The spring is warm, and the flowers in the courtyard bloom even more brilliantly overnight.

When Xu Nian opened the door, she only saw someone pruning the branches and leaves. She didn't pay attention, so she called Lian Tang over and asked, "Why didn't anyone call me today?"

It was a bit late yesterday, so that she slept a little longer this morning, and now she has already missed the family's breakfast time.

Lian Tang was feeding a few koi in the water, when he heard this, he wiped his hands and trotted over, and replied: "Miss, I don't know, shortly after we came back last night, Chengyang Street suddenly flooded."

Xu Nian woke up halfway from sleepiness, inexplicably thinking about the gift he said last night, could it be this?

But she didn't move, she just asked, "Is it serious?"

"It was discovered in time, but the fire is not serious." Lian Tang relayed to her what she heard this morning, "I just slept in a building, and now it is said that many people were buried underneath. Linyi Jun went to rescue her before dawn. I just sent a letter back home, saying that most of the excavation has been dug up and is being investigated, and I won’t be back at noon today.”

Xu Nian nodded absent-mindedly, and asked again: "What about cousin, we have to go to Xu's house later, so we can't delay."

Sister's words mean that she will not go, so only she and her cousin will be left.

Lian Tang: "The imperial examination in March is just around the corner. Young Master Tang has gone to listen to the study. He said that he will meet up with Miss at the gate of the Xu Mansion later."

Xu Nian nodded and let her go to work, but just turned her eyes, and met those captivating eyes.

Standing on the corridor not far away, Qi Chu held up the lantern that she left behind last night, and said, "Miss really likes the new and dislikes the old. I wanted it so much last night. After one night, I completely forgot about it in Lu I know that."

Xu Nian rubbed his stomach, she just came back last night in a hurry and forgot about it, immediately took it, and replied in a low voice, "It's human nature to like the new and dislike the old, and you will one day sooner or later."

She thought to herself, in my previous life, it was said that before I entered the palace, you treated your side concubine very well, but you didn't get tired of her afterwards.

I only hope that when I meet your side concubine in the future, you can think of my kindness to you now and let her less bully me.

Qi Chu didn't understand where she came from to be so determined. Seeing her fiddle with the lamp, the corners of her raised mouth suddenly flattened. She probably thought that she lowered her head to hide it so that others would not be able to see it.

"Miss, you can rest assured that as long as Lu Zhi wants the old and new, he will definitely hold it firmly in his palm." Having said that, he slightly curled his lips, and added: "Lu Zhi is not as ruthless as Miss." people".

Xu Nian raised his head, stared at him for a moment, and wanted to ask him why he was so heartless, but he didn't say anything, but saw Lian Tang bring breakfast, touched his stomach that had been crying, and immediately put the question behind him.

Qi Chu thought behind her, food is also important, family is also important, and friends are also important.

There were so many important things that he wanted to destroy one or two of them, leaving her no one to rely on, no one to trust.

Wanting to come back again, think it's better to forget it, it's so easy to coax now, if it is really destroyed, it will be him who has to work hard.

Such an accident happened on Chengyang Street, and it has been completely blocked off. Many family members who were buried and dying were carried away on stretchers. Xu Sijiang stood in it and directed the people to continue digging.

Someone came over and reported: "Mr. Linyi, we have been digging for so long, but we still haven't found any trace of the prince. Could it be that the prince is not here at all?"

No wonder they had this idea, it happened so suddenly, who can tell who will appear in it, but their general insisted that the prince is here.

Xu Sijiang's face remained motionless, and he said neatly, "If you're alive, you want to see people, if you're dead, you want to see corpses, so keep looking."

The person who answered was ordered to search among the ruins again with his hands, and Xu Sijiang unfolded the note between his fingers.

She spoke decisively. Firstly, she had asked people to go to Changzhi Palace to inquire, and one of the servants said that the crown prince went out last night and has not returned yet.

The second is the content above.

Few strokes, only said one thing, Chengyang Street to save the prince.

She walked towards the oil lamp, watched the flames wrapping up the paper, her brows were slightly condensed, and before she could call out, a footstep suddenly stopped behind her.

Xu Sijiang first saw the vivid egret embroidered on the official robe.

Chi Yanyu flicked the gray star that fell from his sleeve, turned his head and nodded slightly to her, and said, "The collapse of the house is due to the lack of inspection by the household department. Now there is news that the prince is here. The sons of those aristocratic families The family members are still making trouble outside, and the prince and the Ministry of Households must give an explanation."

Unfortunately, he also had some clues about the famine case in Linyang County recently, and the clues he got were also related to the Ministry of Household Affairs.

Xu Sijiang looked back at him, and joked, "I haven't seen you for a few days, it's like a different person."

Why did that fable in the past have such sharp eyebrows.

Chi Yanyu smiled lightly, didn't take it seriously, rolled up the burnt sawdust with his lowered eyes and rolled it between his fingers, and said: "The incident happened suddenly, and now so many people are waiting for an explanation, and the Ministry of Households is also urging me Hey, you rescued someone with a good spirit, let me take them back and ask a few questions, so that I can deal with the people who come to ask questions."

"It's easy to say," Xu Sijiang raised his hand to call someone over, and said to Yan Yu, "You find someone to go with her, those who are not seriously injured are now in the hospital, but they all seem to be either rich or expensive." If you take the little dandy who was spoiled by the family, it will be difficult to ask if you take it home directly, go to the medical clinic and ask face to face, as many as you can ask."

Chi Yanyu thanked him, and then shouted: "Nanjing, you go, just follow what Lord Linyi said, and ask carefully."

"Yes! My lord," Nanjing quickly took orders.

Xu Sijiang looked back at him strangely when he heard the words, and felt that this man was a little alien, very strange, and a corpse was dug up next to her, she lifted the white cloth and took a look, it was just a gray dead face with a sleepy expression let go of his hand.

Seeing that he was still talking to his subordinates, he waited for a while before asking, "Yan Yu, did you quarrel with your family again?"

She was ten years older than him, and she almost watched him grow up. For so many years, Chi Taifu had been very strict with his only son. Almost from birth to the present, every step he took was planned in advance by his family.

Suddenly working in Dali Temple, it is still such a mess, it doesn't seem like the way the Tai Tuo is willing to let him go.

Chi Yanyu wanted to laugh, but found that doing it was probably very bitter, so he just said lightly, "I always have a path I want to take, even if it is difficult, as long as I go on, I will never regret it too much .”

He regretted too many things, living step by step into what they wanted him to be, but that was not his choice.

The fate shouldn't be like this, and he shouldn't compromise, the shackles have been put on him for too long, they always say it's for his own good, and it's only natural that they are willing.

"Sister Si Jiang, you should just assume that Yan Yu from the past is dead."

He turned his head, and the sincere and enthusiastic young man in the past gradually had a deep stream of light between his brows and eyes, which made people look at him, but he could no longer see through them at a glance.

Xu Nian came to deliver a food box to his sister, so he stood there in a daze.

Chi Yanyu didn't expect to see her either, he paused when he turned around, but immediately returned to normal, nodded slightly to her as a greeting, but just passed her by.

"Sister, what did you say just now?" Xu Nian looked back at Yan Yu's back who had already left, and asked in confusion, "Did you quarrel?"

Otherwise, why did she hear that sentence just now.

"Maybe", Xu Sijiang didn't intend to say more, rubbed the top of her hair, and looked at the person behind her, the scrutiny in her eyes was not concealed at all.

She looked at Xu Nian and smiled, "A Nian, why don't you take Kang Yi with you when you go out now, isn't it good that sister left you?"

Xu Nian felt that although her sister was smiling, she was hiding a knife in her smile, making people look a little afraid to talk, she whispered, "Kang Yi is following behind, why would I not want the person my sister gave me?"

Qi Chu met with that scrutiny, and the two of them pointed their needles at the wheat awn, each thinking in his own way.

At this moment, someone not far away shouted in surprise, "Hurry up, come over, the prince is under here..."

Xu Sijiang frowned slightly, she couldn't care less about this, said a few words to Xu Nian, then turned around to check the situation.

The eyes of the person lying on the stretcher were blurred. At this time, Qi Yu was holding on with his breath. The sudden light made his eyes hurt a bit. Before he could get used to it, he saw a mask coming from It passed in front of my eyes.

Qi Chu stared coldly at him being lifted up, and when he passed by him, he suddenly smiled at him calmly.

Qi Yu exhausted his last strength, thinking that King Yama must have come to take him in, otherwise he would have hallucinations and see him.

Turning the whites of his eyes, he completely lost consciousness.

A lot of people came to the banquet in the Xu residence, Xu Nian handed over the post to the steward, and took Kang Yi to sit down.

He Jia came early and hadn't found anyone to talk to. Now that he saw her, he wished he could just move the table over.

"Have you ever seen this Xu Xiaoxiao?" He Jia became curious, "I heard that she is quite good-looking. She has been lost for so many years, and she is the old daughter of the Prime Minister. Look at the card of the recognition banquet." , it's almost time for my eldest brother to get married."

After saying that, Xu Xiaoxiao walked in from outside the house. She was indeed good-looking, with a delicate and delicate look in her eyes.

She saw Xu Nian in the crowd at a glance, and remembered the task entrusted to her by the nobleman. After bowing to the prime minister and his wife, she went straight to Xu Nian.

"Miss Xu, Miss He", He Niang smiled kindly, and the maids behind her also prepared wine.

The words I spoke were for everyone: "My parents said that I have never met you, so I took this opportunity to get acquainted with you well. I am too drunk, so I toast you with tea instead of wine."

"Miss Xu, please", she was preconceived, but she drank it all.

Xu Nian touched the cup with his hand, but he just lifted it up and waved it to his mouth. He thought it was over, but before she retracted her hand, He Niang introduced to everyone:

"Speaking of which, I have a very close relationship with Ms. Xu. Before I was brought home, I encountered bad people on the street on New Year's Eve. Thanks to Ms. Xu for saving me, otherwise I would not have returned home safe and sound."

She smiled, turned to look at the parents who were sitting on the Lord's seat, and called out kindly, "Father, mother, my daughter has always remembered this kindness, so I have to let her stay a little longer today, she can be regarded as my daughter's savior. "

Xu Nian had a bad premonition, and saw her holding up the glass again the next moment, which meant that she was coming again. Seeing the same drink at hand, she frowned slightly.

Before she could refuse, He Jia who was next to her suddenly took it. Xu Nian's hand to stop her had already stretched out into the air, but seeing that she had already drank it all in one gulp, he explained for her, "She is also incapable of drinking. Both of us will have a banquet together, and I will drink for her."

He Niang's face froze for a moment, but immediately returned to normal, "Then next time Miss Xu comes to the house, Xiaoxiao will prepare tea for her."

Xu Nian smiled at her slightly, as an answer to her words, He Niang took one last look at the two of them, and walked to other tables.

"Are you all right?" Xu Nian looked at He Jia worriedly when no one was paying attention.

He Jia shook his head, and said indifferently, "Isn't it just one glass of wine, I'll be fine with ten more glasses."

Seeing that she was still alive and well, Xu Nian felt a little relieved, no wonder she was thinking too much, the side concubine of Prince Yu's mansion in the previous life did a lot of things with her food, so that there was a banquet afterwards, before the entrance , she will be cautious.

He Niang paid respects to all the female relatives. After a few days of practice, she was able to pretend to be Xu Xiaoxiao's identity.

The prime minister's wife, Mrs. Song, who was seated by the host, looked at the scene in front of her with tears in her eyes, and there was a lot of sadness hidden in her joy.

She thought, if her daughter is really alive, and she is indeed this old now, she will shout kisses to each other...

However, she will never forget that the inscription on the bone wrist and the bracelet she was wearing was Xiaoxiao written by her own hand back then, no one in the world can make a fake, her Xiaoxiao is really gone.

Song raised her sleeves to wipe her tears, He Niang had already handed over the handkerchief from the side, and said with concern: "Mother, don't cry, these days, mother has cried many times, don't hurt your eyes, Xiaoxiao will feel distressed."

Mrs. Song complied again and again, reluctantly put back all her sadness, and looked up at the girl who looked like her daughter with red eyes, feeling a pang of bitterness in her heart.

She took He Niang's hand and put the bracelet she had prepared on her wrist. Feeling the stiffness of the thin wrist, Song patted the back of her hand reassuringly and let go.

He Niang looked down at the exquisite object, and shouted helplessly, "Mother..."

Song sympathetically pinned the broken hair behind her ears for her, and explained, "You used to have one in your hand. When I asked you a few days ago, you said you lost it. If you lost it, you lost it. It was made by asking them to take the best Jinnanyin from the warehouse and reprint it."

He Niang touched it, stared at her wrist for a long time, then lowered her sleeves to cover it, and said, "Xiaoxiao likes it very much, thank you mother."

The maid next to her quietly pulled her, and He Niang found an excuse to leave the banquet temporarily.

It wasn't until there was no one there that she stopped to look at the maid who was supervising her all the time, and said, "I've always followed what you said. Today, the nobleman had such an accident, so you can't blame me for my bad behavior."

Since last night, she had been uneasy in her heart, and now she said more firmly, "I want to see my brother, and today's banquet is also held, no matter whether I am real or not, I am now the prime minister's daughter, if you don't let me When I see my brother, I will expose your plan, and at worst, we will die."

The maid raised her eyebrows and said displeasedly, "What's the hurry, as long as you can hold your breath and help His Highness complete the plan, there will be no benefit."

"Did you take the medicine?"

He Niang could only endure the depression in her heart, "When you told me that the plan had changed, I stopped and replaced the medicine with incense."

...

Xu Nian turned his head to look at the censer curling up smoke behind him, but his outstretched hand suddenly half-dragged in front of the table. He Jia, who was next to her, saw that she had a double image, thought he was drunk, and said with a smile: " Nian Nian, do you think it's strange, I can't see you clearly..."

Xu Nian turned around to call Kang Yi, only to find that Kang Yi who had been standing by her side had disappeared, leaving only two strange servant girls standing behind her.

The two servant girls seemed to have discussed it, and suddenly walked towards her.

Xu Nian's last consciousness was the appearance of two maidservants helping her.

In the study room of Xiangcheng Mansion, Xu Xiangcheng showed a sad face, and when he picked up the teacup for the third time, he finally made up his mind.

"I will follow what His Highness said, first make a promise with them, and wait for the opportunity."

Qi Chu got up and walked to the door. After a pause, he turned back and asked, "When will your family's confession banquet end?"

Xu Xiangcheng was taken aback for a moment, looked at the sky outside, and reckoned: "It should be the end of the banquet at this time."

When he came back to his senses, there was only the opened door in front of him, and the cool breeze blew in, which made him calm down, and immediately ordered his attendants, "Go and call Madam over, and tell her that I have something important to discuss with her."

In front of the gate of Xu Mansion, He Jia was a little unconscious. The servant girl who came to help her smelled the smell of alcohol and sighed, "The madam said that the young lady was out of her mind, and she came home drunk like this. The maidservant has prepared it in advance. Hangover soup, Miss, hurry up and drink a bowl in the car..."

He Jia felt that she was not drunk, but she just couldn't turn her head around. When she walked past Qi Chu, she suddenly pointed at him, paused, and said inarticulately: "Nian Nian... why did she leave me and go first... ...You let her come out and go to my house to play..."

Qi Chu's eyes darkened, He Jia had already been pulled into the carriage by her maid, and Kang Yi also realized that something was wrong when he looked at the crowd who had almost walked away.

Qi Chu watched Kang Yi go in to find someone, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure appearing at the opposite corner.

He raised his eyes, walking towards the visitor with a bit of displeasure in his eyes.

The matter was urgent, Wu Zheng could only look down at that line of sight, and lowered his head to report, "According to the deployment plan, we have all deployed this morning, but just now, the informant sent a message saying that the prince's old department also sent out a mission today , The group of people who went out escaped unharmed, we suspect that they went to tip off the news."

"It's not a tip-off." Qi Chu's voice was cold, and his eyes gradually showed murderous intent. "It seems that he was so injured that he still couldn't bear to let go when he woke up."

He glanced at the plaque of Xu Mansion, his eyes seemed to be holding a cold blade, "I gave him life, but he wanted to find his own way of death. In this case, I want to see if the evidence is spilled out. won't keep him."

It seems that the young lady may have been thrown out of the house long ago, she is really not smart, he clearly reminded her yesterday, why did she still get it.

Will it save you such trouble if you hide Miss?

Wu Zheng talked about another matter worryingly, "The matter has to be urgent. The subordinates have ordered people to lie in ambush on the road. When they reach the necessary road, they must be killed. They will never leave any trouble for His Highness."

Qi Chu paused, and turned his gaze back to him, and his voice was a little lower than before, "Where is the ambush?"

"Thirty miles east of the outskirts of the city."

Qi Chu untied the carriage, and before the driver could make a sound, he saw someone jump up and turn the horse's head.

Under the moonlight, his back was slender and straight, but his head could not be turned back, "Wu Zheng, you'd better pray, I will still be alive when I arrive."

I wanted to kill him at first, but if he was missing arms and legs, I would have to think about skinning him and cramping him day and night.

At that time, those hands will pick up the blade and face him with their own hands, but if they break their promise, they will be tortured by him instead of killing him, which is miserable.

Xu Nian was jolted awake on the way, seeing the rushing wind, her whole body was wrapped in a sack, lying on the horse's back, only a small half of her head was exposed.

Her whole body was still weak, but as soon as she moved her eyes, the group who took her away rode close to her in an instant, stroked her cheek twice with a horizontal knife, and said with a pleasant smile: "Oh, she is a beauty Embryo, wait for us..."

Before he finished speaking, he opened his eyes wide, maintaining the state of speaking just now, his whole head rolled to the ground, and Xu Nian could feel the oncoming blood splashing all over his face.

She closed her eyes in fright in an instant, the effect of the medicine was gone, and she couldn't even cry out. There seemed to be a lot of people around suddenly, she could hear the neighing of horses, the muffled sound of swords sinking into flesh and blood, and the spray of blood. Voice.

Finally, the horse under her was also frightened, and she was thrown out with a sudden kick of the horse's hoof. After those people were dealt with, some people found that there was still a living person left. The leader turned around, and blood beads slipped from the blade , in this silent night, declares death.

Xu Nian looked at the person approaching in panic. She recognized this face almost instantly. In the face of life and death, her rationality could not hold back her fear. She almost cried out, "Wei Ze, how dare you! If you kill If you kill me, His Majesty will kill you too..."

Her breath was unsteady, and she was so frightened that she couldn't tell whether it was the past life or the present life. This cold face of Yan Luo was the confidant Wei Ze who followed Qi Chu in the previous life.

The night she helped King Yu escape in her previous life, the Wei Ze who stopped her carriage.

"Your Majesty?" Wei Ze's face flashed puzzled, and he heard that she knew his name, which made him even more murderous. The order he wants to listen to today is not to leave a living, so naturally he can't let her live after seeing this scene. down.

Seeing him raise his hand, Xu Nian could even mention the pain of predicting the blade falling on her body, she clenched her teeth tightly.

The dagger in Qi Chu's hand pierced Wei Ze's hand across the air, wiping the bleeding. Wei Ze looked back under the shadow of the branches and leaves, and could only see someone coming towards this side.

Xu Nian turned pale with fright, but Wei Ze changed his hand, preparing to deal with her before paying attention to the caught fish behind him.

Qi Chu's expression froze, and he almost stretched out his hand from the horse's back to hold the blade that was about to fall. Wei Ze raised his head at this time and saw the whole picture. It seems to be calling him.

The expected pain did not subside. Xu Nian opened her eyes and saw the blood from the palm of her hand falling on the tip of her nose. She shouted tremblingly: "Lu Zhi..."

Wei Ze's voice was silenced, and when he came back to his senses, Qi Chu had already taken the blade in his hand back into his hand, stared at him coldly, raised his hand and stabbed at the arm where he swung the knife just now , when the tip sank into the flesh and blood, he saw the warning in the eyes again, and immediately took a few steps back.

Qi Chu didn't let him go, forcing him to attack him, turning his back to Xu Nian, and said in a barely audible voice, "Go back and find Wu Zheng to be punished!"

Wei Ze was puzzled, but he would not disobey the order. Cooperating with his movements, when he saw the right opportunity, he got on his horse and retreated, pretending that the situation was not good.

Qi Chu raised his bloody palm and shook it. At the moment he lowered his eyes, he thought that the young lady probably didn't see the clue. After all, if he could see that he was with the person who wanted to kill her, he wouldn't have been so pitiful just now. called him.

"Lu Zhi", Xu Nian's face was pale and serious, but he was staring at the direction the man left, "The next time I see him again, can you kill him for me?"

Qi Chu was taken aback when she turned around, and saw that her face was still stained with bright red blood, but her eyes were surprisingly bright and trembling, but they were also bright and full of inexplicable stubbornness.

"Because he almost killed the lady?"

Xu Nian bit her lower lip and didn't stop until the smell of blood filled her mouth, but she still nodded.

Wei Ze has always followed Qi Chu's orders. He is here, so Qi Chu must be somewhere, and he is back.

Xu Nian could only beg and look at the person in front of him, and when he was silent, he said in a hurry, "Maybe he will kill you in the future, I saw the way he looked at you just now, he must be holding grudges If you don't strike first, he will definitely return it in the future."

Qi Chu squatted down in front of her, untied all the restraints on her body, raised his eyes deep, but agreed with his mouth, "Miss Lu Zhi promised."

Seeing that she seemed extremely disturbed, and remembering her aversion to blood, Qi Chu suddenly raised his hand and wiped away the blood stains on her face little by little. He was very patient and careful.

The skin under his hands was cold, even trembling slightly.

The delicate and smooth touch feels like rubbing a piece of beautiful jade, which makes people feel good.

The moment this strange thought came out of his heart, Qi Chu was taken aback for a moment, and then withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened.