The news that His Highness the Crown Prince was going to return to the capital spread like wildfire.

Everyone in Jingdu passed word of mouth, the common people were all happy, many houses were decorated with lanterns and streamers, and the folks even sang nursery rhymes about the achievements of His Royal Highness the Prince.

It is not yet known when the prince will become a great treasure, but everyone is already singing his praises.

Yan Xi fell into deep thought when he heard the news in the western region.

Mei Yun also heard about it, he was in a bad mood, so he rode his horse to the bamboo house in the starry night and waited in the study in the outer courtyard.

It's snowing again.

Mei Yun raised her hand to catch the snowflake and watched it turn into cold water in her palm.His agitation stopped for a while, as long as he was near Yan Xi, he would be able to obtain a moment of tranquility.

Yanxi gradually became the backbone of everyone, and so did Yu Mei Yun.He and Yan Xi grew up together, and he used to give Yan Xi orders every day, and Yan Xi obeyed him. At that time, he was thinking every day how Yan Xi could be on his own.

Now Yan Xi is his master.

Mei Yun thought that his wish had been fulfilled, but the person next to Yan Xi was replaced by someone else.

It was hard for him not to feel melancholy, but there was nothing he could do. Yan Xi had become a god beyond his reach.

Mei Yun waited for a while, then heard movement from inside, the door of the inner courtyard creaked open, Wen Yan came out with the lantern, and met Mei Yun's eyes as soon as he raised his eyes.

Mei Yun and Wen Yan often have business contacts, and they can tell the seriousness of the matter by exchanging glances.

Mei Yun followed Wen Yan into the study.

Wen Yan held the lamp, looked at the snow outside and sighed: "Governor Mei's visit late at night, I think it is for the same thing?"

Mei Yun nodded solemnly: "Lord Dutai... Cough, what's your Highness's attitude?"

As Yan Xi's identity gradually became public, they all changed their names to His Highness Yan Xi. Such a change was strangely synchronized with the current situation, and both of them were taken aback.

Wen Yan lit the lamps and candles in the study one by one, and then went to the door to call the attendants to burn charcoal and serve tea. After the arrangements were made, he wiped his hands and said, "Now there is not enough information, and it is difficult for Your Highness to judge."

Mei Yun helped to push away the ink on the desk and said: "I look at this matter, it's not just the situation on the surface, there are many articles behind it, and it involves a lot."

The night wind outside was heavier, and a group of footsteps came through the hall.

Mei Yun stopped talking, looked up and saw Yan Xi and Song Beiming coming in side by side.

Yan Xi had probably already bathed, and she was wearing a white fur cloak, with a fluffy collar warming her neck, making the sharp chin of the sick man more flexible, and her lips seemed to have a little more color.

This is much better than what Mei Yun imagined.Mei Yun couldn't hide her concern, she glanced sideways at Yan Xi's hand, but Yan Xi's left arm was hidden in the white fur, under the plain brocade, Mei Yun couldn't see anything.

Mei Yun was still waiting to see, when he met Song Beiming's gaze, he lowered his eyes hastily, not daring to show any covetousness, and could only lower his head sadly.

Wei Chifeng didn't follow the study, he closed the door outside, and the guard who was a little further away consciously changed his whistle.

Mei Yun listened and felt that the security of the bamboo house had become stricter.

"Come to discuss matters late at night, Ling Han has a heart." Yan Xi sat down, coughed lightly, and raised his hand to his lips.

Song Beiming very naturally reached out to test the warmth of Yan Xi's hand, the two of them separated as soon as their fingers touched, their eyes were as calm as water.

None of them flustered.

Mei Yun stabilized his mind in that calmness. He first briefly talked about the situation in Jingdu, and finally analyzed in a low voice: "The emperor is still alive, and he welcomes the crown prince wantonly. I'm afraid there are some people with ulterior motives who want to separate the emperor and his highness."

"If it's just a separation, don't worry about it." Many possibilities flashed through Yan Xi's mind, and he couldn't tell what was wrong. He always felt that there was still a hand hidden somewhere, deliberately stirring up the water in Jingdu, and he still lacked something very important.The information is not captured.

He pondered for a while, and then said: "I'm afraid that what someone intends is more serious than separating me and my father."

Song Beiming knew a little bit about the strange father-son relationship between Yan Xi and Emperor Tianxi. He stared at the candlelight in front of him, his eyes flashed a little light, and said with a jump in his heart: "The Da Jing Kingdom has been established and cannot be shaken. It is a separation."The father and the crown prince are useless in the situation where Huangyan has no other princes. So, could the problem be with the Yan family?"

"Yan family..." Yan Xi pondered, he thought of Yan Zhen, the only orthodox bloodline of the Yan family.But Yan Zhen had already been castrated, and it was impossible for courtiers and common people to choose a barren and incomplete emperor.

The snow increased quietly in the dark night, and the wind intensified, making the lanterns outside shake non-stop.

Half of the bamboo curtain hanging in the corridor couldn't stop the cold wind. Outside, Wei Chifeng breathed lightly and directed the hidden guards on the roof to add clothes.

A thick hanging curtain was hung in the study, which not only blocked the cold wind outside, but also blocked the snow light and lamp shadow.

The study was quiet and warm, and for a moment, no one spoke.

Yan Xi's hearing is good. Hearing the sound of snow falling through the window, he suddenly felt a chill all over his body. He suddenly raised his head and glanced at the people present, and finally met Song Beiming's eyes.

He said hesitantly: "This matter involves both my father and me, so what can be detrimental to both me and my father?"

Yan Xi and Emperor Tianxi are father and son, to break through these two with one stone would be a major matter involving Emperor Yan's bloodline.

All the people present were smart people, and they knew that the matter was of great importance as soon as they heard it, and no one took it lightly.

Mei Yun stayed in the palace for a long time and was sensitive to the affairs of the royal family. He suddenly raised his head, showing an expression of disbelief, and said anxiously: "Maybe it has something to do with the old King Jin?"

When Yan Xi saw Dao Dao last time, he had repeatedly discussed with Dao Dao about the birth of Emperor Tianxi, but he couldn't figure it out at that time.He once wrote to Shang Baiheng that he wanted to investigate the affairs of the old Jin prince's mansion, but Shang Baiheng has not found any useful clues.The old King Jin has passed away for many years, and the old people in the Prince Jin Mansion are almost gone. Trying to find out about Emperor Tianxi's youth through the Prince Jin Mansion is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

The candlelight was beating, Yan Xi turned to Wen Yan and said, "Does the teacher have a letter?"

Jingdu.

Haishi is right.

Shang Baiheng put on a big cloak and knocked on the door of Pei Mansion.

The steward of Pei's residence was not surprised to see him coming, and quickly saluted respectfully, "The Grand Tutor said you would come, and you really did."

"I've been waiting for a long time." Shang Baiheng replied politely, lifted his robe and walked through the inner door. When he arrived at the door of the study, he turned his head and said to Liu Tong, the book boy following him, "You stay on guard outside."

Liu Tong stood outside the study holding a lantern.

The housekeeper smiled at Liu Tong, and also guarded him.

They all vaguely knew that not a single word of what was going to be discussed today could be spread out.

Shang Baiheng entered the study, Pei Hong was reading the paperwork, looked up and said: "Dao Zhi, I will watch, the storm you predict is not far away, it will blow up tonight."

Shang Baiheng stopped in front of Pei Hongshu's case, and said solemnly: "Teacher has found out the clues?"

Pei Hong flipped through the yellowed documents on the case and said: "More than 20 years ago, I went to the old Prince Jin's mansion several times. Your Majesty was in a very bad situation in the Prince Jin mansion at that time.For the face of the teacher, His Majesty is not even allowed to meet guests in the main hall. Even if His Majesty is a bastard, it is too ugly for the old King Jin to treat His Majesty like this."

Shang Baiheng stood beside the desk with his hands down, took the letter paper from Pei Hong, flipped through it and said, "It's really unreasonable and human, there must be something strange in it, what's your opinion?"

"Your Majesty's birth mother's birth is very dishonorable, so that the old King Jin disliked His Majesty, and the old concubine couldn't tolerate him. His Majesty's life was extremely difficult when he was young. The child who grew up hard is actually no wonder His Majesty is so hard-hearted." Pei Hong pausedThe movements of his hands, when he thought of the long-awaited event, his old face showed melancholy, "Speaking of which, the old King Jin has only two sons in total, and the eldest son is weak and sick.A bastard with a strong body should not hate His Majesty to that extent anyway."

Shang Baiheng stopped the movements of his hands, and said in a deep voice: "Teacher, I went to the clan's mansion to check the genealogy of Yan's family. Huangyan's population has been thin since the ancestors, and in Emperor Xiping's generation, there is a lot of people between uncles and brothers.Only Emperor Xiping and the two sons of the old Jin Wang's family were left. Later, the old Jin King's son died of illness when he was young, and only the late Emperor and His Majesty remained in Huangyan."

"Even the first emperor was not in good health. If he hadn't been lingering on the sick bed, he wouldn't be in a hurry to make a concubine son of the clan as the crown prince." Pei Hong recalled the former emperor's student and sighed.It's rare for him to be in good health, his mother is the daughter of a general, and she gave him a good foundation."

"However, Your Majesty has won seven princes, sweeping away the thin haze of the imperial swallow's heirs." Shang Baiheng paused for a while when he said this, the matter was extremely harmful, he did not dare to say it directly, but lowered his voice, meaningPointingly said elsewhere, "After His Majesty ascended the throne, he did not confer after his birth mother, nor did he enshrine the old King Jin and send him to the Taimiao."

"The clan has come forward to discuss this matter." Pei Hong is over seventy years old, and the deep gully between his brows looks like a dead branch under the candlelight. "I also suggested to His Majesty, but His Majesty refused lukewarmly. Everyone justHis Majesty Dao is a man of integrity and has no selfishness towards his biological parents, now it seems that His Majesty has other considerations."

Having said that, the two looked at each other silently.Shang Baiheng's thoughts changed, and he suddenly said: "Your Majesty's biological mother, Hu Shi, is there any record?"

Pei Hong shook his head and said: "There is no record in the records. When His Majesty was young, Mrs. Hu died of illness. It is said that there was not even a decent funeral, so he just wrapped it in a broken mat and asked someone to burn it clean.", the ashes were randomly scattered in the mass graves, there is not even a tomb. There is no way to check."

Too many unusual things happen to one thing, and the answer is ready to come out.

The cold wind in Jingdu quietly intensified, and it was chilly in Pei's study.

Shang Baiheng said solemnly: "From this point of view, only His Majesty is the only one involved. As long as His Majesty refuses to admit it, this matter will not cause trouble."

"No." Pei Hong acquiesced to Shang Baiheng's implication, and said instead, "Your Majesty doesn't care if this matter is exposed, after all, Yanzhen is useless, and now His Majesty's country is stable, no one can threaten His Majesty anymore. Your MajestyHe is very human, what he will do in the future cannot be deduced according to common sense, the power of heaven is unpredictable."

Shang Baiheng was puzzled and said: "It's related to the bloodline of Huangyan, can your majesty still let go of the rumors? There must be a reason for the rumors. Three people become tigers, and people's words are awesome. Your majesty is the son of heaven, how can you bear to be pointed out by the people of the world?"point?"

"If gossip and rumors can't hurt the Lord, why should you care too much? Do you look at His Majesty as someone who is afraid of people's words?" Pei Hong approached, his gray beard trembled slightly due to excitement, and said in a low voice,"Your Majesty has been in power for many years. In the early years, he supported the Song family and suppressed the Song family. In recent years, the four surnames have been overthrown in one fell swoop. Everything has been bloody. This year, he lost six princes. Have you ever seen His Majesty mourning the loss of his parents and children?"sad?"

Shang Baiheng's eyes jumped suddenly: "Never."

Pei Hong's expression was unpredictable, he seemed to be heartbroken, but also seemed to feel distressed: "Your Majesty seems to hate everyone who is related to him except for the slight rain.That's all."

"Family affection is so weak..." Shang Baiheng's face darkened, "What is Your Majesty hating?"

"Actually, you can think about it the other way around." Pei Hong slowly opened his eyes wide, his eyes focused, "Why does Your Majesty prefer Wei Yu?"

"Because Wei Yu is the child of Empress Roujia, His Majesty loves the house and Wu. In addition, Empress Roujia was born in a poor family, and Her Majesty intends to cultivate the influence of the humble family." Shang Baiheng said here, his thoughts changed sharply, "By the way, it is because of RoujiaThe queen is clean regardless of her family background, her conduct, or her appearance and temperament."

"Yes, it's clean." Pei Hongyi grasped Shang Baiheng's hand, pressed his nose hard and said, "Because only Queen Roujia and her children are clean, and His Majesty is a person who can't tolerate sand in his eyes."Only people who are pure and pure like Empress Roujia are free from mortal dust. Your Majesty thinks he is dirty, and it was Empress Roujia who washed his blood clean. If you have seen His Majesty doting on Empress Roujia, you willYou will know why His Majesty insists on light rain."

Shang Baiheng was shocked for a long time, and it took a long time to recover his voice: "Your Majesty's biological mother was born in a brothel, and she was broken and received guests. She was originally sent to the Jin Palace as a prostitute for the guests, but I don't know what she did.Means climbed into the bed of the old King Jin, and happened to catch up with her having a child. This is a mess, and it is impossible to tell whose child Hu is pregnant with."

Pei Hong's expression slowly turned desolate, and he let go of Shang Baiheng's hand and said: "The old King Jin can accommodate His Majesty, because he thinks he has few heirs. It's just that His Majesty is so innocent, he has to suffer from childhood for this."

Shang Baiheng also sighed unceasingly, and the two sat down respectively, feeling sad for a while.

Shang Baiheng suddenly thought of something, his heart jumped up, and he asked urgently: "Mr. Hu left early, and the old King Jin and the old concubine Jin also left for many years. When the old King Jin left, he also dealt with a group of old people in the mansion.No matter how difficult it is to check the past events back then, who can find out the troubles now?"

Pei Hong said with a worried look on his face: "There are still some of the late emperor's old palace people. After all, your majesty has been enthroned by the late emperor's grace, so you can't kill all the old people of the late emperor. After the late emperor made your majesty the crown prince, he probably discovered something.After a period of time, he changed his friendly attitude towards His Majesty, often reprimanded and made troubles for no reason, and His Majesty was cautious at that time, and life became very difficult again. I am afraid that the late Emperor will leave some clues, and someone will come up with them on special occasions."

Shang Baiheng immediately thought of the Hongde Hall, which was locked with high walls, and asked, "Could it be Yanzhen?"

Pei Hong looked solemn: "Yan Zhen was too young, so he must not have known. When he grows up, things have already passed, and Yan Zhen probably knows a lot. But as long as he is here, old people will find him. His identity as the first emperor's son, enough to disturb the minds of those who abide by bloodlines and morality."

"Your Majesty didn't kill Yanzhen because he made a promise to the late emperor. He blatantly violated the promise and couldn't explain to the people of the world." Shang Baiheng said, "What I'm worried about is that when these people return to the capital in light rain, they want to use their bloodMake a big fuss."

"This is the last chance for 'Yan Shi'." Pei Hong suddenly looked at Shang Baiheng, and pondered for a long time when he spoke, "And..."

"And..." Shang Baiheng's eyes flashed brightly, "And Wei Yu refuses to return to the capital, His Majesty is forcing Wei Yu."

"People's words are awesome, they can destroy a building overnight, or build a tall building in an instant." Beihong felt really old at this moment, and said sadly, "Your Majesty is very powerful, it depends on how he decides in the end."

At the end of Haishi, on the east side of Palace of Heavenly Purity, Zhaoren Hall.

Ying Zhu has not been summoned by Emperor Tianxi for a few days, and since he heard Emperor Tianxi said that he would call the prince back to the capital, he has been waiting intently.

Shao Ting belongs directly to Ying Zhu, and Ying Zhu personally handed over the imperial decree, but Shao Ting has been away for many days, but he did not invite Yan Xi back.

Ying Zhu fidgeted and looked out the window, finally gritted her teeth and went to the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

The guards outside the Palace of Heavenly Purity were strictly guarded, but no one stopped Ying Zhu when he arrived at the door. He knocked on the door lightly, and Ming Zhong answered, "Come in."

The door closed behind Ying Zhu, the curtains in the hall were drawn tightly, and the candles were only half lit.

In the half-lit hall, with shadows of lamps and lanterns, Ying Zhu suddenly shuddered, and stood by the door for a while, not daring to go in again.

"What are you doing?" Emperor Tianxi's voice was piercingly deep, "Come in."

Ying Zhu's heart skipped a beat, and his hairs stood on end. He hesitated to turn the curtain around, and instantly froze in place.

He regretted coming.

Emperor Tianxi was sitting behind the large dragon table, looking at him with gloomy and sharp eyes.