Uncle Zhongyi's Mansion.
Qi Yi stepped into the door under the afterglow of the stars and moon.
Uncle Zhongyi and his wife were sitting in the main hall, looking at Qi Yi intently with lowered eyebrows.
"Why are you back so late?" Uncle Zhongyi's eyes were heavy.
Qi Yi did not expect that there would be someone waiting for him in the house. He was stunned for a moment and then replied: "The road outside the city is blocked by stones. I will help clear the road."
As if he didn't believe Qi Yi's statement, Uncle Zhongyi asked: "You are the deputy commander of the Army and Horses Division, and you still have to clear the road yourself?"
"It's very clogged. Clearing it as soon as possible is also a way to share the Lord's worries."
"I've been back for so long, and you just came back." Before Mrs. Zhongyi came down the mountain, she heard that the road was blocked and waited until there was news about the access road before leaving.
"At that time, only the road was cleared for carriages to pass, and there were still many stones that had not been removed..."
Uncle Zhongyi waved his hand to interrupt Qi Yi, "Okay, don't do this kind of thing yourself in the future. If you have nothing else to do, ask around for recent battle reports, and make good connections to fight at the border. Don't blame us for being cruel, we chose you. , you have to shoulder the responsibility of the family. After all, you are the lucky one."
Qi Yi lowered his head, "My son knows."
"have a rest."
"yes."
Qi Yi watched his parents leave, and then dragged his tired body back to his study. His parents would interrogate his every move, but he knew that it was not concern.
He has known since he was a child that he has no freedom and must follow the path arranged by them.
The burden on his body made him breathless. He fell down on the Taishi chair and looked up at the beams.
Immediately, he took a long breath, took a piece of paper from a locked box in the study, and walked into the bedroom.
After the bedroom door was bolted from the inside, he lifted the bed board, revealing a passage inside.
"Changle."
A man named Chang Le lived in a secret room. The secret room was like a cage, surrounded by thick stone walls, except for a five-finger-wide crack on one wall.
Hearing the familiar voice, Chang Le turned around and looked at Qi Yi, asking with a smile: "Why are you here so late this time?"
"Someone fell down the cliff. Help me look for him."
With that said, Qi Yi took out a key.
Seeing this, Chang Le hurriedly stopped, "Don't leave. She hasn't come to see me today. She bumped into me and it's hard to leave. Have you found her? Can she be saved after falling off the cliff?"
Qi Yi would come and talk to him about outside affairs from time to time, and he would listen to the stories with great interest.
Qi Yi thought he was right and put the key carefully on his waist.
"Her husband found her, so there shouldn't be any big problem." He handed the paper he brought through the gap, "This is what I wrote today, take a look."
Chang Le took it and looked at it carefully, and after a moment he said loudly: "Your calligraphy has improved a lot, and you can't possibly sell it for a good price."
Qi Yi smiled mockingly, "A good price is useless, what they want is power."
Chang Le shut his mouth and looked at Qi Yi in trance.
Suddenly, Qi Yi said seriously again: "I'm going to join the army soon."
Chang Le was shocked, "Do they really want you to go to the battlefield?!"
"Um."
Chang Le punched the wall with anger, "They are still not human! The battlefield is dangerous, and you can only be a soldier on the front line and fight, and you will lose your life!"
Qi Yi twitched his lips helplessly, "Who made me the lucky one?"
Furthermore, if they had the ability to become generals in the military camp, they would not be so eager to make meritorious deeds.
"Bah! There's no such thing as luck in this, it's simply a disaster! They are just as sanctimonious as ever!" Chang Le opened his mouth and only exposed the upper half of his face, which was enough for Qi Yi to feel his anger.
Qi Yi looked at the pair of eyebrows and eyes that were exactly the same as his own, and comforted him with a gentle voice, "Chang Le, don't be angry, there will always be someone to bear the burden of the family. If... if I never come back, they will definitely let you see the light of day again. Come. At that time, please stop following my path and do whatever you want to do to show your kindness and I will repay it for you."
Chang Le was filled with disbelief, "Brother!"
"Listen to me! I have never fought for anything in my life. Don't imitate my brother. He is a coward." From the day he was chosen, he was destined to fight for the family, and he compromised.
He knew that he was not good at martial arts and the battlefield was changing rapidly. It was still unclear whether he would be able to achieve meritorious service in his life.
Of course, it's best to be able to get ahead, and Chang Le will have an easier time in the future, without having to follow his old path.
He couldn't resist. His parents gave him life, and he always had to repay the favor.
But Chang Le is already suffering enough. If he can see the light of day again, he hopes that Chang Le will be as happy as his name.
"Brother! I don't allow you to say that!" Chang Le held on to the slit, and the veins on the back of his hand popped out.
His eyes were bloodshot and his eyes were sore.
The bravest person in the whole house is his brother, how could he be a coward!
"Okay! I guess my mother also wants to..." Qi Yi suddenly paused. He listened intently to the movement coming from the dark corridor, "He's already here. I'll leave first. I will be busy with joining the army in the future. I'm afraid I can't come to see you, just take care of yourself."
With that said, Qi Yi left to the other side.
"Brother!" Chang Le suppressed his voice with a pleading tone, "I won't go, okay?"
Qi Yi's eyes turned red, "Maybe I'm lucky."
After saying that, he pushed open the secret door at the end of the corridor and disappeared from Chang Le's sight.
This secret door was secretly opened by Qi Yi himself. No one knew that there was another way at the end of the tunnel.
After Qi Yi disappeared, not long after, Mrs. Zhongyi Bo appeared with a food box.
She skillfully took out the key and unlocked the door, only to see Chang Le sitting on the bed with his head lowered, looking uninterested.
"What's wrong, Chang Le, but the weird lady is late?" The voice was soft, completely different from the seriousness when facing Qi Yi.
She placed the food box on the table and placed the exquisite snacks inside one by one.
Chang Le calmed down his emotions and raised a smile, "I thought my mother wasn't coming!"
"How could it be! Come and try some, they are all your favorites."
"It's not because that person doesn't want it, right?" Chang Le pretended to be displeased with a straight face.
"How is that possible! Mom doesn't even know what he likes to eat, how could it be his leftovers!" Mrs. Zhongyi Bo still used to belittle Qi Yi to please Chang Le, and her words all hinted that Chang Le was in her heart He is the most important.
She thought Chang Le would be happy, but Chang Le showed a disgusted expression where she couldn't see.
"Mom, it's too stuffy down here. When can I go out?"
"Chang Le, just wait a moment. When your brother makes great achievements and earns a position as a general, you can show off your power as a general when you go out, right?"
Chang Le looked contemptuous, "I don't know how to use martial arts. How can I go out without being discovered?"
Mrs. Zhongyi Bo was confident, "You two look exactly the same. The only difference is that others can't see it. What are you afraid of?"
"I don't care, I've had enough, and I'm going out!" Chang Le started acting like a playboy, but Mrs. Zhongyi didn't show any signs of anger.
She persuaded patiently, "Your brother has been busy with a lot of things recently. You have to deal with things when you go out. How tiring it is."
Chang Le just made up his mind to go out to replace Qi Yi and didn't want Qi Yi to become a victim of the family.
In the past, when he was in glory, he only cared about squandering his family property and bullying others. It was only when he was at the end of his rope that he was not favored by the royal family that he thought about making a future for his family.
He said he was thinking about future generations, but in fact he just didn't want to bear the notoriety of leading the entire family to its end.
These people keep claiming that it is for the sake of family honor, but they themselves just hide behind and wait to enjoy the benefits.
Those bastards can confidently remain uneducated, but his elder brother has outstanding talents but because the family cannot pave the way for him, he is forced to practice martial arts, even risking his life to gain a future for the entire family.
They despise their brother for accomplishing nothing, and at the same time they wait for him to make great achievements. How ridiculous! How shameless!
And he was favored by his biological mother just because he had not seen the light of day since he was a child. His brother suffered a lot but was beaten and scolded by his mother for not working hard enough!
If it weren't for his brother's intelligence and the fact that the two knew each other when they were young, they would have been instigated by their biological mother and the brothers would have turned against each other.
He was suffocating in his heart, and the words he spoke were filled with boredom.
"I've been locked up for several years, and now I just want to go out and take a breath, can't I?"
Mrs. Zhongyibo refused to let go, so Chang Le had no choice but to use his trump card.
"Okay, okay, mother, can you think of a way? It's all your brother's fault. He hasn't made any results for so long." Mrs. Zhongyi Bo made no secret of her dislike of Qi Yi.
Chang Le said nothing, "As soon as possible, I'm anxious."
"Okay~ Let's eat some taro cake first, your favorite."
Chang Le twisted a piece and put it in his mouth.
Although Mrs. Zhongyi Bo agreed verbally, he had no confidence in his heart. After all, facing the family's future, they have reached the point of being frantic and would not allow themselves to go out at this time.
If something goes wrong with him, it won't end well.
Mrs. Zhongyibo came out of the secret passage carrying a food box. She handed the food box to her personal maid.
"Send some snacks to the young master tomorrow, and just say some words of concern."
She took a long breath. Chang Le had really suffered after staying in a dark place for nineteen years. She had to let Qi Yi make achievements quickly.
"yes."
The next day, Qi Yi received a plate of taro cakes and received his mother's concern from the maid.
He pretended to be moved and accepted the snack, but after the maid left, he called for his attendant.
"Take it and eat it."
Chang Sui was stunned when he saw the dim sum and frowned, "Who is it? Don't you know that the young master can't eat taro?"
Qi Yi glanced at him, "Don't talk too much, just eat."
"yes."
——
In the Prince's Mansion, there was a wind at the foot of Jiang Bridge, so he buried his head and went to Fu Shilu's yard.
His hair was messy and his collar was uneven, which showed how rushed he was.
He grabbed a maid who was sweeping at the gate of the courtyard and asked angrily: "Where is your prince?"
The maid was at a loss, "I don't know."
Jiang Qiao pushed the maid aside and walked into the courtyard. When he saw Liuyi guarding the door, he rushed over.
"Master Marquis, please stay." Liuyi stretched out his hand to stop him.
"I want to see your prince!"
"Please come in, Lord Marquis." Fu Shiju's voice came from inside the room, and Liuyi put down his hand.
Jiang Qiao rushed in, grabbed Fu Shiju's collar, and shouted: "I clearly promised to send Ah Huan away, why did you break your promise!"
Fu Shiju brushed Jiang Qiao's hand away and said, "Mr. Hou, he must have forgotten that she was promoted to the princess the day after she woke up. Even if I wanted to send her away, it was too late. But Mr. Hou, on the other hand, came to investigate after such a long time. , did you just remember that you have a daughter?"
Fu Shiju's sarcasm made Jiang Qiao blush, "You...if you hadn't broken your promise, how could Ah Huan be assassinated and fall off the cliff yesterday!"
If Fu Shichun had kept his promise, his Ah Huan would have been living freely in Jinzhou, and she would not be in such dire straits as now.
Fu Shiju sneered, "Does the Marquis have this much courage? Instead of going to find the murderer behind the scenes, he would come to my county prince's palace and make a scene."
Jiang Qiao said seriously, "I believe that the emperor will find out the real murderer, but you, fulfill our promise as soon as possible and send A Huan away!"
