The little Fubao in the deserted village made all the dignitaries in the court go crazy with envy

The noisiest person left, and the study became much quieter.

Yan Changqing raised his eyes and looked at the girl who was sitting at the desk with her clear eyes open, waiting for food.

A slight feeling of weakness.

Then he let out a sigh and laughed, resigned himself to taking out the long-lasting snack that Aunt Du had specially prepared.

"Hazelnut cakes, golden rice dumplings, milk dates... Madam Du said that she has used all her tricks to prepare food for you, so there won't be anything new to eat next year."

"Is Madam Du in good health? Did she eat the Hundred Aspects Pearls I brought over?"

"Yes, she is still as healthy as she was ten years ago. She eats well and sleeps well."

Yan Changqing was embarrassed to say that most of the good things that Bai Xiang brought over would be snatched away, and in the end only one-fifth of them would fall into the hands of the nanny... maybe even less.

As for who stole it, well.

There are only three or two people in the palace who dare to steal Madam Du’s things.

Because they are nourished with hundreds of good things, each of them looks radiant and there is no trace of aging.

The girl crossed her feet and swayed them as she leisurely ate the snacks that had just arrived, occasionally letting out an exclamation of admiration.

The young man sat opposite, smiling faintly, and told the girl various interesting things that happened in the imperial city.

He doesn't like gossip, but he likes to ask people to collect gossip.

Because everyone likes it.

In this way, when they meet, he will have a lot to say.

He was so busy with government affairs and had so many tasks to deal with that he was almost unable to cope with them all.

Even so, he still squeezes out time every year to travel back and forth to Yuxi Village.

For him, coming to see the people here and meeting the hundreds of things is the greatest reward and a treat for himself.

……

After nightfall.

Yan Changhuai was invited to Yuxi Village.

Following the stern man into this village that was known for countless legends in the outside world, Yan Changhuai did not have any extraneous curiosity in his eyes.

His sight fell inconspicuously on the back of the man in front.

He is a very cold and stern person, doesn't talk much, and looks to be in his thirties.

But he knew that the person in front of him was over forty years old.

This is Mo Yi, the secret guard assigned to Yan Changqing by Emperor Hong Jing.

The most top-notch expert in the Royal Secret Guard.

From the beginning to the end of the village, I finally stood in front of a spacious house.

On the high door, a bald monk who was as fat as Maitreya Buddha was sitting with his legs crossed, waving a broken palm leaf fan in the cold weather, "Mo Yi, I calculated with my fingers, and you will have a romantic encounter today. Give me two taels of silver, and I will ward off the bad luck for you—"

call out--

The gravel hit the door and missed.

The bald monk who claimed to be a Taoist priest disappeared, leaving only a mumbling voice in the air, "Since you only come back two or three times a year, otherwise I will make you do the monkey dance! You little brat is so ruthless, you hit me as you say? Old Xu, someone here is asking for trouble!"

Step over the threshold, walk along the bluestone path, bypass the bamboo pavilion in the front yard, pass through the hanging flower archway, and enter the backyard.

The stained glass window in the study on the left was half open, letting in a faint yellow candlelight.

"My master is waiting for you inside, please come in." Mo Yi stopped at the doorway of the study, made a gesture of invitation, and then left.

Just walk up two stone steps and four more steps, and you will reach the door of the study.

You can see the people waiting inside.

Yan Changhuai couldn't lift his feet.

He clenched his fingers tightly, took several deep breaths, then lowered his eyes, strode over the stairs and went straight to the study.

The candlelight suddenly came into view, accompanied by the jumping flames on the desk, and I could hear the swaying sound of the candlelight.

The handsome man sitting behind the desk raised his eyes and looked at him. When he saw his face clearly, he seemed to be stunned for a moment, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "Are you Ah Cang?"

The clear voice, gentle tone, and unhurried pace are just the same as before.

I don't know why, even though I hate him, I still can't help feeling upset when I hear him speak again. A sense of grievance that I don't want to admit grows in my heart.

Yan Changhuai quickly lowered his eyes, walked to the desk, looked at the man again, and nodded indifferently.

"Sit down." Yan Changqing pushed the paper, pen and ink that he had prepared over to him. "I heard from Bai Xiang that you have a mute disease and it has not been cured yet. It's a pity that I can't talk to you directly."

Yan Changhuai sat down as he was told. A hint of doubt flashed across his eyes, and even the way he looked at the man was a little suspicious.

Logically, this should be the "first time" they met, but Yan Changqing's tone of voice seemed too familiar.

Why?

Does he speak to everyone in this familiar tone?

Or...did he recognize me?

Suppressing his suspicion, Yan Changhuai observed the other person calmly, not noticing that the corners of his mouth were too tight, his lips were almost in a straight line, and even his back was unconsciously tense.

"I asked you to come here because I want to learn more about my second brother. Can you tell me what his condition was like when you saw him? Why was he in Buliu City? How did he get there? What happened to him?"

Before Yan Changhuai could think deeply, a series of questions were thrown at him from the other side.

There are so many questions. If he were to answer them all carefully, the papers on the table might not be enough.

Staring at the man who was asking the question for a moment, Yan Changhuai picked up the pen and hesitated for a long time before writing a few words on the paper - trafficking, and he didn't know the rest.

After I finished writing, there was no sound from the other side.

Yan Changhuai frowned and looked up.

But he saw the young man staring at the words he wrote, with red eyes.

"!!!" Yan Changhuai's heart was shocked and he immediately went to look at what he had written.

After reading it, I felt unsure and turned to look at the man's expression.

What kind of expression is this?

Is there a flaw in his handwriting?

impossible!

He had deliberately changed his handwriting. Even if Yan Changqing had seen the handwriting he had written as a child, there was no way he could recognize him by his handwriting!

Yan Changqing couldn't even recognize him, let alone his handwriting!

"...Kidnapping?" Finally, the man opened his lips and uttered a word softly.

Yan Changhuai quietly released the tense strength in his shoulders and relaxed.

At the same time, a subtle sense of disappointment and loss flashed through my heart.

As expected... I can't recognize it at all.

"You have seen him. Were you abducted with him? Or are you a native of Buliu City?" the person on the other side asked again.

Yan Changhuai looked at him coldly, threw down his pen and didn't answer.

He was totally unaware that his behavior was like that of a child throwing a tantrum.

The redness at the corners of Yan Changqing's eyes had faded, but the smile on his face was still there, with a hint of apology, "I'm sorry, this is your privacy, I shouldn't have asked. It's just that I have been looking for my second brother for ten years without success, and suddenly I learned that someone had seen him, so I was inevitably a little excited and overstepped my bounds. If you don't want to talk about your private affairs, I won't ask. Let me ask you another question, have you lived in the Outer Realm these years? Not staying in the city?"

Yan Changhuai frowned and nodded reluctantly.

"So you are very familiar with Buliu City. I have a request. I want to go to the outer land to look for my second brother. I would like to ask you to accompany me and be my guide. Is that okay?"

"..."

Suspicion resurfaced in Yan Changhuai's eyes, and his gaze moved back and forth across the smiling young man's face.

There is a sense of crisis that there is a hole dug ahead.

Yan Changqing asked him to lead the way? Is it that simple?

What on earth does he want to do?