This is the reply letter that Emperor Ming Yan wrote to his son. It was written on the night of New Year's Eve and is several pages long.

The general meaning is, I miss you. I heard that you have suffered a lot outside, and I am very sad. New Year is a day for everyone to get together, but without you, my son, at the table, I feel like a piece of my heart is missing, and the food and wine are not tasty anymore. I miss you so much... My son, please come back soon to spend the Lantern Festival with your father!

He couldn't count how long it had been since he received such a "loving" letter from his father.

Since his father missed him, he must go back quickly to express his meaning of "my son misses you too."

So he told everyone to pack up and prepared to go talk to Xiao Fu Niang again. If she came up with anything new later, she could send it to him.

Although he couldn't find anything no matter how hard he tried, he always felt that this young lady was hiding some secret.

Who knew that as soon as they got there, she invited him to play chess.

She learned how to play chess under the watchful eyes of Sheng Rong. Not only was she bad at it, but her chess ethics were also poor.

He felt a headache when he heard it and was about to find an excuse to refuse when he saw her taking out a chessboard with a sly smile on her face.

Yan Dong took a look and found it was another thing he had never seen before.

...

...

The chess pieces are carved out of wood, with soldiers carved on them wearing six-colored clothes, representing the six-colored chess pieces. The chessboard is also made of wood, carved out of gold wire. Although it is just chicken wing wood, it is exquisite and looks quite good.

This kind of thing is most convenient for people who have money and free time to enjoy. As the saying goes, "What the superiors like, the subordinates will like even more", so Tang Shiyue set her sights on the emperor's harem and tricked him into making a bet.

Yan Dong first chatted with her for a few words, but when the killing really started, he frowned and said, "This won't work."

Tang Shiyue was stunned: "What's wrong?"

Yan Dong said: "The soldiers and generals fighting each other is a bad omen."

Hmm? Tang Shiyue hadn't expected this, but she also knew that the ancients seemed to attach great importance to this. She frowned and asked, "What do you think would be a better shape?"

Yan Dong thought for a moment and said, "Let's carve it into a boy. A boy jumping and playing means he will have many children and grandchildren. This is a good omen." He raised the chessboard and said, "Let's destroy this one."

OK then…

Tang Shiyue was about to go to the workshop to give instructions, but Yan Dong said, "Find some good wood, red sandalwood, huanghuali, golden nanmu are all good, and make more."

Tang Shiyue was just what she wanted: "You want to take it back and give it to someone else?"

He nodded, and her eyes curved: "Then I want to carve my name on it."

"Engrave it," Yan Dong waved his hand and said, "Let them do it quickly, the sooner the better."

Tang Shiyue hummed. Yan Dong turned around and called someone to help her find the wood, and also transferred a craftsman to help.

But if this happens, it will be delayed for at least another day.

Yan Dong now seemed to have figured out how to get along with Emperor Ming Yan, so he was not too anxious. Anyway, the important things on hand were movable type printing, and the trivial things were checkers, which would be enough for him to report back.

Who knew that in the afternoon of that day, the shadow guard came to report that suspicious people seemed to have appeared in the town and the county.

Yandong is no stranger to this.

As the crown prince of a country, his younger brothers gradually grew up. Especially after he left the capital, he became a sitting duck and was hunted down overtly and covertly countless times.

Especially this time, the emperor took notice of him.

It is said that the emperor showed off the four-and-a-half-treasures he had woven himself at the palace banquet on New Year's Eve, praising his kind heart. I'm afraid the people behind the scenes couldn't sit still.

Yan Dong hesitated for a while, then called Huo Qijing over and asked, "Are you willing to do something for me?"

Huo Qijing said: "Your Highness, please give your orders."

Quick and decisive, without hesitation.

Yan Dong was stunned for a moment, then he said, "I want you to be a decoy and secretly escort me back to the capital."

Huo Qijing bowed and replied: "Yes."

Still decisive and without hesitation.

A decoy soldier... Huo Qijing couldn't possibly be unaware of what he meant. He wanted to use him to lure away the pursuers, which was an extremely dangerous thing to do.

However, he agreed as a matter of course, as if this was a natural choice with no detours.

In fact, as soon as the prince said this, almost everyone would immediately think of the fight for the throne.

The people in the capital are all smart people. They can judge the situation and act accordingly. They are very good at playing the game!

Ever since his father reprimanded him for his factionalism in the court and ignored him for the past two years, he has been having increasingly difficult times in doing things. He has seen many of these people's abilities to flatter and flatter, and their evasive words. Now, when he suddenly meets a pure person like Huo Qijing, he feels a little emotional.

He had no chance to use the "combination of kindness and severity" he wanted to say. Even wanting to say "I will not treat you unfairly" seemed like a contempt to him.

In fact, this is both a danger and an opportunity.

The descendants of the Huo family saved the prince, which brought them back to the forefront.

This has advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage is that he no longer has to climb up step by step. The disadvantage is that many people will be watching him when he does things in the future, and if he does something even the slightest bit wrong, he will be considered an "unfilial descendant."

But he believed that Huo Qijing had not considered these.

He is simple and straightforward. The king gives orders and the subjects obey. That's all.

Although the Huo family became commoners, their duty as officials has never changed.

In comparison, those ministers who were full of schemes and never forgot to bargain seemed even more hateful.

If the ancestor of the Huo family also had such a character, then he could somewhat understand why Emperor Taizu trusted the Huo family. No monarch would dislike this feeling of being able to control the family as easily as with one's own arms.

…………

Tang Shiyue was sleeping soundly when she heard the door seem to open.

She turned over in a daze, and a familiar smell slowly approached, and Tang Shiyue suddenly woke up.

She never thought that one day she would be able to recognize a person just by smell.

As she recognized him, she suddenly thought of something. She jumped off the bed barefoot, threw herself into his arms, and put her arms around his waist.

Huo Qijing was startled, raised his hand and gently stroked her hair: "Did I wake you up?"

She tightened her arms and he said, "I..."

"Don't talk!" She said loudly, her voice choking with sobs: "Don't talk!"

He stopped talking and just held her tightly in silence. After a while, she choked up and said, "In the future, if... there is even a female cat or female mosquito around you... a male one won't do! Anyway... anyway, if you do this, we will be enemies from now on!"

Huo Qijing didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I know."

"I'm not kidding you!" She pinched him hard and said, "I don't care why. No matter what, we are enemies. I won't return your brother to you!"

In the darkness, their eyes met, and he gently kissed her eyes: "No, don't worry."

She twitched twice, then thought of something else, "I'm going to stamp a mark on you! Leave a tooth mark!"

His body suddenly stiffened. I don't know what weird thing he thought of. This time he was silent for a long time, and then she said fiercely: "Hurry up! Take off your clothes!"

She pushed him to sit on the edge of the couch, and asked in a faint voice, "Where do you want to bite?"

She thought for a moment and said, "On your shoulders!"

He took a long breath: "On the shoulder!"

Then he began to undress.

In the darkness, the rustling sounds were too suggestive... Tang Shiyue also began to feel uncomfortable, and her cheeks became hot.

Seeing him undressing and looking up at her, she reached out in the darkness and touched his smooth, hot skin, then she pounced on him without any hesitation and bit him hard.

He made no sound, not even a groan.

The taste of rust suddenly came into his mouth. Tang Shiyue slowly loosened his teeth and gave him another gentle kiss.

She is a very independent person, otherwise she wouldn't have been single for so many years. She feels uncomfortable even with normal handshakes and hugs, let alone acting intimate scenes with other women.

He is so unique and so abnormal. Are you scared, little Ajing?

It's too late! Once you get on my boat, you can't get off!

She touched his face and said, "Be good. I'll wait for you to come back."

Huo Qijing nodded: "You have to be good too, and wait for me to come back and marry you."