C70

Jiang Wuyan drank a few mouthfuls of tea and asked casually, "Didn't you tell your father about the deal between the Empress and the Puppet Palace?"

Zhao Qingyan kept the smile on his face and said lightly, "There's no need. I can take care of it myself. Let them know as little as possible." Father would not want me to get involved with the forces of the martial arts world. "

Jiang Wuyan did some calculations, "Puppet Palace, Empress, and even a Xia Fan, you really have a lot of things to do."

Zhao Qingyan felt a headache coming on. "You're right. I really don't have the patience to accompany Xia Fan in his capture game. I really don't know why he is still holding on to me. "

"Right." Jiang Wuyan suddenly sat up straight and said, "A few days ago, I happened to see Xia Fan. Do you think he looks like an old friend?"

Zhao Qingyan did not ask who that "old friend" was. After a moment, he nodded his head and said, "He does look like one."

"But it seems like he doesn't remember the past at all."

Zhao Qingyan pinched the center of his brows, "I've tried to probe him out a few times. He has indeed forgotten a lot of things from the past, but he might not be completely unaware of them. I think this is probably the reason why he had to investigate the Cyan Robed Pirates. "

Jiang Wuyan asked, "Have you asked Chen Huayi?"

Zhao Qingyan shook his head, "I did ask, but he's only guessing now."

Jiang Wuyan frowned, and said slowly after a long while, "You shouldn't have left him in the palace. If he really is as you and I have guessed, he will not be able to hold the same position as Chen Huayi. "

Zhao Qingyan said, "But if Xia Fan is really his brother, how can I ignore him?"

Jiang Wuyan retorted, "Why can't I just ignore it? You have nothing to do with the Crippling Feather Sect, so naturally you have no reason to help them clean up the mess. If he continues to stay in the inner court, he will find out all the old scores sooner or later. "

Zhao Qingyan nodded slightly, "I understand. Let me think of something."

Jiang Wuyan asked, "Are you going to directly say that is not okay with you and Prince Huan? If it's you, then it shouldn't be a problem to exempt a guard from his duties, right? "

Zhao Qingyan shook his head and said, "It's not convenient right now. The matter of Bao Zheng is not over yet. Xia Fan is recommended by Bao Zheng, so it would be a waste of time for me to get rid of his position at this time. "

Jiang Wuyan pursed her lips slightly, "I was too impatient. It's not convenient for me to worry about such a small matter at this time."

Zhao Qingyan lowered his eyes and muttered to himself, "It looks like royal brother is retreating to show his goodwill, but I have no idea what he is thinking. If he really has the intention to kill me, I won't be able to escape. "

Jiang Wuyan asked, "He dares to touch you?"

Zhao Qingyan tilted his head and said, "So he doesn't even have the title of prince. No matter what, I'm still a prince. And I can be Crown Prince at any time. The empress might not be easy to offend, but it wouldn't do him much good to force me into a corner. But it was different now. He was already the crown prince. With the title of Crown Prince, he would have less scruples. If he cannot stop the queen from harming me, then he will have to choose between the two of us. "

Jiang Wuyan asked, "Do you think he will choose you?"

Zhao Qingyan shook his head, "That's hard to say. To put it bluntly, he, as the crown prince, was just an empty shell. If he wanted to advance any further, he would definitely not be able to do so without the support of the empress and the prince. If the empress were to kill me, there's no need to mention royal father and Thirteenth Uncle. If I were to offend the empress, I would fall into a situation where I have no mother to rely on.

Jiang Wuyan continued, "Then after he ascends the throne, he will definitely be wary of you and the empress for this reason. The oldest is just the Son of Heaven, so right now you're afraid of Zhao Shu, but not the Queen of the General's Household. "

Zhao Qingyan said, "Yes, that is the truth. Now it looks like a game between me and the queen, because we are much more powerful than my royal brother. Or perhaps, with royal uncle's care and protection, the things that we can do are far more than what royal brother can do. With this relationship, Royal Brother wouldn't be able to attack us at the same time, at least not one of us. "To put it bluntly, if I just kill him, I can exchange him for the use of the Son of Heaven in the future."

Jiang Wuyan nodded and waited for him to continue.

Zhao Qingyan said, "Imperial Brother is already over 30 years old. In comparison, the threat posed to him by the empress is not much. At most, it would be a change to someone else's wealth and safety. As for me, I obviously wouldn't be moved that easily. If he were to choose me, it would be more likely that he would ascend the throne, and it would also be more likely that he would be kicked out by me. The greater the possibility, the greater the danger. We can only see how he chooses. "

Jiang Wuyan said with a smile, "To be honest, you don't have that much time to show off."

Zhao Qingyan glanced at him and said, "I treasure this hard-earned peace more than anyone else." His expression was calm and his tone didn't express much, but his words were serious.

Jiang Wuyan asked in silence, "Are you in pain?"

"What are you asking? Is he scheming against his loved ones? " Zhao Qingyan rubbed her head and said, "Of course."

Jiang Wuyan said, "You don't believe that you can be a happy king in this life."

Zhao Qingyan denied it, "No, I believe you. I just don't want to be manipulated. The empress had ruined her reputation by hiding in a place where no one knew her. She had enough money to spend for a lifetime, and she was guarding a fertile fief? "Can you get up on a day like this?"

Jiang Wuyan said, "You're still unwilling to take the next best thing, even if it means losing your life."

Zhao Qingyan closed her eyes and said, "Yes, I don't want to."

He didn't want to. He had been tortured by those nightmares until he couldn't get over it.

If he didn't want to, he could only rely on his father to survive. He couldn't find any traces of his own survival.

He didn't want to, he really couldn't find the heart to protect him in the end.

Not willing, in the only clear years still compromise.

In the end, he couldn't do it.

Since he couldn't do it, he forced himself to become someone he didn't want to become.

I can't make my bones bend again and again,

that you can't make your life miserable over and over again,

He couldn't get his smile to echo again and again.

He was someone who couldn't keep his true heart, someone who couldn't keep his true heart, someone who couldn't even remember the reason for his smile, someone who could only talk about his future after all the years had passed. No matter how golden he was, he was still a loser.

This was not what he wanted.

Zhao Qingyan smiled bitterly. With a hint of freedom mixed in her smile, she said, "I'm tired. I can't pretend anymore."

"Yun Mo, there are two places in this world called the imperial court and the martial arts world. You belong to the former. " Jiang Wuyan suddenly opened her mouth and said something strange.

Zhao Qingyan neither agreed nor disagreed. He raised his hand and touched the distant scenery, his voice light and distant: "I was born in a noble's house and grew up in a royal palace. Everyone has always been respectful towards me, like Buddha statues. Royal brother, thirteenth uncle, second brother … I was surrounded only by people like me and others like me. "The martial arts world is too far away from me, but a nightmare dragged me into the martial arts world."

He turned his head to the side and looked at Jiang Wuyan, "I don't belong to the imperial court, nor do I belong to the martial arts world. I was afraid of death, so I accepted the martial arts world. I coveted the beautiful scenery of the garden, coveted the silken pearl ornaments, coveted the leisure of the palace, so could not bear to leave. I'm just a timid and selfish person, and I don't dare to face it, and I don't want to let go. "

Jiang Wuyan didn't say anything. She simply stood beside him, looking at the glittering lake in the distance. Her heart was as calm as still water.

Zhao Qingyan sighed, "Nothing is fearless. I can't let go of it. I can't let it go, so I became a hindrance."

Jiang Wuyan said slowly, "I suddenly remembered the two sentences you said when I first met you. You look down on and sneer at those who climb hard, and those who climb hard look up at you and look forward to it. You laugh at their stupidity and inferiority, but in your heart, you want to know if they can laugh at you. You're just a caged bird with gorgeous feathers. "

Zhao Qingyan smiled and asked, "Is that not right?" How many people have never been able to get one of the thousands that I was born with in their lives, and how I sat with all their empty hopes and lost the meaning of my life. All I can say is, I don't want to live like them, but I also feel sorry for my own life. "

Jiang Wuyan tilted her head. "Has the Tong Xuan evaluated your words?" "What did you say?"

Zhao Qingyan thought for a moment and said, "I'm full."

Jiang Wuyan couldn't help but laugh, "It's simple and concise, not bad at all."

Zhao Qingyan pursed his lips and smiled, "If even Qingfeng can say such vulgar words, then it's understandable that I, the young prince, feel uncomfortable."

Jiang Wuyan understood in detail, "Forgive my stupidity, but I was unable to find the relationship between the two."

Zhao Qingyan thought for a while and said tiredly, "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore." "After all, there are very few things that can be done with both hands. Since I have chosen to live elegantly, I must admit that I am a canary that has been raised."

Jiang Wuyan did not seem to think much of it. "Only a canary would be willing to be raised. You were born to be an eagle, how could you be locked in a cage?"

Zhao Qingyan smiled, "Hawk? I am also an eagle with its wings cut off before it could fly. "

Jiang Wuyan asked, "Have you ever seen an eagle with folded wings?"

Zhao Qingyan probably understood what he meant. His eyes were clear as he said, "Compared to dying in the sky where I should have spread my wings, I'd rather live in a birdcage made of golden silk."

Jiang Wuyan looked at him deeply, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

There were no ripples in Zhao Qingyan's dark eyes. "I'm sure."

Jiang Wuyan smiled noncommittally, "Alright then, I'm really looking forward to seeing the final result from the falcon in the cage."

Zhao Qingyan said indifferently, "Maybe you are mistaken? I'm just a canary. "

Jiang Wuyan asked, "What do you think is the difference between a canary and an eagle?"

Zhao Qingyan was nonchalant or perhaps, she did not want to continue the topic. "The canary looks good."

Jiang Wuyan was infuriated by his words, and just as he had wished, she did not say anything more. "There are two things about an eagle that are destined to become one, and they are unyielding and ambitious." He stood up, dusted off his sleeves, and walked away.

Zhao Qingyan closed her eyes and slept soundly, as if she did not hear his words.