C215

"He intentionally avoided Hao Yun, it can't be …" He silently walked a distance and saw that King Huanghun had stopped under the Plum Blossom Tree. Zhao Qingyan asked hesitantly. Rather than saying that he was hesitating, it would be more accurate to say that he had guessed something, yet he could not believe it.

Duke Huan nodded his head silently, "Three people were taken, all of them implicated in the case of Ran Qingru that year. However, he has not left. "

A trace of astonishment flashed through Zhao Qingyan's eyes. His eyes returned to the bottomless pit as he said, "As expected."

Duke Huan's expression turned serious, "Do you know anything about this matter?"

Zhao Qingyan asked, "Thirteenth Uncle, do you want to hear the truth?"

Duke Huan took a deep breath and nodded, "No matter what your answer is, I won't tell anyone else."

Zhao Qingyan looked at the plum blossoms that bloomed perfectly on the branches. Her eyes turned light gray under the illumination of the sunlight. "It's not like I don't know it at all."

Duke Huan suddenly frowned, "You …"

"Their surname is Ran, and my surname is Zhao." Zhao Qingyan spoke lightly. Her not loud voice easily overshadowed his shocked question, "I can never ignore their life and death, but I can't forget who I am either."

Duke Huan slowly let out a breath of impure air and regained his composure. "You know, I have no intention of interrogating you."

Zhao Qingyan shook his head. "I know that Thirteenth Uncle won't question me, but I myself don't know which side I should be on this time. How much energy do I have to protect others when I can't take care of myself? "

Prince Huan slightly choked and could only pretend that he did not understand the meaning behind the latter part of his sentence. "Tell me first. How much do you know about this matter?"

Zhao Qingyan did not mind that he had ignored a part of her words. She followed his question and spoke slowly, "Half a year ago, I took advantage of the night to leave for Bewitching Butterfly Town. I didn't go to Bewitching Butterfly Town to meet Jiang Wuyan, but to meet other people. Some... An innocent person who was implicated because of an injustice. They clearly did not do anything wrong, but they could only hide and hide, evading the pursuit of the imperial government, fleeing for their lives. "

Prince Huan was silent.

Zhao Qingyan narrowed his eyes, "Ran Sang Tong has already taken on a few lives. After so many years, no one will ever capture them again." However, this injustice could no longer be reversed. I promised Hao a long time ago that I would let his master go unscathed. "

Duke Huai frowned, "But what does this have to do with their prison break?"

Zhao Qingyan turned to look at him. "Thirteenth Uncle doesn't know?" From the day I received news of the amnesty, I had written many reports requesting Imperial Uncle to remove four people from the amnesty list, but Imperial Uncle did not agree. "

For a moment, Prince Huan didn't know whether to laugh or be angry. With Zhao Qingyan's intelligence, he should be very clear that Ren Zong would not agree to pardon him. However, he did do this kind of stupid thing, and it was "a lot" of times.

Zhao Qingyan's eyes were very calm. "I want to see just how important it is to the royal uncle to behead the people for the crime of killing a few innocent people, and to the remaining people who are classified as accomplices without removing any suspicions. It was so important that he did not hesitate to send troops from the capital to search and arrest them. It was so important that they could travel thousands of miles all the way from the West Lake to the capital, and that they could spend ten years in the Celestial Prison. It's so important that I've requested a few letters from them and I'm not willing to let them off. "

Prince Huan's gaze focused slightly, as if he had realized what he was about to say.

"I have nothing to do with their prison break." Zhao Qingyan turned back and continued to look at the branch. "I only guessed that they would not let go of this opportunity. However, I didn't figure out what they were going to do until I fell into the water."

Duke Huan laughed bitterly, "But I have to say, your fall into the water successfully held us back for a long time."

"Indeed. That's about all I can get for them. " Zhao Qingyan did not refute and admitted it frankly, "Ten years of not seeing the light of day is truly very painful. Apart from Ran Shou, the rest of them have not seen a single ray of sunlight for a whole ten years. "

Duke Huan looked at him in the eyes and knew who he was thinking of. After a moment of silence, he said, "Actually, none of them were wrong."

Zhao Qingyan smiled gently without a trace of happiness in his eyes, "If there is a mistake, it must be because of this chaotic world that no one wants to kill me."

Prince Huan was unable to respond. He could only ask, "Do you know why Ran Shicheng didn't leave?"

Zhao Qingyan thought about it for a while, then answered, "It's probably because he's gone, so there's no way to stand up for Ran."

"A wanderer can return home, but a person with grievances can obtain snow." Prince Huan suddenly let out a soft moan and looked fixedly at Zhao Qingyan. "You purposely said that for Imperial Brother's ears."

Zhao Qingyan did not deny it. "I did not understand it before, nor did I understand it. But now, I know. The death of Ran Tingxiao and Qingfeng was something that Imperial Uncle should know. Perhaps, within the Manchu Clan, or perhaps some other people, their deaths, their deaths, all of them will be tied to Uncle Huang. "

His dark eyes did not have much of an expression, but when he was looked at with such a gaze, Prince Huan could only avert his gaze, "They are a force of the martial arts world. Why would the imperial government want to implicate them?"

Zhao Qingyan's voice was light and straightforward, "I don't know. But Bao Zheng's death, the death of the maid in my residence, is too strange. The imperial court ordered officials, the prince's mansion, and even the palace's records of medicinal ingredients. Was this something that the Puppet Palace, a force of the martial arts world, could do? Perhaps, even my desire to kill the Puppet Palace was predicted by my royal uncle. After all, that was the home of Weeping Lu and Tears of Blood. Even if Weeping Lu didn't say anything, I still wouldn't be able to harden my heart to attack the Puppet Palace. "

Prince Huan furrowed his brows and forced himself to remain calm, but his words were inevitably pale. "Mo'er, don't think random thoughts. Your royal brother treats you like his own, so why would he harm you?"

Zhao Qingyan chuckled, "He won't harm me, I know. However, as the son of heaven, how could he allow the martial world to disobey him? It was only in these few days that I understood why my Uncle, who loved me so dearly, slaughtered the Manchu Mansion in front of my eyes. Royal Uncle … "Actually, it's just to keep me away from the martial arts world."

Prince Huan asked, "Can't you just keep your heart in the imperial government?"

Zhao Qingyan seemed to be startled for a moment. Then, she lowered her head and did not answer.

"Mo'er!" Prince Huan's tone was even more serious, and he felt a bit of heartache.

Zhao Qingyan pursed his lips, his pale face turned almost transparent. "Alright, I understand."

She had not expected him to agree so easily, so easily that she did not understand what he meant. "What did you say?"

Zhao Qingyan's voice was still very soft, "I said, I got it …" I know what I should do. "

Duke Huan reached out and grabbed his shoulder, staring into his eyes with all his might, wanting to find some sort of item within, such as a perfunctory act or an unwillingness.

But no.

"I feel like I've always been very obedient, right?" After a while, when the strength of Duke Huan's fingers had decreased by a bit, Zhao Qingyan slowly spoke, "For example, practice the zither, memorize books, practice martial arts, or …" My legs. I have never defied a single one of these rules. "

Duke Huan was speechless. As he had said, from the moment he was born, he could do whatever he wanted within the limits of his elders' permission. He had never dared to take even half a step outside of the bounds of his elders' permission.

It was just that it had been too long since he saw him give up so decisively.

Ten-odd years of investigation and resentment had suppressed all these thoughts just because of a simple "not allowed".

For a moment, he really didn't know what to say.

Zhao Qingyan gently pulled his hand away from his shoulder. She extended her hand and broke off the branch that she had been staring at for a long time. She then lowered her head and sized it up, "I have never had the right to choose."

Duke Huan forced out a smile that was not too ugly, "Didn't you wish to be a idle prince who did not need to care about anything? Isn't that good? "

Zhao Qingyan smiled. The bright red plum blossoms painted his beautiful eyes with astonishing beauty. "Yes, very good. "Because the people you want me to become, are people like that."

Once again, Duke Huan was unable to answer.

Even the young prince, who was in a worse mood, would not be overbearing. Therefore, he only pinched a petal and crushed it at the tip of his finger before looking up at the sky. "Hao, you should wake up soon. I will go see Ran Tsai and explain everything."

Prince Huan looked at him as he silently endured everything before making concessions, but he was powerless. "Then I'll have to trouble you."

"It doesn't matter, it's just something I should do."

Duke Huan pursed his lips, "I know, I've troubled you."

Zhao Qingyan seemed to be stunned, "You're making things difficult for me? Why? Three years ago, I was the one who sent Ran into prison. Me or him. For the sake of the grievances of Zhao Xue, they had to make this choice. I've only delayed you so that those who have nothing to do with you can leave, that's all. "

Duke Huan was a little surprised. "You predicted that he wouldn't flee, right?"

Zhao Qingyan thought for a moment and nodded lightly: "After being locked up for so long, the only person that royal uncle really wants to lock up is me. If he were to run away, no matter who it was, it would be the dumbest and most selfish choice. He, was not such a person. "But there will always be a moment when I wish that he would leave with us …"

Seeing the desolation in his eyes, Duke Huan sighed, "Although I don't know why Imperial Brother would do this, I think he must have his own difficulties. In the future, he would have the opportunity to help Ran Shu Tong clear his grievances. At that time, you would also regain your freedom, right? "

Zhao Qingyan said simply, "I hope so." He placed the flower in front of him and sniffed it lightly. The tiredness in his eyes slowly deepened. "I'm a bit tired. If there's nothing urgent, I'd like to rest first."

Duke Huan nodded his head, "There's nothing important to do today. If you're tired, then take a rest."

Zhao Qingyan said, "Imperial Brother, Thirteenth Uncle, help me confess my crimes. I'll go see Imperial Brother tomorrow."

"Speaking of which." Prince Huan frowned again. "We haven't caught the person who destroyed the appendix yet. Most of the imperial guards who weren't on duty have already sent out the city to arrest the fugitives. They don't have the energy to search the palace."

Zhao Qingyan was stunned and murmured, "I don't have the energy to search …"

Duke Huan nodded and added, "Even the number of palace guards who patrol the palace everyday has decreased by half. Tonight, the south gate will probably be unguarded for less than an hour. "

Zhao Qingyan pursed his lips. "Thank you, Thirteenth Uncle …" Before he could finish, a familiar warmth covered his head.

Duke Huan rubbed his hair, "What's there to thank me for? I've said it before, no matter what you do, I'll always stand by your side. Moreover, I believe you won't do anything wrong."

Zhao Qingyan shook her head and did not say anything else.

Huan Wang said, "Go back and rest. It's cold outside." After that I stayed in the Privy Council and didn't come back. You decide what to do. " He wiped the snow off his hair and turned to leave.

Zhao Qingyan lowered her eyes. She knew that she wouldn't be able to see Prince Huan's back when she raised her eyes again. Thus, she walked towards her room.

— —

"Young Master!" Ran Hao had already sat up. Seeing the young master push open the door and enter, he quickly stood up.

Zhao Qingyan randomly found a place to place the Plum Blossom Branch in his hand and his gaze landed on the stove. "Miss Mu has sent some porridge over. It should be warm now. Do you want some?"

Ran Hao was startled, he lowered his eyes and said: "No."

Zhao Qingyan responded indifferently and ignored him. She went to remove the jar and poured the rice porridge into an empty teacup to taste it. The jar was in the lunchbox, steaming.

As if he had sensed that the young master was not as indifferent as he usually was, Ran Hao silently knelt on the ground, not daring to make a sound.

"What are you kneeling for? "Is typhoid cured?" Out of the corner of his eye, Zhao Qingyan caught a glimpse of his movements. He turned around and saw the pale-faced Ran Hao kneeling on the ground. He raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Get up and eat something first."

Ran Hao couldn't figure out what he meant, but he still didn't dare to get up.

Zhao Qingyan pushed the lunchbox to the side and sat down to drink his own porridge, "It's snowing outside. There's still some time until dinner. If you don't want to eat the congee, you can only wait until the Palace Mistress comes later to send you off for dinner. "

Ran Hao blankly stared at him for a long time, until he finished drinking the porridge in his teacup, and then asked: "Young Master, are you not angry anymore?"

Zhao Qingyan glanced at him. "Do I need to go berserk after such a long period of time?"

Ran Hao said in a low voice: "Young master, I was reckless."

"You're not being reckless. You don't want me to bow down to you like this." Zhao Qingyan brought the teapot over and poured some into the teacup with a clear look in her eyes.

Ran Hao said: "Since he will make a move on the young master, there will definitely be a second time. "If in the future..."

Zhao Qingyan raised a hand to signal for him not to say more, "Hao, I know what you're worried about, but I have no other choice. Besides, your criticism of your royal brother at that time was meaningless, and could only add to your brother's loathing of you. "

Ran Hao said: "I don't understand why young master has no other choice …"

"You don't need to understand now." Zhao Qing interrupted him calmly, "Wait a minute, I will tell you the reason why I did that. Until then, all you have to do is believe in my 'no choice', not because I'm weak or selfish. "

Ran Hao was flustered: "Young master, I have never thought of young master like this!"

Zhao Qingyan raised her hand. When she saw that he was not going to dodge, she suddenly smiled. He touched Ran Hao's forehead, felt the temperature and then retracted his hand, "What are you afraid of? Afraid that I'll hit you? "

Ran Hao was stunned for a moment. He wanted to deny it, but he didn't dare to lie.

When Zhao Qingyan saw the rice porridge mixed with tea in the teacup, he had no appetite and decided to put it aside. With a smile, he said, "Get up and drink the porridge. Otherwise, it'll get cold again."

Ran Hao was speechless: "Is that it?"

Zhao Qingyan laid down on the bed and closed his eyes, "Mm, let's do it like this. "And …"

Hearing the sound and opening his eyes, he saw Ran Hao who had already stood up. Because he was not done speaking, he kneeled down once again, and for a moment, Zhao Qing Yan did not know whether to laugh or feel helpless: "Also, next time do not risk your life to save me, and do not kneel down and beg for forgiveness."

Ran Hao was stunned and was about to say something, but Zhao Qingyan waved his hand and interrupted him: "Alright, you go ahead and drink the porridge. I will take a nap and wake me up in an hour."

Ran Hao could only agree. Looking at the young master who had closed his eyes again, he stood up gently and went to get some porridge.