Because Yin Ci Guang was going to the Imperial Hospital, Yin Chengyu specifically asked Zheng Duobao to accompany him to avoid any obstacles in Yin Ci Guang's actions.

Yin Ci Guang thanked him again before saying goodbye and leaving.

When leaving, he passed by Xue Shu who was standing in the hall, and couldn't help but glance at him from the side.

He knew Xue Shu. He had jumped from an inconspicuous little soldier in Xichang to the first person to be favored by Emperor Longfeng. Xue Shu's reputation for ferocity was known throughout the palace. There were rumors in the palace that the reason why Emperor Longfeng used Xue Shu was because the crown prince had a feud with Xue Shu and their relationship was not harmonious. This time when Emperor Longfeng went south, the crown prince stayed behind to supervise the country, and Emperor Longfeng also deliberately left Xue Shu to monitor him, which further confirmed this rumor.

But now it seems that the relationship between the two is not as bad as the rumors.

When Xue Shu's eyes glanced over, Yin Ci Guang quickly retracted his gaze, lowered his head, and followed Zheng Duobao out.

Because Yin Ciguang was present just now, Yin Chengyu only asked some unimportant questions. Now that there were no outsiders, he looked at Xue Shu and asked about the South again: "Tell me about the situation in the South in detail."

Xue Shu then told him in detail what Wei Xihe had said in the letter.

It has been more than two months since Fang Zhengke, the official in charge of salt protection, went to various salt commissioners to inspect salt taxes under the escort of Wei Xihe. Fang Zhengke has successively inspected the salt commissioners in Shandong, Hedong, and Lianghuai. When he received the letter, he had already inspected Liangzhe and Fujian.

Fang Zhengke was a man of integrity and familiar with the salt administration. Now that he had obtained the order from Emperor Longfeng and was escorted by the elite troops of Wei Xihe, he had no scruples along the way and thoroughly investigated all the salt envoys, turning the place upside down.

The north was afflicted by the pimple plague, and the south was clearly not peaceful either.

Fang Zhengke investigated along the way and found countless salt administration officials and local gentry involved. The amount of stolen silver seized was so great that there was not even enough time to seal the boxes and make a list.

Now Wei Xihe ordered people to send back several ships of medicinal materials to the capital. He used the stolen silver to purchase them because of the emergency. All the documents were sent back to the capital with the letter, and he had to go to the Ministry of Revenue to supplement the withdrawal documents.

The remaining stolen silver was also transported back to Beijing by special personnel after the medicinal materials and added to the national treasury.

This is rare good news recently. Yin Chengyu smiled and said, "Yes, Prime Minister Yu told me the other day that the expenditure on epidemic prevention is very huge and the national treasury is already in urgent need. This stolen silver just solves the urgent need."

Yin Chengyu's mood improved, and he looked at Xue Shu with a smile.

Just then, the servant came to ask if they wanted to serve dinner, so Yin Chengyu had dinner served outside the Hongren Hall and called Xue Shu to go out and eat together.

He had just stood up and taken two steps when his brows furrowed.

Xue Shu saw this and asked with concern, "What's wrong with your Highness?"

Yin Chengyu glanced at him, frowned and said nothing.

Xue Shu didn't understand what he meant, so he repeated it twice.

Yin Chengyu originally wanted to send the man away and handle the matter himself, but he got angry again after hearing his repeated questions, so he simply sat back down.

He looked at Xue Shu for a while, smiled, raised his chin slightly and said, "Close the door. The lucky buckle is loose. Put it on me again."

Xue Shu closed the door and turned around, and heard him talking about the lucky buckle. But when he glanced at him, he didn't see him wearing it, and his expression showed doubt.

Yin Chengyu, however, looked at him with his chin propped up, and ordered, "Kneel down."

Xue Shu knelt on one knee in front of him and looked up at him.

Yin Chengyu lifted his right foot and placed it on his knees: "Take off my shoes and socks for me."

His tone sounded lazy, and when he lowered his eyes to look at me, there was something else in his eyes. Like a rich flower blooming in spring, it attracts bees and butterflies.

Xue Shu's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he vaguely realized something, and his eyes suddenly became hot.

He held Yin Chengyu's calf with one hand and took off his shoes and socks with the other. Along with the white socks, an emerald green lucky buckle was also taken off.

The red rope of the auspicious buckle untied and fell to the ground, making a slight sound.

Xue Shu stared at it closely, feeling that the auspicious buckle was touching his heart.

The blow made him feel painful, itchy and dizzy.

He subconsciously tightened his hand and clasped the delicate ankle bone under his palm: "Your Highness..."

A fire was burning in Xue Shu's eyes, and his voice was hoarse from the raging fire. Although his expression and movements were restrained, his body was very honest.

Yin Chengyu looked down at him from above, taking in everything. He smiled slowly, like a hunter who had captured his prey, with a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.

He leaned forward, pinched Xue Shu's chin, and rubbed it slowly with his fingers twice before speaking: "This rope is too slippery and can't be tied tightly. Tie it tighter for me."

This red rope is worn by Yin Chengyu himself.

All the accessories he used were arranged by Zheng Duobao. Now there was a lucky buckle. If he specifically wanted to wear it, Zheng Duobao would ask a few questions according to his personality. He was unwilling to explain, so he simply asked Zheng Duobao for a red string and strung the lucky buckle himself.

The neck and wrists are easily visible, but the ankles are more hidden.

But I didn’t expect that the red rope was not strong enough and it actually came loose.

There are advantages to breaking up.

Yin Chengyu bent his legs and touched him with his toes: "Come back to your senses, what are you daydreaming about?"

Xue Shu's breathing became disordered for a moment, and he suddenly grabbed his ankle, veins popping out on his forehead.

After a long time, he finally let go of his hand and lowered his head to pick up the auspicious buckle that had fallen to the ground.

A red rope was passed through the small hole in the center of the auspicious buckle. The rich green and bright red created a gorgeous color combination that struck Xue Shu's eyes.

He tried hard to control his breathing, pinched the two ends of the red rope, and wrapped it around Yin Chengyu's ankles.

With porcelain-white skin as the base, the rich and bright color is about to overflow.

Yin Chengyu saw his shaking hands. He had tried several times but failed to tie the red rope. He snorted and chuckled, then put his feet back on his knees and said, "Forget it. I'm afraid this rope won't work. Just weave a stronger rope for me."

Xue Shu felt as if he had been pardoned. He breathed a sigh of relief, put away the auspicious button, and answered in a hoarse voice.

"Please help me put on my shoes and socks." Yin Chengyu glanced at him with a half-smile, and said with a hint of joking: "That's all you can do. You can't even tie a knot on a rope."

Xue Shu put his shoes and socks back on for him. Hearing this, he fixed his eyes on him, and spoke every word as if it came out of his teeth: "I can do something else."

Unexpectedly, he dared to talk back. The smile on Yin Chengyu's face faded. He lowered his eyes and glanced at him coldly, "It doesn't matter what you can do. What matters is what I want you to do. Do you understand?"

Xue Shu spoke vaguely, and Yin Chengyu's answer was also vague.

The two of them were talking in riddles, but they knew the truth in their hearts.

Xue Shu thought of the juicy green auspicious button in his arms, licked his dry lips, and did not argue again.

As for what he is thinking, only he himself knows.

Yin Chengyu didn't care. He put his foot back on the ground and glanced at him: "You are not in a good condition to eat. I will allow you to stay for a while before leaving on your own."

Xue Shu stood up and followed him with his eyes. When he was about to leave, he suddenly said, "Your Highness, my birthday is in three days."

Yin Chengyu looked back at him from outside the door and smiled with an ambiguous tone: "I still remember it. I can't forget it."

…

When Yin Chengyu finished his dinner and returned to the inner room, Xue Shu was nowhere to be seen.

He sat down at the desk, thinking back to when he had no intention of dealing with business three quarters of an hour ago, so he simply spread out the rice paper and picked up his brush to start writing.

This time, Xue Shu is still in the painting.

He was still wearing the crimson dragon robe, but his face looked much paler.

Yin Chengyu stared at the person in the painting for a long time. His tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed and the corners of his mouth curled up in an imperceptible arc.

"That's not bad."

In his previous life, he and Xue Shu were too deeply entangled and the grudge between them was too deep.

The timing of their meeting was too bad. He was thrown into the abyss and could only climb out by holding on tightly to Xue Shu's hand. Those hands had given him hope for life, but they had also stripped him of all his dignity and pride.

I have hated, I have been disgusted, and I have also relied on.

He walked alone in the dark night, and only these two hands never let go, clearing away countless obstacles for him.

Years passed, and the two lives were separated by life and death.

The vivid memories have slowly faded, and the love and hate are no longer as strong. Now when I think about it again, there is only a faint sense of sadness.

Looking back thousands of miles away, old friends are no longer seen.

Xue Shu was wrong, and he was also wrong.

They were both too proud and stubborn, testing each other, but neither was willing to bow their heads first, thinking that bowing their heads meant admitting defeat.

But in reality, at the gambling table, the only winner is the dealer.

He and Xue Shu were both gamblers, and they lost everything.

Yin Chengyu looked at the painting quietly for a long time.

Then he rolled it up and called Zhao Lin in: "You go to Yutai County, Jining in person to check the whereabouts of a woman named Xue Hongxuan during the great epidemic in the 14th year of Longfeng. She was about 20 years old and had been a concubine of a local wealthy family..."

He recalled the information Xue Shu briefly mentioned about Xue Hongxuan, and told Zhao Lin as much as possible without missing anything: "If the person is alive, that would be the best. After finding the person, protect him secretly and report to me as soon as possible. If the person is gone, at least find the body."

Zhao Lin did not ask the reason, but just nodded his head.

Yin Chengyu instructed him again, "Keep it secret and don't let the news leak out," before letting Zhao Lin leave.

After the others left, he unfolded the still rough scroll, picked up his brush again, and began to paint in detail.

In his previous life, Xue Shu had helped him find the only bloodline of the Yu family; in this life, he returned the favor and would find his only relative for him regardless of life or death.

When Yin Chengyu put down his pen again, half an hour had passed.

The smoke from the gilded Boshan furnace lingered, blurring the image of the young man in the painting.

The young man was wearing a red robe and carrying a silver sword. He had sharp eyes and was full of vigor and vitality.

Yin Chengyu studied it for a long time before he started writing: "How sad is the place where my heart is longing for you? I earnestly leave it for you to tell me when you return. When we finally meet, it's been years since we last met." He paused and wrote: "Don't let down the clouds and rain in front of your pillow, the flowers and moon in front of your cup."

After the painting was finished, Yin Chengyu put his seal on it and then called Zheng Duobao to take it and have it framed.

"Send it back after framing it. Be careful not to let others see it."

Zheng Duobao uttered "Oh", and did not dare to open it to have a look. He retreated with the scroll in his arms.

The author has something to say:

Gou Gou: Your Highness stepped on me.

PS: "How much sadness there is in the place where my heart is longing for you, I earnestly leave it for you to tell when you return. When we finally meet, it's been years since we last met." "I've let down the clouds and rain before my pillow, the flowers and moon before my cup." From Zhang Yuanqian's "Shizhou Man"