Cypress Boat Floating

Lu Zhixing looked at the innocent and ignorant Lu Ciqiu in front of him, and his heart was filled with endless pain and helplessness. Although he had thousands of words to say, he didn't know where to start. He could only let him complete the things he should do day after day and try to cultivate his abilities to become a qualified crown prince.

Seeing that Lu Zhixing remained silent, Lu Ciqiu finally couldn't help but ask tentatively: "Second brother, do you know Zhou Hao?"

Hearing the name "Zhou Hao", Lu Zhixing frowned slightly, as if he was recalling something. After a while, he slowly replied: "Zhou Hao? I have some impression... He seems to be from the Zhou family. He is currently serving in the Imperial Guards. I heard that he was bullied by the eldest son of his family and was later rescued by Commander Liang."

Lu Ci Qiu nodded quickly and continued, "Yes, it's Zhou Hao from the Zhou family. I also heard that when the emperor asked each family to send a son to serve in the Imperial Guard, the Zhou family was reluctant to let their eldest son suffer, so they sent this youngest son over."

Lu Zhixing listened and thought for a moment, then raised his head and looked at Lu Ciqiu with suspicion, and asked, "Why did you suddenly mention this person? And you specifically asked about him, what do you want to do?"

Facing Lu Zhixing's questioning, Lu Ci Qiu just smiled slightly, showing an innocent expression, and replied easily: "Nothing, I'm just asking casually."

Lu Zhixing said seriously, "If you have any ideas, you can tell my second brother directly, and he will try his best to help you realize them. But you must not act on your own. Although Zhou Hao does not have a high status in the Zhou family and is just an unpopular bastard, the Zhou family has been operating in the capital for many years. Such a royal family values ​​face more than anything else. Even if it is an unappreciated bastard, if something happens to make them lose face, they will bite him like a mad stray dog ​​and won't let go."

Lu Ci Qiu shook his head and said, "Second brother, you worry too much. I don't want to do anything special. I just saw this person in the palace before and I am a little curious about him. So I want to ask you, second brother, do you know this person?"

Lu Zhixing showed a disgusted expression and said indignantly: "There is no good person in the Zhou family. Try to have less contact with them. There are not many children in the Zhou family who have good character. Basically, they are all bad embryos. They have only known how to bully others since they were young. They are simply evil."

Lu Ciqiu looked at his brother Lu Zhixing and knew that his brother hated the Zhou family. Indeed, the Zhou family had always been a group of people who followed the trend and changed their ways since their ancestors. Back then, they relied on their achievements in the founding period to do whatever they wanted and did all kinds of bad things. After so many years, the Zhou family's roots have been deeply rooted in the ground, and it is not easy to completely eradicate them.

"Is there no good person among these noble families?" Lu Ci Qiu couldn't help but feel doubtful after listening to Lu Zhixing's story. He didn't have much contact with the children of those noble families, so he knew very little about them.

Lu Zhixing thought for a moment and replied, "Of course there are some outstanding people, such as the eldest son of the Gu family. Since he took over the family business, he has performed very well. Not only that, he often gives rice porridge to poor people and does good deeds. Whether it is character or personality, he is first-class. The old man of the Gu family values ​​and likes him very much. Maybe in two years, he will hand over the entire family business to him to manage."

"That also shows that there are good talents here," said Lu Ci Qiu.

Lu Zhixing's eyes were deep as he patiently taught him, "Old Eight, you have to know that people are good and bad. It takes time to slowly reflect and observe a person's character. It is reflected in every little thing in life. You have to learn to know and distinguish a person through these details. As a superior, you should know how to control and use people instead of being swayed by your emotions."

Lu Ci Qiu felt somewhat puzzled. He always felt that his second brother seemed a little strange today, but he couldn't tell exactly what was strange. In the past, his second brother would also tell him these truths, but he was never like today, eager to pass on all the knowledge and strategies in his mind to him so that he could understand them thoroughly. This excessive enthusiasm made Lu Ci Qiu feel flustered.

"Second brother, what's wrong with you today?" After enduring for a long time, Lu Ci Qiu finally couldn't help but ask. He stared at Lu Zhixing, trying to find some clues from his expression. However, there was nothing unusual on Lu Zhixing's face except seriousness and solemnity. This made Lu Ci Qiu even more confused. He couldn't help but start to think, is it because he is too suspicious? However, this feeling is so real that he can't ignore it.

Lu Zhixing, who was talking passionately and couldn't stop, suddenly paused as if someone had pressed the pause button after hearing Lu Ciqiu's words. He seemed to realize something and quickly put away his previous expression. He asked calmly, "What's wrong?"

Lu Ci Qiu frowned, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong: "From the beginning, when you proposed the idea of ​​me becoming the crown prince, I felt very strange. In the past, you always told me that no matter what I wanted to do, you would fully support me and create all the necessary conditions for me. However, now you want me to compete for the supreme throne."

At this point, he paused for a moment, then continued, "The position of crown prince has always been the goal you have been striving for, and I have always believed that you are the most suitable person to sit in that position. What happened to you recently? Can you tell me?"

Lu Ci Qiu was indeed very worried about Lu Zhixing's condition. Perhaps it was because Lu Zhixing's repeated disappearances in Shu had brought him tremendous pressure. He was always worried that his brother would encounter an accident.

Maybe in every previous life he was not missing, but really dead? In this case, he thought, this time he must not let Lu Zhixing go to Shu again, he must put an end to this danger.

"Old Eight..." Lu Zhixing spoke in a low voice, and every word was extremely difficult to say, as if he had used up all his strength to squeeze these words out of his throat. He looked deeply at Lu Zhiba, his eyes full of worry and helplessness.

"I have become the target of public criticism now. Everyone's eyes are on me, and they want to eliminate me. If I meet with an unfortunate accident, I hope you can take my place. Although my father gave birth to many princes, what can we do? The crown prince has limited ability and it is difficult for him to take on the heavy responsibility; the third prince was ordered to guard the Western Regions, far away from the capital; the fourth prince has foreign blood flowing in his body, and is destined to not be able to ascend to the supreme throne. As for the fifth prince, he has the will but not the power, he has ambition but lacks the corresponding ability, and he is suppressed by his elder brother, so it is difficult for him to achieve great things. The sixth prince has no interest in the throne, and he only pursues a free and easy life; the seventh prince was sent to the South Country, which is out of reach."

Lu Zhixing paused for a moment and continued, "I have seen everything you have done in the past two years. You are still immature at the moment, but as long as you are given enough time and experience, you will grow up quickly. By then, I am afraid that even the prince may not be your opponent. So, Eighth Brother, I believe you have the potential and look forward to you taking on this responsibility."

Lu Zhixing said so many things, but all Lu Ciqiu heard was that Lu Zhixing said he would die. This sentence was like a sharp knife, piercing the softest part of his heart, making him deeply fall into the great fear of his brother's imminent death. His face instantly turned pale as paper, without any blood, but his eyes were extremely tough, and he gritted his teeth and said: "Second brother, you will never die! I will never allow this to happen to you!"

"Calm down, brother. I'm not sure if I will really die. I just said there is a possibility, not that it will definitely happen." Seeing Lu Ci Qiu so frightened, Lu Zhixing felt full of pity and hurried to comfort him.

"No matter what, I will never let you suffer any misfortune. This time, I must make a change!" Lu Ci Qiu's eyes were extremely firm, and the determination contained in them seemed to be able to penetrate all obstacles. Although Lu Zhixing did not fully understand the meaning of his brother's words, he clearly felt Lu Ci Qiu's sincere heart that wanted to protect him.