in the shortest time, and even integrate and infer a deeper level. content.

He can calculate faster and think farther than ordinary people, so Ye Xueyuan may only see the next battle with the Liu family, but Lan Qi knows that this is just an insignificant beginning.Once the Liu family is eliminated and the crown prince loses power, the Chu family will inevitably begin to support Ye Xuehuan to the throne, and then it will be a dispute between Ye Xuehuan and the Chu family.And once the imperial mausoleum is opened and the Guanghan Jade is taken out, the Nangong family will inevitably be ready to move. That is another dispute between Ye Xuexun and the Nangong family.

The Chongyang Dynasty is destined to undergo major changes in this generation, and the struggle between the royal family and powerful officials is destined to break out in this generation. The whole body will be affected by the influence of the three families. As long as the Liu family moves, it will immediately lose balance. How turbulent it is is impossible to predict now.

Ye Xuehuan didn't seem worried at all, and pinched the tip of his nose with a smile, "Are you still sleeping?"

Lan Qi shook his head and sat aside by himself.The young master slipped out from the case, climbed onto his knee, and rubbed his head against his hand as if begging for comfort.Lan Qi stroked its rounder belly, and it lay down on its back, while its big fluffy tail swept Ye Xuehuan's lap, it really looked like a coquettish child, clinging to his mother's arms On the one hand, he wanted to occupy his father as well.

Lan Qi put his chin on Ye Xuehuan's shoulder, sighed and said, "My son is getting heavier."

Ye Xuehuan smiled and said, "Then let it go."

Lan Qi hummed, but he didn't really drive the young master off. He rubbed the soft flesh on his stomach and heard him purring in satisfaction. He almost couldn't recall the appearance when he first picked it up.

——It is the kitten who really does not know the feeling of sorrow, no matter what kind of wind and rain, it will never fall on it again.

Lan Qi asked softly, "Rong Cai, are you tired?"

"It's not the time for me to say I'm tired." Ye Xuehuan laughed, "What about you? Are you tired?"

Lan Qi shook his head and answered without hesitation: "I will accompany you."

It sounds like an everyday conversation, and the three light and delicate words are another promise that will never be abandoned.Ye Xuehuan didn't say much, she just embraced him and kissed him on the forehead.The two hugged each other quietly, with a fat cat sandwiched between them, it really felt like a family of three.

Lan Qi sees very clearly, so he knows exactly what he is going to face next.Ye Xuehuan didn't doubt his awareness, but he had never experienced it before, no matter how conceited he was, he would still be afraid after all.He promised to swear over and over again, in the end, also because of anxiety.At this time, any verbal comfort is useless, only leading him forward step by step.

"...Your Highness, it's snowing."

Tong Xuan wanted to close the door of the study, but he saw fine white snowdrops floating outside for unknown reasons, falling on the ground and the eaves, and disappeared in a blink of an eye.But if it stays like this for one night, tomorrow will be covered in silver.

When the first snow fell in Danlu City, it was officially winter.