9. The bird's nest is tilted, and the people in the hall are gone, the past is horrifying

He Yanjun is not really a little girl who doesn't take two steps out of the front door, after all, she has gone through some things.Although he was a little nervous at this time, he was not flustered. After throwing the short sword he was carrying to Pei Nianzhen, he picked up his lightness kung fu and left without looking back.

As for that Mr. Yang... He Yanjun vaguely expected that this person might become a martial artist.At this time, it seems that although it has been a long time since he has used force, his internal strength is much stronger than hers. If she stays, it will only add to the chaos. can only hope that he can last for a while and try his best to protect himself.

She crossed two streets, and then shot the short-sounding arrow in her sleeve, which was specially used for sending messages, in the direction of the wall of the palace with a hidden weapon.

Not long after Pei Nianyu got up, he was briefly startled when he heard the short whistle, and then realized that the only people outside the mansion who had the short arrow were——

"Something happened to He Yanjun."

Pei Nianyu stood up abruptly, and was about to go over to look, but He Qi frowned and stretched out his hand, stopping him:

"The nearest shadow guard must have already rushed over, master don't act rashly."

Seeing his steady appearance, Pei Nianyu knew that he must be more anxious than himself.

He looked back at Lou Yefeng and said:

"There is an old building next to me, you go there too and see what's going on."

"Subordinates..."

He Qi was about to say something, but was pushed by Pei Nianyu: "Hurry up!"

===

Pei Nianzhen faced four or five Jianghu people walking on the tip of their swords, and he, who had neglected martial arts for a long time, was no match for him.It's just a few tricks that are barely supported by relying on the good foundation in youth.He used a few sword moves that he had practiced the most and best at that time, and he slightly pushed back a few people, and then he began to feel a little exhausted.

Just when he was struggling, Pei Nianzhen thought to himself that he was going to die here today.But even if he dies, he can't just watch He Yanjun being taken away.

What happened back then, his identity was burdened with the expectations of many people, lacking that three-point responsibility and courage, he failed to stand up and protect the He family's father and brother.Now that he is alone, if he can no longer protect his sister... how can he feel at ease.

Pedestrians coming and going on the street were all scattered as early as when these Jianghu people drew their swords.Pei Nianzhen was gradually losing. Seeing that the sword on the opposite side was about to brush against his face, he suddenly heard a middle-aged man's voice next to his ear:

"Don't hurt him. Someone is coming to the palace, let's withdraw first."

The few people on the opposite side immediately stopped their offensive and withdrew without hesitation.

Pei Nianzhen put away his sword, and quickly turned to the direction of the sound, but out of the corner of his eye, he only caught a dark brown figure on the eaves far away, and walked away quietly with light work.Judging by his figure, his martial arts should be top-notch.

Pei Nianzhen's heart shuddered, if this person made a move just now, he would definitely not be an all-in-one enemy.

"Who are you? It's not a hero's behavior to hide and hide."

The opposite figure was getting further and further away, almost invisible.However, that slightly indifferent voice still reached his ears steadily:

"We are destined to meet..."

Pei Nianzhen's face was slightly solemn, and he was just thinking about the origin of that man just now and the purpose of looking for He Yanjun, but he was awakened by the sudden arrival of the shadow guards.

"Brother Yang! Are you okay!"

It was He Yanjun's voice. It seemed that she hadn't encountered any trouble there.

Pei Nianzhen breathed a sigh of relief, turned around slowly, and saw He Qi checking his sister's situation while directing the shadow guards to search around.

"I'm fine...you..."

He was already exhausted when his internal strength was exhausted, but at this moment the danger receded, his mind relaxed, his limbs that had not moved for a long time felt sore everywhere, and he staggered a step.

He Qi stretched out his hand to help.

Pei Nianzhen used his strength to stabilize his figure, but at the next moment, he suddenly felt bad——

The human skin mask on his face is made of very imitation leather.The mask Lou Yefeng made for him was extremely thin in order to be close to reality and fully reflect the changes in facial expressions.

Although the blade of the sword that passed in front of him just now did not hurt his face, the sword energy infused with internal force had already created a crack in the mask.

He noticed it, and He Qi naturally saw it too.

He felt that the person beside him looked at him suddenly sharply, with suspicion and scrutiny.

Pei Nianzhen thought to himself, it would be better to let me die by that man's sword just now.

He sighed, and simply took off the broken mask by himself, then raised his head slightly, and looked directly at He Qi's long and narrow eyes:

"thanks."

He Qi's expression changed suddenly: "You are..."

Pei Nianzhen felt that his arm was suddenly pinched by him, almost crushing his bones.Enduring the pain, he begged softly:

"Don't...not here. Go back and tell me, and I'll explain it to you—if you'll listen."

He Qi looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in front of him. The familiar facial features carried the vicissitudes he was not familiar with, and his expression was complicated. After all, he let him go slowly.

"……it is good."

===

Such an accident happened on the street today, so don't even think about opening the store.Pei Nianyu called Lian Xiao, He Yanjun and Pei Nianzhen checked for internal injuries.

He Qi folded his arms and looked at him, his face livid and silent.

Pei Nianyu would never be a coward, so he briefly told He Qi about meeting Pei Nianzhen and how he brought him out to work for him with a little apology.

"At the beginning, because he was afraid that his identity would be hindered, I asked the old building to make a disguise for him..."

"But master, you and they all know it, just don't tell me!"

He Qi was suddenly agitated, and realized something was wrong after he finished speaking. He took a deep breath, and quickly knelt down:

"The subordinate's words are meaningless, please punish the master."

Pei Nianyu sighed: "It's true that I hid it from you on purpose. I'm just afraid of you..."

Pei Nianzhen on the side suddenly said:

"It's not your master, it's me who asked for the disguise."

"Why, because you dare not show your true colors?"

Pei Nianzhen turned his head away: "...I dare not see you."

He Qi suddenly sneered:

"Don't dare to see me... In this way, when my father and brother were inexplicably condemned by the late emperor, it was really your handwriting?"

Pei Nianzhen opened his mouth, wanting to explain something, but felt that he was in the wrong, so he remained silent after all.

On the other hand, He Yanjun, who was on the side, was still calm. Seeing that his brother was getting more and more sad and angry, he comforted him:

"It's been more than ten years since the old incident, and it's not at this moment now, brother, just listen to what he has to say."

Pei Nianzhen sat stiffly on the stool, his fingers clenched tightly on his cuffs, which betrayed his nervousness.

"Do you still remember the great scholar Shen Fangheng back then?"

"Of course I remember, he was from the same school as my late father, and he was my elder brother's first teacher when he was working in the Imperial Academy."

"In the thirty-seventh year of Zhaoyuan, my second and third sons and I were fighting fiercely in the palace. The first emperor was stupid and didn't care about political affairs, and the second son was all about wooing courtiers and developing his own party members. And my father loved the concubine too much at that time.The young courtiers all thought that I would be deposed and let the second child take over."

"At that time, I was forced by him to have no foothold in the court. I was incompetent, so I had to use the same method to bluff. Your brother was my companion, and I have a personal relationship with your brother.Many people know about it. I thought it would be easy to win over the father of your Ministry of Revenue servant, but who knows..."

"Father refused."

Pei Nianzhen's eyes were sad, and his thoughts drifted away:

"Yes. At that time, although your elder brother was awarded the first rank, he was just a pawn who had just entered the imperial court. Your father's position... Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is not an important assistant to me, butHis blunt refusal still surprised me. In the past few years when my father was in a state of moodiness, he had already noticed that the atmosphere in the court was gradually getting out of order, and he was about to withdraw, so how could he let the He family get involved in the struggle for succession."

He Qi's voice was extremely low:

"My elder brother... is not a person who is greedy for power. It must be because the elder brother saw something wrong after he entered the court, so he said it to his father. At that time, you hadn't come to our Hefu for a long time. That's when I knew, alwaysThe elder brother who came to play with me and practice martial arts with me for many years is actually His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"My elder brother asked me to observe the etiquette of a monarch and a minister next time...but I am not allowed to talk too much with you. Who knows that it will be ten years later when I really see you again."

Pei Nianzhen's face moved slightly, and he thought that it was a good thing that he had never met. Now that he sees me again, he doesn't have to observe any courtesies.From the beginning of our acquaintance to the current situation, he and I have never had the title of a monarch or minister for a moment... I don't know whether it is luck or misfortune.

"At that time, I was in a daze. After your father rejected me, I only felt angry, so I broke off the private correspondence with your elder brother. Unexpectedly, within a few months, your father suddenly came to the door quietly one nightI."

He Qi frowned and didn't speak, obviously he didn't know about this matter.

"...It's for the great scholar Shen Fangheng. About something, the scholar Shen made a remonstrance at a court meeting one day, but he offended my father because of his fierce words. My father sent him to prison on the spot, intending to find some of his mistakes and settle the score after the autumn. He ShilangYou have a very close relationship with Bachelor Shen, and he taught your brother, how can you just ignore it."

"He came to my mansion because he wanted me to mediate, intercede for Xueshi Shen, give father advice, and save his life no matter what."

"and then?"

"Actually, this matter was not difficult at first. Scholar Shen has always had prestige in Shilin. As long as my father is sensible, he will allow him to retire and return home. But because it was He Shilang who came to plead for mercy, I was only thinking about him and ignored him.My solicitation, I... refused it straight away."

He Qi's face was pale, his arms were clenched tightly, and his veins were bulging.

"and after?"

"Later...he..."

Having said that, Pei Nianzhen closed his eyes, as if this could hide the pain in his heart.

"—He saw that I couldn't do it, so he went to look for the third child instead."

He Qi finally lost his voice, and slammed the table:

"How is this possible! Father had already stayed away from the court at that time, how could he—"

"Nothing is impossible. The situation in the court is turbulent, everyone is in danger, he wants to save people, there is no other way."

Pei Nianzhen's eyes were empty.

At that time, in the game, no matter whether I or the people around me, I was just a piece of the game.Now that he has been placed in cold confinement for many years, and when he is free to recall those old events, he realizes how many sorrows and joys in the world have been buried in blood and dust.