The emperor looked at the pale prince who was being carried out by everyone, then turned to Fan Mou and said, "Fan Qing's family will also go to the prince's residence and report the prince's condition to me later."
"Yes, I'll go right away." After saying that, Fan Mou knelt down to the emperor, quickly walked out of Wan Xuexuan, and chased the prince and his entourage.
Turning to Ning Wang Qitao, he said: "Tao'er, I have given you permission to go north to the border to investigate the Northern Jin Dynasty's cavalry disturbing the people. After you have completed the investigation, drop by Wangli Villa and his party. This Li Kurong has contributed to the country, and it is time to reward him." , don’t be arrogant.”
His Royal Highness Prince Ning received the order and said: "My son, I obey the order."
The emperor looked at the prince in front of him who looked very much like himself when he was young. He twirled the jade holder in his hand, raised his eyes, and said to his left and right: "Go and tell Yan Qingchuan outside the palace."
Yan Qingchuan escorted him out of Wan Xuexuan just now. Hearing the summons from the Holy Emperor, he went into the pavilion to salute. The emperor continued to say to Prince Ning: "This time when you go north, you should investigate in secret. Don't reveal your identity at will. I will give you a secret piece of music. Behead it first and then play it." Quan, all matters investigated are reported secretly." After the emperor finished speaking, he took off a square gold medal from the jade belt around his waist and handed it to King Ning, saying: "This token has been with me for many years. Tao'er, you keep it and show this order. If I are here in person, you can send any officials to the north as you please." .
Prince Ning respectfully took the token with both hands. The gold medal was about the size of the palm of his hand. The upper edge was made of pure gold and was made of a cloud-eating beast with ram's horns, wolf's hooves, deer's body and ox's tail. The middle of the gold medal was inlaid with a piece of green emerald. In the middle of the emerald, it was carved with jade sand. With a delicate word "Shao", Qi Tao solemnly supported Jin Ling and said: "My son, I will do my best to carry out my errands and live up to my father's instructions."
After saying that, the emperor looked aside again and was ordered to meet Yan Qingchuan who was kneeling on one knee: "When the prince passed out just now, I was very relieved that you acted calmly. This time Prince Ning went north for an unannounced visit, I ordered you to accompany him as a guard. The Imperial Secretary , you still have to choose among the good players in the Xiaoqi camp, and you must protect King Ning Zhouquan along the way."
After speaking, he motioned to Zhong Qi who was standing aside. Not long after, Zhong Qi came out with something in his hand. The emperor handed the object to Yan Qingchuan and said: "This sword will accompany me in my expedition to the south to destroy Zhao. I will give you this sword to protect you on this trip. King Fu Ning has the right to kill first and report later."
Yan Qingchuan took the sword with both hands. This sword given to Shang Fang by the emperor was more than three feet long. It was made of white jade for the head, high-quality rosewood for the handle, an exotic animal as the sword grid, boxwood wrapped in black leather for the scabbard, and the scabbard mouth. They were all wrapped in hollow gold ornaments. Looking at the sword that represented the supreme imperial power, Yan Qingchuan hurriedly held the sword and saluted: "I obey the decree. I will accompany King Ning out of the capital this time. I will live up to the entrustment of the Holy One. I will obey your orders." Protect King Zhou Quan."
The emperor looked at Yan Ruohai aside and said: "Old Yan, I am very pleased that these children have grown up. Okay, you all can go. It will be the Yuan Day Festival in a few days. You should prepare yourself. Let’s set off later.”
Everyone knelt down and bowed before leaving. The emperor watched King Ning and others kneel down and leave in Wanxuexuan. The emperor looked outside Wanxuexuan with his hands behind his hands. He twisted the jade holder in his hand. The color of snow outside the window was reflected in the emperor's eyes. There was no one there. Know the emperor's thoughts.
Outside the Imperial Garden, Yan Ruohai and his son were talking to Prince Ning Qitao. Yan Ruohai said: "Your Highness, Prince Ning, is on a business trip to the capital this time. If my son has any mishandling, please give me some advice. Yan Ruohai would be very grateful."
His Highness Prince Ning smiled modestly and said: "Master Yan, you are serious. The Yan family is the pillar of my Qi Yun family, and it is also a well-known martial arts family in the martial arts world. Commander Yan is young and promising, with outstanding talents. At such a young age, he is already in charge of the imperial department and Xiaoqi." Ying will definitely be my pillar of Qi Yun in the future."
Yan Qingchuan heard that His Highness Prince Ning was generous in praising and praising the Yan family. He cupped his fists and saluted and said, "Your Highness Prince Ning is ridiculous. My father has been teaching me since he was a child. My Yan family has been favored by the emperor, and the sons of the Yan family will guard Qi Yun from generation to generation." This time I leave the capital, I will do my best to protect His Highness. I will go to the Imperial Palace and the Xiaoqi camp to select good people, so please rest assured."
Prince Ning smiled and said: "In this case, I will go and make some preparations. Lord Yan and his son have not seen each other for many days. I will not delay the reunion of Lord Yan and his son, so I will say goodbye."
The father and son of the Yan family bowed to Prince Ning and said goodbye, and they walked out of the palace. Yan Ruohai looked at his son's tired face and said distressedly: "Chuan'er, working in front of the emperor is not as good as at home. You have to pay attention to your health."
Yan Qingchuan held his father's arm and said: "Father, Chuan'er is not tired, but the imperial servant is always a little frightened. Although the current emperor always has a warm smile, sometimes my son always feels a chill, right? , the Holy Father asked his son to stay in the palace last night, but at night there was a master roaring in the palace late at night. What is even more strange is that the loyal Qi Eunuch, when he took the child to the side hall of Yunshu Palace, he tested me, The child was knocked back by this man's move. This shows that he is very powerful in martial arts, but why did such a master become the eunuch of the Holy Emperor in the palace?"
Yan Ruohai pondered for a moment and said in a low voice: "Chuan'er, the loyal Qi Eunuch you are talking about, I only know that after winning the battle against Jiang, this man was with the Holy Lord. Over the years, no matter when the Holy Lord was hiding in the dragon, After registering, I went to the palace many times, but I never saw this person show his skills. But just now in Wan Xuexuan, I accidentally overflowed with anger. This father-in-law actually used his inner strength to resist, and he was on par with me. I have been with him for many years. , I didn’t even know that the Holy Master had such a master beside him.”
"Speaking of masters, father, I have something to ask my father to explain..." Yan Qingchuan remembered the murder case of the nine guards in Jianglin City last night, so he described the case and the death of the nine guards in detail, and told his father that he wanted to use his father's experience in the world to start from here. A clue was found in the death of the nine guards in class.
Yan Ruohai listened carefully to his son's description of the injuries to the internal organs of the nine guards. His expression gradually became serious, and his eyebrows were furrowed. When he raised his head, he didn't realize that the two of them had arrived at the palace gate. The father and son handed over their waist tags. After leaving the palace, The father and son of the Yan family were riding on horseback. Yan Ruohai was about to answer his son's opinion on the murder of the nine guards when he saw a carriage approaching the palace gate from a distance. As he got closer, he saw that it was the carriage of Fan Mou, the right prime minister. Yan Ruohai stopped what he was about to say, and father and son reined in their horses and stood still.
Fan Mou lifted the curtain of the carriage, and his slender eyes saw the Shang Fang sword in the hands of the Yan family father and son and Yan Qingchuan. A strange light flashed in his eyes, and he hurriedly called the coachman to stop the carriage. Fan Mou saluted the Yan family father and son and smiled: "Looking at Master Yan and his son leaving the palace, it should be because the Holy One has finished explaining the matter. Hey, this is not the sword that comes with the Holy Master. The Holy Master actually gave this sword to Master Xiao Yan. Master Xiao Yan is really a holy family. I would like to congratulate you. Mr. Xiao Yan."
Seeing that Fan Mou mistakenly thought that the emperor had given him the sword as a reward, Yan Qingchuan hurriedly explained: "Your Majesty You Cheng has misunderstood. The sword given to the subordinate by the Holy Emperor is not a reward, but for the subordinate to carry Shang Fang's sword." King Suining..." Before he finished speaking, Yan Ruohai raised his hand to stop him.
"Your Majesty, why didn't you go to the Prince's Mansion with the imperial physician, and then come back?" Yan Ruohai said with cupped hands.
Fan Mou had gotten the news he wanted from Yan Qingchuan. Seeing that Yan Ruohai had seen through his trick, he bowed his hands towards the imperial city and replied: "The old minister has received the order and has just gone to the Prince's Mansion. This Imperial Physician Hua As expected, the prince is no longer seriously injured. He can only recover after resting for more than a month. Then the old minister rushed back to the palace to reply to the order, so as not to worry the emperor."
"In this way, the lower official and his son will not delay the return of Lord Youcheng's order, and we will say goodbye. Yan returned to the capital for the first time. Today, he will tell Quanzi about the relationship between father and son, and will visit Youcheng's house another day." Yan Ruohai raised his eyebrows and said, Gongshou Road.
Seeing that Yan Ruohai didn't want to talk much, Fan Mou cupped his hands and said, "Then I swept the flower path, opened the canopy door, and waited for Master Yan to come. I didn't delay Master Yan and his son, so he rushed to reply to the order and said goodbye." "
"Fan Xiang, go slow," the Yan family father and son returned the greeting.
The father and son of the Yan family watched the carriage enter the palace. As the palace door slowly closed, Yan Ruohai frowned and cursed secretly: "This old man". He turned back to his son and said: "Qingchuan, you just got into trouble like this." That’s the old man’s way.”
"Ah? Father, how do you say this?" Yan Qingchuan asked hurriedly when he saw that his father's smile had completely disappeared.
Yan Ruohai frowned and said, "The Holy Father's decree just now was to order you to protect His Highness Prince Ning and conduct secret inspections. You were tricked out of the capital by Fan Mou, an old man, with just one sentence. I don’t blame you, you have only been in the court for a short period of time, and people in this court are unpredictable. Now that your holy family is flourishing, it is inevitable that some villains will be jealous. From now on, you must be careful in your words and actions."
Yan Qingchuan suddenly realized: "My son is stupid. He will definitely remember his father's teachings from now on. It's just that Fan Youxiang returned to the palace and won't sue his son in front of the emperor."
I saw a golden light flashing in the palm of Yan Ruohai's palm, and his eagle eyes widened: "Don't worry Chuan'er, this old man is very shrewd. He knows a lot about the position of our Yan family in the heart of the Lord. If he is just curious to find out, if He wants to cause trouble in front of the Holy Lord. He knows my temper, Yan Ruohai. Chuan'er, you can just take care of it and go with His Highness Prince Ning on errands. This old man doesn't dare to speak nonsense in front of the Holy Lord."
After a pause, Yan Ruohai continued: "Just now, you said that the nine guards were killed yesterday. You expected it well, but it was a sword master who used his unique sword intention to kill people, so it was left in the internal organs. Such scars." At this point, Yan Ruohai suddenly remembered that Emperor Shicai asked him about the investigation of Gu Jianyi, and couldn't help but mutter to himself: "Could it be him?"
"Who did father say he was?" Yan Qingchuan asked in confusion.
"Chuan'er, you must be extra careful in this court from now on. Just like today, you must think twice before others ask or mention anything." Yan Ruohai did not answer Yan Qingchuan's question, but changed to an unnecessary question. He said to his son in a questioning tone.
Seeing his father's serious expression, Yan Qingchuan hurriedly replied: "My son has remembered it."
When Yan Ruohai saw that his son had agreed, he said nothing and rode forward on his horse. Yan Qingchuan saw that his father had stopped talking and did not dare to say more. He just rode his horse and followed him for a while. I heard my father speak again: "Today you were in Wan Xuexuan. After the prince passed out, you did the right thing."
"What does the father mean? The son immediately escorted the driver out of the mansion to be on guard?" Yan Qingchuan asked when his father's tone softened.
"Yes, if you had turned around to look at either the Crown Prince or Prince Ning at that time, I'm afraid that you, the imperial minister and the commander of the Xiaoqi Battalion, would have been sitting there forever," Yan Ruohai said carefully.
Yan Qingchuan asked in confusion: "At that time, there were you, my father, and the two masters, Eunuch Zhongqi, in the palace. If there were assassins, my son would greet the enemy outside the palace and protect the Holy One. This is what he wanted in his heart."
Yan Ruohai laughed, then turned serious and said, "Chuan'er, you just need to remember that you only need to care about what the Holy One thinks of you at all times, and you don't need to care about others."
"Children, you should keep this in mind." Yan Qingchuan replied.
"There are still a few things that dad wants to tell you on this trip north." Yan Ruohai remembered the Wangli Villa and other matters that the Holy Father had just explained in Wan Xuexuan, and continued: "Let's not care about the secret visit to the north. I'm going to visit here. Li Shanzhuang, you want to find out whether Li Kurong is like the rumors in the world, and he has gone crazy while practicing. There are countless martial arts secret books, ancient and modern magic weapons in Wangli Villa, these are not important, only the Wanshi Pavilion that records the anecdotes of Jianghu is. If Li Kurong is the one who is favored by the Holy Spirit and really goes crazy, or even dies, you will take charge of Wangli Villa on behalf of the imperial court."
When Yan Qingchuan heard about the real purpose of going north this time, he looked surprised and said: "If the imperial court wants to use Wangli Villa for its own use, why not send a summons, but why does it ask His Highness Prince Ning to take it in the name of a reward, and the emperor is just the right person?" He did not explicitly say that he wanted to use Wangli Villa for the royal family."
Yan Ruohai stroked his beard and smiled and said: "This is the sage's wisdom. This Li Kurong once helped me to court the First Emperor and made great contributions to the country. If I take it directly from the summons, it will inevitably cause instability in the hearts of the people in the world, and everyone will be afraid that they will look away. Following Li Shanzhuang's footsteps, this time Li Kurong is unable to support him, and if the imperial court comes forward to support Lijia, it will demonstrate the grace of the Holy One and attract people from all over the world to return. This is the method of killing two birds with one stone."
"My son understands. My son will go north this time to find out what is true. If Li's family is unable to support Wangli Villa, he will help His Highness Prince Ning to subdue Wangli Villa," Yan Qingchuan said.
Yan Ruohai said earnestly: "Didn't my father say that you are here for the sake of the imperial court and the Holy One, not to help King Ning conquer Wangli Villa?" After saying this, he looked at his son's eyes with tiger eyes, hoping that his son could understand what he said on his own. Makes sense.
Yan Qingchuan saw his father staring at him and saying these words. He savored it carefully and immediately understood what his father meant. Whoever owns Wangli Villa can use Wangli Villa's secrets, magic weapons, and martial arts secrets to cultivate power. , in the eyes of the Holy One, these naturally cannot fall into the hands of others. Yan Qingchuan sighed in his heart, there has been no family affection in the royal family since ancient times. Sure enough, under the imperial power, should even father and son have to be so guarded?
Looking at Yan Qingchuan's expression, as if he sensed what his son was thinking, Yan Ruohai said comfortingly: "This has been the case for the royal family since ancient times. Chuan'er can just run the errands for the Holy Lord. There is no need to think too much. He will leave the capital after the Yuan Day Festival. You are on errands, so come home with me these days to visit your mother. Your mother has been saying this many times since you became an official in the court and stayed away from home all day long."
"My child is also homesick. Let's go back now." When Yan Qingchuan heard his father mention his mother, he suddenly felt missing in his heart. He couldn't help but feel homesick and hurried out of the city.
