incomprehensible

The charcoal in the smoker was burning vigorously, and the whole study room felt warm, but Chu Changyue only felt a chill from the inside out.

He forced a smile, and said without confidence: "Your Majesty gave you the Northwest Frontier Army, how could you suspect that you want to fight for reserves?"

Ye Xuehuan shook his head and said, "It's not that he's afraid that I'll fight, he's afraid that I won't fight."

Chu Changyue frowned.

"Everyone commented that Emperor Father is the most soft-tempered monarch since the establishment of the Chongyang Dynasty, and he is the most laissez-faire to the three families of Chu, Liu and Nangong, but who knows what his intentions are?"

Ye Xuehuan's voice was soft, but the words he uttered were shocking, "Back then, he let his mother stand on the cusp of the storm, carrying Liu's and Nangong's families alone, and withstood so much criticism and pressure for him; when his mother died, he turned his head So he appointed Brother Da Huang as the reserve. Why? Because Brother Da Huang couldn't afford this position the most. In the paper, Brother Er Huang was the well-deserved chief of the Taixue Academy; He can even break his leg. The father gave the throne to the elder brother, the queen to concubine Yamu, and gave me the military power in the Northwest, so that everyone can compete."

Chu Zhangyue said with difficulty: "You mean, Your Majesty wants the three families to contain each other to achieve balance?"

"No. What he wants is to consume each other to weaken them."

Ye Xuehuan caressed the finger on his hand, his tone could not detect emotion, "In the past, the monarchs of all dynasties have strictly guarded against the three families, and no one has the background of these three families, but only the father put the reserve position as a bait. .There is only one throne, to fight or not to fight? Knowing that it is a fisherman's game, everyone does not fight, and the father has nothing to do. But the question is, who can guarantee that others will not fight? If you spend a lot of money, even if you put your own prince on the throne, do you think you can get it right?"

He glanced at Chu Changyue, and said with a sneer, "To put it bluntly, even if my uncle tried his best to put me on the throne, my surname is Ye Xue, not Chu. How much does he expect me to do for the Chu family?" ? Big brother now relies on the Liu family, if he really sits on the throne in the future, can he tolerate the Liu family climbing over him?"

"Father has calculated every step of the game clearly. He used his own strength to fight, and stood outside the dispute and watched the wind and waves with a smile. Among the kings of the Chongyang Dynasty, he is the smartest."

Chu Changyue remained silent for a while before he said, "So, do you want to fight too?"

Ye Xuehuan glanced at him, shook his head and said: "It doesn't matter whether I want to fight or not, the important thing is that I must let everyone think that I want to fight. If the emperor thinks that I don't want to fight, how can I let me support myself in the northwest? Uncle If you feel that I don't want to fight, why don't I harm Si Xing? As long as I show that I don't want to fight, can I still survive in this imperial power dispute? I was keeping a low profile and preparing to accumulate a lot of money. However, my uncle didn't understand that, eager for quick success, he insisted on me writing the word "struggle for succession" on my face, lest my father wouldn't see that I was perfunctory to him."

"The more he builds up momentum for me, the more my father feels guilty. He is afraid that I will lose my temper in the northwest and won't go back to the imperial city. Then why can the old man talk about this? It must be the father who gave me a lot of money. He hinted, and maybe even showed some signs of reform, asking him to 'whip' me and 'urge' me. So when he saw my words and deeds, he hurriedly scolded me, for fear that I would spoil the royal family. Heart. Let the old man go back to Danlu tomorrow, so that the godfather knows, I have received his beating."

He looked at Chu Changyue again, and sighed: "Uncle is a hero for the first time, but he is always obsessed with it too much. You don't have to talk to him, just tell him about Jiang Yushi's coming to me, saying that I was beaten by my father." Suspicion, let him stop and stop."

Chu Changyue's expression was complicated, he hesitated to speak several times, but finally held back and went back to his residence to send a letter.

Ye Xuehuan rubbed the aching eyebrows, feeling extremely irritable.He really didn't have much thought about the throne, but he couldn't control many things.It's like a cricket in a porcelain jar. If you don't fight, someone will poke your ass with a straw pole.On the one hand, we must prevent the crickets in front of us from biting us, and on the other hand, we must avoid being poked by the grass poles behind us.

"...Your Highness." Lan Qi was beside him, and he had been silent before, but now he suddenly asked, "Your Highness, do you want to fight?"

Ye Xuehuan looked at the warm yellow candles reflected in his almond eyes, and asked, "So what if I want to fight, so what if I don't want to fight?"

Lan Qi also looked at him, and said seriously: "Your Highness wants to fight, I will help His Highness open up the way forward; His Highness does not want to fight, I will help His Highness clear the way."

Ye Xuehuan couldn't help laughing, for some reason he could speak so arrogantly and confidently.

He pulled Lan Qi into his arms, hugged him from behind, and whispered in his ear: "You have talent, but you can't control this kind of thing alone. I don't need you to work so hard for me. From the beginning, the relationship between you and me is that I protect you. You have done a lot for me, and you have not paid much rewards, and you want to rush to make meritorious deeds. What, you want to squeeze me dry? Huh? "

Lan Qi froze, not understanding why no matter how serious the topic was, it would end up in that direction.It was rumored in the outside world that the third prince was cruel and ruthless, so why was he always full of nasty words in front of him.

Ye Xuehuan teased him again, feeling a little pissed off, pointing to the account in his hand, and said with a smile: "Okay, I won't tease you anymore. Tell me about your progress."

Lan prayed, and spread out the bound account book in front of Ye Xuehuan.

The entire accounting book is thick or thin, but it is not thin. Each page in it has five columns neatly listed. The first column is the date. The earliest one is five years ago, and the most recent is last October. The interval between them is basically about two or three months, which is very regular. It can be seen that the transaction was indeed started after Hongji came to Luanyang, and it has been going on till now.

The second column is all place names, and most of them are towns in the south, especially in the southwest.The third column is the content that Lan Qi failed to decipher, and he still copied it intact in code words.The fourth column is a number, ranging from three to six.The fifth column is a three-digit number, which is repeated a lot in the accounts, appearing back and forth.

"This account is not a normal accounting method, it looks very strange." Lan Qi pointed to the undeciphered content in the third column, and said softly, "These should be trading items, but only the code word in this column There is no pattern, and I really can't decipher it. As for the numbers in the last two columns, the transaction quantity or price, it seems that they don't quite match. I don't know if my translation is wrong, but I have tried my best."

Ye Xuehuan remained silent, went through the entire account from the beginning to the end, and suddenly said: "It's the population."

Lan Qi was taken aback: "What?"

"Their trade item is the population." Ye Xuehuan raised his hand and scratched through the columns one by one, "Look, this is the place of birth, and these are the names of people, so there is no pattern, you can't translate them. This small number is the age, as for the last number, there are only a few repeated, it is probably the name of the trafficker who handled it."

No matter how calm Lan Qi was, he couldn't help but gasped, and exclaimed in a low voice, "So...for the past five years, the Liu family has been giving blood to Skylark...?"

Ye Xuehuan fumbled through the accounts in his hand, narrowing his phoenix eyes slightly, "Just a rough look, the number of people is definitely over four hundred. Does Skylark need so many people?"

Lan Qi bit her lower lip, shook her head, and said, "The selection within Skylark is very strict, and if you fail to pass, you will die. Less than one-twentieth of the trainees can become full-fledged members. As far as I know, the speed of personnel replenishment is I'm afraid that here... is not the only source."

Ye Xuehuan sneered when he heard the words: "Look at this account, the oldest is only six years old, and the youngest probably doesn't remember anything at all; the Liu family has been sending the children in my center to be slaughtered by Yunque. "

Lan Qi couldn't accept it, and murmured: "But so many children are missing, how can no one notice?"

"Because in this world, there are not so many family ties." Ye Xuehuan lowered his eyes slightly, and his tone was a little cold, "Prostitutes and servants, mountain women and village women, there are so many that they don't take their own flesh and blood seriously, and are even very serious. People who are willing to exchange children for money. If they can’t even support themselves, who cares about future generations? A small life is sometimes worth less than a white flour steamed bun. Since it’s being handled by traffickers, it’s natural to know where to get people the most Insurance."

"..."

Lan Qi shrank his shoulders, and couldn't help but leaned into the embrace behind him, the body temperature stuck together couldn't dispel the sudden coolness in his heart.

There are so many children who were sent to Skylark, each of them seemed to be himself back then; in the day after day of training, the number of people in the same period can be noticed every day is decreasing, but there is no room for mourning for others.He has a mission that must be fulfilled and a reason to live, so in his opinion, there is no partner in Lark, and everyone is an obstacle to his survival. Every one less, the hope is greater.

Back then, it was clear that he survived indifferently like this, stepping on the corpses of the same period and struggling to climb up; now, looking back from the distance, when he climbed to the golden-eyed high position, there were already dense white bones behind him, how could he not It's chilling.

For all of this, he didn't feel guilty or regretted, but he suddenly felt some sense of loss and uneasiness—is such a dirty and despicable self really qualified to seek protection and warmth in the embrace behind him with peace of mind?

Ye Xuehuan felt his small movements, knew that he probably remembered his own life experience, so he didn't say much, just kissed the corner of his eyes as if comforting, and asked: "How did you get into the territory of Chongyang before?"

Lan Qi didn't realize it for a moment, but he still replied truthfully: "Mixed in the spice merchant's cavalry, from Yunshui Pass..."

Before he finished speaking, he understood what Ye Xuehuan meant.

"now it's right."

Ye Xuehuan let out a sigh of relief, "Spices and medicinal materials are one of the few things that are allowed by the imperial court to trade with Yiguo. Chongyang does not exchange goods with Yiguo, it is basically money trading, so Chongyang's merchants The team set off for Yiguo with empty vehicles, and entered and exited through Yunshuiguan on the southwest border. When they left, they were all empty vehicles, and the inspection was not very strict. With Zhao Ying's assistance, there was almost no obstacle for them to transport people to Yiguo And Luanyang is the first distribution point on this commercial road. Hongji chose to lurk in Luanyang, which should be the reason. Since she runs a restaurant, she needs spices and medicinal materials for cooking and wine, and she has a perfect cover The Liu family also didn't want the skylark to stretch its hands too far, so they prepared the trade items by themselves; and these abducted children would first inspect the goods in Hongji's hands, and then send them out in a team disguised as medicinal materials or spice merchants. "

He sneered and said: "According to the central law, only slaves can be bought and sold, and they must be handled through the local yamen, and then filed with the household department. Smuggling people is a serious crime, but as I said earlier, many times the buyer and seller If you like me, the imperial court can do nothing. Judging from the accounts, these children are almost all concentrated in Shangtai County, the border area, and the situation of smuggling people is so serious. Such a large number is enough to sentence Zhao Yingman. Copying and killing, not to mention selling it to other countries. It is really worthy of the Liu family. Even after more than a hundred years, they still can’t change their eating shit. Even me, Zhongyang, is thinking about selling it!"

Lan Qi pursed the corners of her lips, with a dignified expression, "The Liu family did not hesitate to smuggle people from Chongyang territory to support Skylark. What exactly do they want from them?"

Ye Xuehuan was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice: "I probably have some guesses. I'm afraid that the so-called rebellion before your eyes may also be related to this."

Lan Qi looked at him sideways, and there was neither anger nor coldness in those glazed phoenix eyes, but a deep pain and struggle.The city of Youling is obviously prosperous and prosperous, but in more corners that he can't see, there are so many people who are willing to sell their children for money and livelihood.No matter how high or low these children are, they are all citizens of Zhongyang, but if they want to become the tools of other countries' spy organizations, they can't control their own life or death.

And this kind of insane thing was actually done by an important minister in the court; as a prince, how could he not feel sad.

Lan Qi tugged at his sleeve, "How does Your Highness plan to deal with it?"

Ye Xuehuan pondered and said: "The accounts originally had the signatures of both parties, but no one can recognize the signature of the skylark, and acting rashly will only expose you. Zhao Ying's crime is easy to convict, but Hongling is hard to catch. She If you dare to open a restaurant in Chongyang, your family background must have been cleaned up, and it will be useless to take her alone. It is better to start with this population case, and it is best to bring out the entire transaction chain."

Lan Qi said: "She should have the seal of Skylark on her body. If you can find this seal and prove that she is inseparable from this account, you can be convicted. But whether it is Hongling or Zhao Ying, it is very difficult to get rid of it." The Liu family got involved."

Ye Xuehuan sighed: "The Liu family has a century-old foundation, how can I catch it so easily. If I can take down Guixinlou and Zhao Ying this time, and cut down their minions, it will be considered my victory."

After a pause, he said again: "Guixinlou is also a stubborn stubble, I'm afraid it will be very difficult to wait for her to show her flaws. If you really can't get her criminal evidence... Lan'er, I need you to be the bait to attract She took the initiative to expose."

Lan Qi looked at him and nodded without hesitation: "Okay."

Ye Xuehuan saw that he answered so resolutely, her eyes darkened, she folded her arms, hugged him tightly to her chest, and said in a low voice: "Unless it is absolutely necessary, I will never let you take risks."

"I am willing to share the worries for Your Highness." Lan Qi relaxed her body, gently rubbing her cheek against his neck, and said with a little arrogance and pride in her tone, "After all, there are some things that only I can do for Your Highness."

Ye Xuehuan sighed softly, pecked lightly on his lips, and pressed her chin against his side face, not wanting him to see her expression at the moment.

There are some things that he can't discuss with Lan Qi in detail, but if it's really what he thinks, the Liu family's scheme will almost involve Guo Zuo, and it's definitely not as simple as targeting him alone.Lan Qi agreed decisively, but he didn't know the danger; if he really wanted to go that far, he didn't even have the confidence to protect this little thing.

Lan Qi discovered Hong Ji's identity, the transaction accounts were found by Lan Qi, and even the code words were translated by Lan Qi. It is not an exaggeration to say that Lan Qi revealed the whole conspiracy for him.If Lan Qi had to be hurt because of this in the end, how could he be embarrassed.

Although he has been in the Northwest for a long time, he has never left the power struggle center. He is not afraid of power struggles. He can even be said to be very good at them. He occasionally enjoys the feeling of turning clouds and rain between palms, but he will eventually get bored.If you take one step, you need to count ten or even a hundred steps forward. No one can guarantee that you will never make mistakes, let alone that you will be able to pay the price of making mistakes.

He once longed for the throne, and later he yearned for the kingship of the frontier, which does not care about court affairs and has its own world like the North and the South; but now looking at the accounts at hand, thinking about the filth and sin under the glamor, he realizes that he might Can never stand outside the affairs of the court.As long as this center is still under Ye Xue's world, as long as his surname is Ye Xue, he will always be caught in all kinds of whirlpools.No matter how hard you fight, the ideal life may never come.

——Although the old man was full of nonsense, he said one sentence correctly; there are some people in this world who are destined not to be happy and do whatever they want.

But even so, he still has something that he doesn't want to let go of anyway, even if he still has to make some compromises to reality, at least let reality make some concessions to him.

"... Lan'er." He took Lan Qi's shoulder and rubbed it tightly into his chest, his voice was a little hoarse, "After the southern tour, follow me back to the northwest."

Lan Qi was a little dazed, and didn't understand why he suddenly said this, but he still responded in a low voice.

"If this time goes well and cleans up the Liu family and Yunque, I will credit you with merit and grant you military status. You are so outstanding, the army will definitely recognize you, and no one will make irresponsible remarks about you." Ye Xuehuan Caressing his back, murmured, "Stay by my side, accompany me to rule the army and kill the enemy, defend the land and open up the frontier."

Lan Qi put his arms around the back of his neck and said softly, "Okay."

"Don't answer so fast, think it over and tell me." Ye Xuehuan leaned into his ear, her deep voice was stronger and firmer than ever, "If you nod your head, I won't allow you to go back on your word .Where I am in the future, you will be there, and you will never escape."

Without any hesitation, Lan Qi lowered his voice even more firmly: "I won't go back on my word."

"...Little fool." Ye Xuehuan sighed lightly, "You know very well..."

"Well, I know." Lan Qi replied lightly, "So I don't want to go to the army, as it is now...it's fine."

Of course he knew what Ye Xuehuan wanted to say.Even if it wasn't for such a fake show to be true, their relationship is already well known.Ye Xuehuan is a prince after all, just as Jiang Yushi said, he still wants to spread his branches and leaves for the royal family.Now that he can resist the pressure and find all kinds of excuses to delay the marriage, it is nothing but the emperor's indulgence.People of the royal family may be able to have a long relationship, but it is difficult to be single-minded.Once he gets married, Lan Qi's status will be even more embarrassing and his situation will be even more difficult.

So Ye Xuehuan wanted to take him to the army, even if he couldn't go into battle to kill the enemy, at least he could make suggestions and gain a firm foothold with his mind.Even if the fact that he once served the third prince cannot be changed, at least let others understand that the third prince is not just interested in his body, at least give him the respect he deserves.

However, Lan Qi would rather stay by his side as a male favorite.Ye Xuehuan is also very clear that if he does not deal with the problem of Lark, he will never be able to stand in front of others; so he would rather be a shadow behind him, no matter how much he pays for himself and how much credit he makes, there will be no other people know.

The asking and giving between them can never be equal.

"You..." Ye Xuehuan laughed softly, "It doesn't matter if you don't go to the army, I don't want you to suffer so much. I will take you to hunt in the meadow, watch the sunrise on the Gobi Mountains, or Soak in the hot springs and watch the stars in the snow-capped mountains of Beiling. Well, let me try the best fairy drunk in the Northwest..."

Lan Qi categorically said: "Don't drink."

Ye Xuehuan smiled and said, "That's up to you."

Lan Qi began to struggle, while Ye Xuehuan was holding him down, while still eloquently saying: "You should practice only if you have a poor capacity for alcohol, otherwise it will always be a weakness."

Lan Qi retorted: "Then His Highness should also eat more sour plums, fear of sourness is also a weakness."

As he said that, he was about to reach out to grab the plate of sour plums on the desk.Ye Xuehuan pressed him down, and said with a low smile: "You have such a small mouth, it's cuter not to talk."

Just as he was about to grab him and kiss him again, a servant outside the door suddenly reported that Wen Luo had sent a decoction and asked Lan Qi to take it before going to bed.

A bowl of light brown decoction was placed on the table, Lan Qi looked very reluctant, took it up and put it under his nose to smell it, scooped some with a silver spoon, but didn't put it in his mouth, only slightly touched it with his lips. Take a sip.

Seeing his cautious appearance, Ye Xuehuan couldn't help teasing again: "You don't have to, Wen Luo is a trustworthy person, and won't prescribe abortion pills for you."

"..."

Lan Qi turned a deaf ear and drank it down like a puff.It's not that he has any doubts about Wen Luo, it's just that the imperial physician's words at the time were too ambiguous. If the medicine is really just for nourishing qi and blood, that's all. .Being stuffed with tonics on the second day after eating meat, it doesn't look like a good thing.

As the night was dark, the servant prepared the bath, and Ye Xuehuan took Lan Qi to wash up.

Taking a bath together sounds quite charming, and Lan Qi felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn't really resist; on the contrary, Ye Xuehuan was absent-minded, thinking about how to deal with Hongji.Lan Qi was lying on the edge of the bath, also thinking about the cooperation between Liu's family and Skylark.

——Ye Xuehuan said that it might be related to the rebellion in Jingbu, that is to say, the Liu family probably participated in the change of kingship in Yi Kingdom.

Throughout the process of the Liu family's fortune, it is indeed not glorious, but they have always been accurate in the choice and grasp of critical timing.The Liu family, who is so knowledgeable about current affairs, is now an important minister in the central court, and the head of the family, Liu Ting, worships the right minister, and he is already a position below one person; Let the Liu family be so greedy that they don't hesitate to risk treason to get it?

Lan Qi was engrossed in his thoughts, while Ye Xuehuan on the other side thought about it for a while, and still felt that with his current resources and manpower in the southern border, he was still not [-]% sure that he would have to use Lan Qi in the end, and his mood became more and more anxious. .Inadvertently glanced at Lan Qi, seeing the snow-white back and the red marks still left on it, he couldn't move his eyes away.

——Since you can’t predict the future, why not enjoy the present.

Lan Qi heard the sound of water, and when he turned around, he was hugged around the waist, and the kiss was suppressed without warning.

Ye Xuehuan kissed a little fiercely and impatiently, twisting his soft tongue tightly, as if eager to confirm and prove something.Even the base of Lan Qi's tongue was numb, and he was dazed by the kiss. Suddenly, his back tightened, and his feet lightened, and he was lifted out of the water, and gently placed on the edge of the bath to sit down.Ye Xuehuan stood in the water, supported his back, and kissed him to the side of his neck, leaving a red mark.

The wet skin was suddenly separated from the hot water, and it was already shivering from the cold, and the slight pain on the neck intensified the irritation. Lan Qi's nose itched for no reason, and he sneezed next to Ye Xuehuan's ear.

Ye Xuehuan paused for a moment, and laughed softly.Lan Qi felt quite embarrassed, since he was willing to take a bath together, this kind of thing was expected; sneezing when the atmosphere was thick, it was really too boring.

"I was impatient." Ye Xuehuan carried him back into the hot water, "It's time to go back to the room and love you again."

Lan Qi couldn't help but blushed, but he didn't express any objection.Ye Xuehuan poured hot water on his shoulders and neck, until his cool body was re-heated, and his skin was pink all over, then he carried him back to the bedroom contentedly.

Perhaps the decoction Wen Luo prescribed was somewhat calming, or maybe it was because he had spent too much time on that book, and his body soaked in hot water began to feel sleepy uncontrollably, and when Ye Xuehuan hugged him Bed, Lan Qi was already drowsy.

Seeing his tired face, Ye Xuehuan couldn't bear to make him work any more, kissed his forehead, and said with a smile: "Seeing that you are so tired, I didn't say it earlier. I won't do anything tonight, I just hug you to sleep ,OK?"

What kind of favor is it for a prince to concede to such an extent on the bed.Lan Qi hummed, thanking him for his thoughtfulness, and obediently wrapped him in the bed with him.

Although it was not the first time, I was so delirious the night before that I didn't realize how amazing it is to sleep with someone on the same pillow.The candles were extinguished, the bed curtains were put down, and we couldn't see each other in the dark, but we could feel each other's existence more than ever.With a warm chest behind him, strong arms in front of him, and steady breathing in his ears, he was surrounded by an unprecedented sense of stability and satisfaction, as if this was his destined final destination.

"It turns out that Lan'er likes me to hug you like this." Ye Xuehuan smiled lowly in his ear, bent her knees and pressed against the tip of his buttocks, and touched his clothes with one hand, "Do you know that this position is dangerous? "

Lan Qi shrank into his arms behind him as if dodging, and murmured as if begging for mercy: "Your Highness..."

He couldn't see his reaction in the darkness, but Ye Xuehuan knew very well that the little thing must be turning red right now.Although I wanted to grab him and have a good taste, but I didn't want him to be burdened and wronged, so I pulled out my hand, smoothed his hair, and stroked him gently from the forehead to the back, "Good boy, sleep Bar."

Lan Qi was tired and sleepy, and slowly relaxed under such gentle touch, the drowsiness was so overwhelming that he soon fell into a deep sleep, and his breathing gradually became longer.

Ye Xuehuan didn't expect him to fall asleep so quickly, and those latent vigilance and alertness disappeared, so he couldn't help being a little funny.He had only been favored by him last night, and this morning he spied on the governor's mansion, went out to meet Mo Ran, and even translated the entire account when he came back, so he must be exhausted.

He knew that Lan Qi was somewhat deliberate. Although he had a physical relationship, this proud little thing must not want to be a simple male favorite, so he was eager to show his excellence.

——After all, he has not completely trusted himself, and he is not willing to give himself completely to him.

Ye Xuehuan hugged the small body in his arms even tighter, and couldn't help but think in his heart that he had to be nicer to him.

--------------------

Next Chapter Tunnel Warning!