Chapter 044 Jin丨Exclusively published by Jiang Wenxue

Fang Yingkan's biological parents were full of evil and named him "Yingkan" to show that they would not repent. When they were dying, they entrusted Fang Yingkan to Fang Juxia's wife Xia Wanyi, who changed his name to "Yingkan".

In the end, Xia Wanyi was poisoned to save Fang Yingkan, became stupid and disappeared in Shushan, and most likely fell off a cliff and died.

After many years, Fang Yingkan used the news of his stepmother as bait to trick Fang Juxia into going to that dangerous mountain.

He instigated Gao Xiaoshang, Fang Juxia's most trusted disciple, to rebel. He also used the excuse of offering sacrifices to Xia Wanyi to poison Fang Juxia with three or four kinds of poisons. Then Lei Meixiang pretended to be Xia Wanyi and appeared. When Fang Juxia was in a state of confusion, he, together with Tang Feiyu, Zhan Bieye, Mi Cangqiong, Ren Lao Renyuan and others, pushed him off the cliff.

Compared with the deceiving things Fang Yingkan did, Gong Jiudu looked handsome.

System: [Fang Juxia doesn't look too decadent. I wonder if Xia Wanyi is still alive.]

Xue Chen flipped through the original owner's memory: [The person is gone. Fang Juxia

was full of his wife, but after his wife died, he did not become thinner, and even gained weight a little, a little fatter than before, and his hair was extremely black.

This external expression made him look more depressed, as if all the outlets for his emotions were blocked. From the surface, it was impossible to tell that he had been missing Xia Wanyi, but Fang Yingkan knew this, so he was able to successfully set up a trap to kill him.

Fang Juxia saw these two young men who looked exactly the same looking at him, nodded to them, and bowed slightly as a salute.

Xue Chen returned the salute.

Gong Jiu: "Brother, why should you be so polite to him?"

Xue Chen: "No matter what, he is the marquis of supernatural power in the emperor's heart."

Fang Juxia is very good at martial arts. In order to win him over, the emperor specially conferred him the title of marquis of supernatural power. Fang Juxia did not want to be an official in the court, but he did not want to offend the court. It happened that Fang Yingkan was rejected by the girl he liked at that time, and he wanted to die after the breakup, so the title of marquis of supernatural power was given to him.

By the way, the girl Fang Yingkan liked had some of Xia Wanyi's style.

Xue Chen could not help but complain: [In fact, Fang Yingkan and my brother have similar personalities, mother-loving, father-killing, rebellious, and ambitious. If they remove the disguise and become close friends, they will definitely have a lot in common. 】

The system thought about it and felt that it made sense: [So the person who asked Lao Cui to kill the boss of Wo Yun Lou was your brother? Did the two of them have an intersection at that time? 】

[Not him. ] Xue Chen said affirmatively.

[Ah? ]

[With Lu Xiaofeng's personality, he must have figured out the truth of the matter at that time. Judging from his attitude towards my father, this matter probably has nothing to do with my brother. My brother was only ten years old at the time. No matter how crazy he was, he would not go to this extent. ]

[Then you still say that the mastermind behind the scenes is your brother! ]

[I have nothing to do with it, so I'll help you exercise your brain. ]

[Beep-beep--]

King Taiping also saw Fang Juxia, who was standing there out of place. After greeting others, he led Pei Rui to greet Fang Juxia.

The status of the King of Taiping is extremely noble. When facing Fang Juxia, his expression is indifferent. Although he took the initiative to come over and talk, he is a little bit dignified. He is neither arrogant nor does he lose his dignity: "Thank you for taking this trip."

Fang Juxia said: "Disciplining my son is my job as a father. I also want to thank you for finding out the truth and preventing the disaster in time, and not letting underestimation lead to a big mistake."

The King of Taiping asked back: "What is a big mistake?"

Fang Juxia was stunned and couldn't answer for a while.

Before he could think of an answer, the King of Taiping had already left with Pei Rui and his two sons.

Xue Chen: [Although they are both resentful, my father is much better than Fang Juxia. ]

System: [What do you mean? 】

Xue Chen: 【Fang Juxia has a hole in his brain. He clearly wants to do things for the people, but he refused the title of Marquis of Shentong. After knowing the bad things Fang Yingkan did, he did not teach his son a lesson, but silently cleaned up his mess for a long time, and even wanted to restore Fang Yingkan's reputation. If I were those people he rescued, I would definitely spit at him. What's so great about having a little money?】

System: 【I thought you respected him very much.】

Xue Chen: 【What I respect is the setting in him that serves the country and the people.】

Chatting with the system all the way, Xue Chen followed the King of Taiping into the hall.

As the eldest son, he stood closer to the front than Gong Jiu. As soon as he entered, he attracted the attention of everyone in the hall. Even the King of Taiping in front of him became a foil. Everyone's eyes were focused on him and Gong Jiu.

A middle-aged man with a sallow face and dressed in eunuch clothes stood up and said to King Taiping: "Your Highness is finally here. The emperor has been talking about you for a long time. There are two young princes. Please come here."

King Taiping said to Pei Rui: "Rui'er, you wait here first. The palace is very strict. Don't walk around casually. Your two brothers and I will be back soon."

Pei Rui nodded.

King Taiping brought his two biological sons to the emperor's residence.

The current emperor was a very smart person. His paintings were famous for centuries, and his original calligraphy was unique. He even had a wide range of knowledge in Cuju, stone appreciation, Taoism, etc. He was also very good at writing. In terms of reading, he was no worse than the talents selected in the imperial examinations of the current dynasty.

He understood many principles and knew how to govern the country well as an emperor.

But he just didn't want to care, just wanted to play, and he would annoy anyone who advised him.

The main purpose of summoning Xue Chen and others to the palace this time was not to show the emperor's favor, but because he suddenly remembered this pair of noble twins. Thinking that he had never noticed them before, he became interested and wanted to see if they were really as similar as the rumors said.

Xue Chen and Gong Jiu were summoned into the palace and saluted together. Except for the different clothes, the two brothers looked no different.

The emperor said kindly: "No need to be polite, come closer, let me see."

Xue Chen and Gong Jiu stepped forward at the same time.

The emperor's eyes wandered between the two of them, and he said with admiration: "They are exactly alike, a wonder of the world. What's more rare is that you two brothers are both outstanding in appearance and elegant in demeanor. Your uncle really has a pair of good sons. Why didn't you bring them into the palace before?"

The King of Taiping replied: "The palace is very cautious about twins and regards them as unknown. I don't want the children to be involved in gossip, and Chen'er has not been in good health and is often bedridden. So I let them stay at home during the palace banquets in the past. Please don't blame me, Your Majesty."

Zhao Ji waved his hands: "Which one of you is the older brother and which one is the younger brother?"

He had actually seen Gong Jiu several times, but when Gong Jiu appeared alone, he was not as eye-catching as when he was with his brother. Except that he looked better, people couldn't help but look at him a few more times, so they didn't call him over to question him.

Xue Chen bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am Xue Chen."

Zhao Ji only then noticed the brothers' clothes. He pondered for a moment and said, "How can there be a younger brother inheriting a title while the older brother is a commoner? Your father has made great military achievements, and you are also smart and talented. You have also made contributions to disaster relief and saved the people from dire straits. Such merits deserve rewards. I will give you the title of a second-rank county duke. What do you think, uncle?"

King Taiping knew that it was difficult to reward his military achievements. Since the emperor intended to promote his son, he would certainly not refuse and was happy to share his merits.

King Taiping immediately replied, "Thank you very much, Your Majesty."

Xue Chen and Gong Jiu also followed suit.

Xue Chen: [Thanks to the fact that there are not so many rules now, and we don’t have to kneel down like in the Qing Dynasty, otherwise I would really have to think about whether I should enter the court as an official.]

System; [This is a duke! For example, the marquis is higher. Would you refuse because you don’t want to kneel down?]

Xue Chen: [Yes.]

System: [I don’t believe it. Pervert.]

Xue Chen: [???]

The princes of the Song Dynasty had no real positions and had to rely on their own abilities to make a career, and the county dukes were even more so.

The second-rank title only gave Xue Chen a fixed salary, which was equivalent to having a stable job, but he didn’t actually participate in the power struggle.

The emperor could decide on this kind of honorary title by himself. Although it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, the reasons he gave were legitimate enough. The drafting of the decree went very smoothly, and no one else jumped out to obstruct it.

Zhao Ji's interest in the twins had not completely faded. He sent away King Taiping and took the two brothers Xue Chen with him. After talking to them for a few words, he picked up a pen and sketched the outlines of the two on the paper with just a few strokes.

He said with satisfaction: "The scenery has always been pleasant, but few people know that people in the beautiful scenery can also be a good scenery. When the winter snow falls, are you brothers willing to come to the palace to accompany me to enjoy the snow?"

Xue Chen and Gong Jiu certainly had no reason to refuse, and they immediately agreed.

After the palace banquet began, Zhao Ji asked the eunuchs beside him to step back a little, and he appeared at the banquet with his two brothers in a friendly manner.

Mi Youqiao was very considerate and arranged the seats of Xue Chen and others near Zhao Ji.

The officials below had different expressions, and their eyes looking at King Taiping gradually changed.

I thought he had no desires, really had no intention of power, and was unwilling to compete with others. I didn't expect that his son would be so loved by the emperor as soon as he showed up.

Their emperor was the most absurd and willful. He loved the one he wanted to live and hated the one he wanted to die. Gao Qiu was promoted to Taiwei just because he played football with him a few times.

The son of King Taiping was young and energetic. The two brothers supported each other, and King Taiping, who was in charge of the military power, supported them from behind. I'm afraid that the court is going to change.

Zhao Ji lived up to the public's expectations. After drinking a few glasses of wine, he put down his airs as an emperor and spoke casually. He directly called Xue Chen and Gong Jiu "brothers" and made no secret of his closeness to the two.

He brought up the old things in public, talking about the great military exploits of Prince Taiping and the famine in Longxing Prefecture. Finally, he praised Xue Chen for his outstanding ability and awarded him the title of Duke of Anhe County. The imperial edict for the additional title would be drafted soon.

Prince Taiping had previously reported the battle situation on the front line, and took the opportunity to explain the details and ask for credit for Pei Rui.

Zhao Ji was in a good mood. Hearing this, he looked at the young man behind King Taiping and couldn't help but feel surprised: "He is so young, but he has such powerful martial arts?"

King Taiping: "This child is talented and focused. He can achieve twice the result with half the effort when practicing martial arts. He has achieved what he has today at such a young age."

Zhao Ji's eyes swept across Fang Juxia below and said happily: "Yes, Uncle Wang has a keen eye. He recognizes such a talent at a glance. It is a great honor. Your name is Pei Rui, right?"

Pei Rui performed the etiquette of a military general: "Yes."

Zhao Ji said: "Since you are Uncle Wang's adopted son, you will listen to Uncle Wang's arrangements in the future and work with him."

Pei Rui: "Yes."

The guests and hosts had a great time at the banquet, and King Taiping was in high spirits.

In comparison, Fang Juxia was much more dim.

Zhao Ji did not speak to him the whole time, until the banquet was cleared, he called Fang Juxia to the back to talk.

After the emperor left, the other ministers and nobles were also uninterested, but they still forced themselves to talk to the King of Taiping.

The attitude of the King of Taiping remained the same as before, and there was no big change because of his son's emergence. He still restrained his edge, which could be said to be cunning.

After dealing with the officials in the court, the King of Taiping took the initiative to toast Zhuge Shenhou with a glass of wine, and hinted in his words that he wanted to send Pei Rui to the Six Gates for training.

Since the King of Taiping would do the asking for help, Xue Chen did not bother anymore.

Like Gong Jiu, he sat in his seat with a cold face, but he couldn't resist the flattery of others. He couldn't even eat his meal properly, so his expression became colder and colder, and finally calmed down in the second half of the banquet.

After the banquet, the two drove away in the palace car, and Xue Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

Gong Jiu: "If you are not used to this, just tell your father directly and ask him to report to the emperor and not to enter the government anymore."

Xue Chen: "I will adapt."

Those princes were very well-behaved and rarely made loud noises, but such a large group of people whispering in private, and the accompaniment of orchestral instruments, with an ethereal echo in the empty hall, made people's eardrums buzz.

Even though they had already come out, Xue Chen and Pei Rui repeated the single loop of the music in their minds.

Xue Chen leaned on the soft pillow: "The emperor's hospitality is not what I imagined."

System: [There are times you didn't expect?]

Xue Chen: [I'm not a god. Even if I were a god, there would be times when I made mistakes. Isn't this normal... But now it's no different from the plan. Anyway, we are all fighting for power. If we affect other people's interests, our reputation will be ruined no matter what.]

Gong Jiu also didn't expect that Zhao Ji would be interested in their looks.

This kind of emotional artist is the most difficult to guess. He might suddenly have a whim and inspiration at any time.

Gong Jiu: "I'm afraid I will be degraded to the same level as Cai Jing in the future..."

The viciousness and hatred in his eyes flashed by, and he didn't dare to show it too much in front of his brother, and quickly restrained his emotions.

If it was only his own reputation that was affected, it wouldn't be a big deal, but how could his brother, who was so noble, become a traitor in the eyes of the world?

If the power in his hands was not enough to start a rebellion, he would have already found an opportunity to send out orders to besiege the capital and kill the emperor so that his brother would not have to endure such humiliation.

Xue Chen glanced at him, retracted his gaze, and didn't say much.

System: [Is your brother thinking of something incredible?]

Xue Chen: [Assault Tokyo, seize the throne, and let the elder brother be the first emperor and the younger brother be the second emperor, sharing the glory and wealth.]

System: [??? Li Kui?]

Xue Chen closed his eyes: [Almost, that's what I mean anyway. 】

The carriage stopped at the side gate of the palace. Gong Jiu thought Xue Chen was asleep, so he didn't wake him up. He took off his outer robe, put it on him, and carried him back to his residence.

Xue Chen: [My brother is a good person.]

System: [......]

I don't know what to say.

Xiao He came in and wiped his face. Xue Chen washed up with almost no effort and lay on the bed drowsy.

Just when he was about to fall asleep, a suppressed roar suddenly broke out from next door.

The soundproofing of the room was not very good, and Gong Jiu's voice was clearly heard: "Whip... whip me quickly... Pei Rui... ha..."

Xue Chen suddenly woke up: [He is crazy! ]

Why is he calling Pei Rui's name at this time!

System: [Your brother has been a spoiled child since he was little. This is probably the first time he has been treated so roughly. He may have been traumatized.]

The whip cracked and the stupid brother screamed in pain, moaning as he screamed.

Xue Chen really wanted to beat him up, but he was an M. Unless he killed him directly, it would be a reward for him.

System: [Why don’t you let Xiao Mian knock him out again?]

Xue Chen: [I’m afraid he will do that. Next time he will just go to Xiao Mian with the whip.]

System: [……]

Xue Chen thought about it and said: [Why don’t you let Xiao Mian knock me out.]

System: [……]

If he really does that, your brother will go crazy.

Xue Chen certainly knew that this was impossible. If he was really knocked unconscious by Pei Rui, he could no longer pretend to be ignorant.

Xue Chen: [I've decided to create a new alias.]

He had planned to create a new alias after the work of the original body and Pei Rui was on track, and now he has achieved his goal. He will

have a headache sooner or later, so he might as well take advantage of the headache to be unconscious for a night and escape the noise pollution of his brother.

Xue Chen was very decisive in creating a alias last time, and the system would not ask any more questions now.

It directly put the turntable into Xue Chen's brain and asked him to draw it himself.

Xue Chen did not expect anything, and clicked it casually. The silver-purple turntable turned a few circles and slowly stopped.

The picture pointed by the pointer was enlarged and presented in Xue Chen's mind.

Seeing the new vest's appearance, Xue Chen raised his eyebrows: "Girl?"

System: [No, all vests are based on the host's gender. Unless you change your sex, it is impossible to pick out a girl.]

Xue Chen understood: [A man dressed as a woman.]

He looked carefully: [It looks very similar. If you didn't know the gender in advance and pay attention to his body, who would have thought that this is a man?]

The system gave him three time nodes to choose from.

There were still three pictures.

Xue Chen scanned them and chose the first one this time.

After determining the time for the vest to be released, Xue Chen's consciousness split again and landed on a certain reality.

He had a splitting headache, and several vests fainted at the same time.