The room was silent for a moment, and Liu Buwang's voice interrupted He Yan's memories.

"What about you?" he asked, "Ah He, why do you look like this now? Are you disguising yourself? Mr. Qiao should not be your husband."

This is a long story. He Yan lowered his head and smiled, saying, "Master, I am no longer called He Rufei, but He Yan. That person... is my boss. We came to Jiyang to look for someone, so we pretended to be a couple. As for the disguise, I did not do it. I look like this now. I can no longer go back to my original appearance."

Liu Buwang thought about it for a moment, then nodded and said, "I understand."

He was always like this, very sensible about other people's affairs, and would not deliberately ask more questions if others did not want to talk about it. This might seem a bit cold in the eyes of some people, but for He Yan at the moment, not asking further questions was already the greatest blessing.

After a while, Cui Jiao in the inner room knocked on the door and came out, still holding the little girl in her hands.

The effect of the drug had worn off, and the girl had more strength to walk. Her face was washed clean, and she looked only about ten years old. She was beautiful and lively, with eyes as charming as black jade, and she was graceful. Hong Qiao braided her hair into the long braid that Jiyang girls loved to comb, with the braid wrapped around the front and hanging down to her chest. She also tied a circle of small bells on her hair. Her clothes were a red riding suit, which she asked the housekeeper in Cui's mansion for. When she walked over, it jingled, and she was cute and lovely, and more heroic than ordinary girls.

Liu Buwang looked at her, slightly distracted.

He Yan smiled and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

Cui Jiao looked embarrassed: "Madam, the young lady doesn't want to eat."

He Yan asked, "Why don't you eat? Aren't you hungry?"

The little girl glanced away and ignored her words, quite arrogantly.

"Maybe it's because you ate something wrong before, so you don't want to trust others anymore." Liu Buwang chuckled and looked at the little girl, "Little girl, since we have rescued you from the thieves, we will not hurt you again. Otherwise, we would not bring you back home. You can rest assured. If you don't believe it, we can eat together. In this way, you don't have to be hungry, and you don't have to worry about any problems."

Liu Buwang was a man who was always a little distant in his gentleness. In addition, his behavior was elegant and unrestrained, which made it easy for people to have a good impression of him, and this little girl was no exception. She stared into his eyes for a while and said, "Okay."

The attitude finally softened.

He Yan heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly asked Cui Jiao to prepare some food that was easy to digest and that children would like to eat. Cui Jiao followed her instructions and left. Liu Buwang smiled and asked again, "What's your name?"

"Xiaolou." In front of Liu Buwang, the little girl was less arrogant and more obedient.

"What a nice name." Liu Buwang said with a smile, "Whose family are you from? How did you get kidnapped?"

When it comes to this, Xiaolou shuts up and refuses to say anything more.

He Yan and Liu Buwang looked at each other. This kid was quite defensive. Who knew what he had been through before.

While thinking, Xiaolou's eyes fell on the long zither on the table. She looked at it for a while and asked Liu Buwang: "Is this your zither?"

He Yan had a good eye, he thought, he could tell at a glance that this kind of romantic stuff was not suitable for him.

"yes."

"Can you play the piano?"

Liu Buwang replied: "Yes."

"Please play a song for me." Xiaolou said.

This kid, how can he be so good at ordering people around? He Yan didn't comment. Although Liu Buwang carried a zither with him, he rarely played it. When He Yan was his apprentice, he had asked him to play. But Liu Buwang refused every time.

But this time, Liu Buwang's answer was beyond He Yan's expectations. He just looked at Xiaolou gently and smiled: "Okay."

He Yan: "...Master?"

Whose master is this?

"What do you want to hear?" He even asked Xiaolou gently.

Xiaolou played with the braid on her chest and shook her head, saying, "I don't know, just play whatever you like best."

He lowered his head and asked Xiaolou for his opinion very seriously: "Is "Time Slows" okay?"

“I haven’t heard of it.” Xiaolou nodded: “Go ahead and play it!”

He Yan was speechless.

Liu Buwang treated Xiaolou even more obediently than he treated her as his apprentice. If it weren't for the age discrepancy, He Yan would almost doubt whether Xiaolou was Liu Buwang's long-lost daughter.

The little girl sat on a high bench, her feet twitching. Liu Buwang placed the guqin on the table, sat down in front of it, wiped his hands, and plucked the strings.

He Yan actually rarely heard Liu Buwang playing the piano. The few times he heard it were late at night. When he got up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet, he heard the faint sound of the piano and thought he had seen a ghost. He was so scared that he trembled. Later, he mustered up the courage to go and see, and found that it was Liu Buwang.

When she was young, she didn't understand why Liu Buwang played the piano in the courtyard in the middle of the night. She only felt that the piano sound was indescribably sad. Later, after many things happened and she grew up, she gradually understood that her master was also a person with a story. In Liu Buwang's past life, perhaps such a person appeared and engraved a deep mark in his experience, so that he could only miss him at night through the sound of the piano.

Now that I haven't seen him for many years, the sadness and loss in his piano playing have become even deeper.

The poplars and willows in the west city are full of spring. I am sad about leaving and can't stop crying. I still remember your love for me and tied my boat to my home. What happened on the red bridge in the green fields that day, no one can see it, the water flows in vain.

Time is not for the young. Hate is endless, when will it end? When the catkins and flowers are falling, as soon as I climb the building, the spring river is full of tears, which can't stop flowing, full of sorrow.

Xiaolou was young and didn't know the sadness of the piano music. He just thought the music was pleasant and romantic. However, He Yan felt that Liu Buwang's piano music seemed to be saying goodbye to something, as if something was about to be pulled out of his life, mixed with reluctance and loss, and would never come back.

Lin Shuanghe and Xiao Jue entered the room at some point. Lin Shuanghe walked to He Yan's side and whispered, "Sister, your master plays the zither really well, as good as Huai Jin. He's just a little too sad."

Even Lin Shuanghe could hear it. He Yan sighed slightly, but even though she had been Liu Buwang's master and apprentice for many years, He Yan felt that she had never really entered Liu Buwang's heart. She didn't know who Liu Buwang was or what he had done in the past, and Liu Buwang didn't mention anything.

He is like a person who has abandoned the past, but is not serious about the future either. He seems to be able to leave at any time without leaving any trace.

After the song "Slow Time" was played, the lingering sound lingered in the air. Xiaolou looked at him and suddenly clapped his hands. He smiled and said, "I've heard my grandmother play this song before, but she couldn't play it as well as you. You play it much better. What's your name?"

Liu Buwang patted her head and said, "You can call me Yunlin Jushi."

"That name is too long." Xiaolou was not satisfied with his answer: "Isn't your last name Liu?"

Lin Shuanghe believed Xiaolou's words and said, "You play really well. Even in Shuojing, you are well-known. But..." He looked at He Yan and asked in confusion, "Sister He, I am not saying this to you. Your master is an unparalleled zither player and your 'husband' is extremely elegant. How come you play the zither so badly? Didn't your master teach you to play the zither?"

He Yan said expressionlessly: "My master only taught me martial arts. As for my husband..."

Xiao Jue stood beside her, raised his eyebrows slightly, and waited for her to continue.

He Yan cleared his throat: "Just play it for me, why should I bother learning all this?"

Lin Shuanghe: “…”

After a while, he nodded: "It's really an irrefutable reason."

Cui Jiao brought the food up. He Yan and Xiao Jue had already eaten before, so only Liu Buwang and Xiao Lou sat together to eat. Xiao Lou didn't seem to like eating with others, and showed discomfort several times. It was probably to make sure that there was no poison in the food that Liu Buwang ate with her. Liu Buwang also understood the little girl's thoughts, and only took a little bit of each dish with chopsticks and stopped moving.

Xiaolou is a very picky eater, but he did eat some of the food.

He Yan breathed a sigh of relief and said to Xiao Jue, "Now we just have to wait for Master Cui to return home and ask whose child this is and send her back."

Speak of the devil, and here comes the devil. Zhong Fu's voice came from outside: "Sir, Master Qiao and Miss Yuyan have already returned home, and brought back two guests. They are now having dinner in the house. Master Qiao seems to have something to ask you."

Then, Cui Yuezhi said in a gruff voice: "Got it."

The door curtain was lifted, and Cui Yuezhi's voice came from behind the door: "Qingqing, Yuyan, you are back? Is there something urgent you want to talk to me about? The princess summoned me early this morning, so I can't stay in the house for long. I have to leave soon..."

His voice stopped abruptly when he saw Xiaolou's face. He was stunned for a moment, and his voice changed a little in shock: "Your Highness - why are you here?"

Xiaolou, the little girl who had been full of arrogance since she was brought back by He Yan, put down her chopsticks, looked at Cui Yuezhi, raised her chin, and said arrogantly: "Cui Zhongqi, you are finally here."

Little prince?

Everyone in the room was very surprised.

Cui Yuezhi took a step forward and half-knelt in front of the small building, his tone very anxious: "The princess summoned me to her house early in the morning, saying that the little prince was missing last night. The princess was extremely worried. Why is the little prince here?" He turned his head to look at He Yan: "Yuyan...what's going on?"

He Yan also wanted to know what was going on. She had already guessed that this little girl's identity was not ordinary, but she never expected that she was actually the "little princess"?

"Last night, Yuyan and I fell asleep on the Luoying boat. We were planning to hire a carriage to go back home near the post station early in the morning. On the way, we saw the little prince being held captive. We rescued him from the criminals," Xiao Jue answered Cui Yuezhi's words on behalf of He Yan. "One of the people who held the little prince captive died, and the others escaped. When Yuyan and I rescued the little prince and came back, we didn't know each other's identities."

Cui Yuezhi was shocked when he heard this and asked Xiaolou, "He was kidnapped by someone? Your Highness, do you know who they are?"

Xiaolou seemed reluctant to mention this matter and said impatiently, "How would I know? As soon as I left the palace, I met them near the canal. I didn't think they were bad people. Who would know..." At this point, he said angrily, "He harbored evil intentions and his heart should be punished!"

Cui Yuezhi asked Xiaolou again: "Is the young prince not injured?"

"No." Xiaolou muttered, looked at Liu Buwang, and pointed at him: "I was almost killed by someone, but it was this person, this... Yunlin Jushi who saved me."

Cui Yuezhi then noticed that there was a stranger in the room. Seeing that Liu Buwang had an extraordinary demeanor, he bowed deeply and said, "Thank you very much for saving me, sage. May I ask your name?"

"This is my martial arts master," Xiao Jue said calmly, "He was the one who taught me how to fight and kick. We haven't seen each other for many years, but I didn't expect to run into him by chance in Jiyang. Uncle, you can call him 'Yunlin'."

"It turned out to be Mr. Yunlin." Cui Yue was startled, and he had a better impression of Liu Buwang. He said, "I will go to the palace to send the little prince back. Mr. Yunlin may go with me. If the princess knew that Mr. Yunlin saved the little prince's life, she would definitely thank him very much."

Liu Buwang smiled slightly and returned a word to Cui Yuezhi, "Yunlin has long been a person from the outside world. I appreciate your kindness, but as for going to the palace to receive the reward, I forgot. When I helped him, I didn't know that Xiaolou was the little prince."

Such capable people are usually somewhat arrogant, and Cui Yuezhi can understand this. Moreover, he is Qiao Xingqing's master, and there will be plenty of opportunities to make friends with him in the future, so there is no need to rush. The most urgent task is to send Mu Xiaolou back to the palace as soon as possible. Mu Hongjin is almost going crazy now.

Cui Yuezhi then said to Liu Buwang: "In that case, I will not force you anymore."

Liu Buwang smiled and nodded.

"Your Highness, do you still want to eat?" Cui Yuezhi looked at Mu Xiaolou. "If you have finished, please return home with me. Your Highness will be very happy to see that you are safe and sound."

Mu Xiaolou jumped down from the stool and said, "I see. You should prepare a sedan chair." Then he was about to follow Cui Yuezhi out. When he passed by Liu Buwang, he stopped and asked unwillingly, "You really won't go back with me? My grandmother will reward you with a lot of gold? You can have whatever you want."

Liu Buwang bent down and gently rubbed her hair: "I hope your Highness is safe."

Cui Yuezhi was a little surprised watching from the side. Mu Xiaolou was spoiled by Mu Hongjin since he was a child. He was very picky about others, but he was quite close to Liu Buwang. They were both martial artists, and Cui Yuezhi could feel that Liu Buwang's kung fu was very advanced. It would be great if this person could stay in the palace and be with the little prince, not only to accompany the little prince but also to protect his safety.

However, these matters can only be discussed after meeting Mu Hongjin. He turned to look at He Yan and the others, "Yuyan, Xinqing, pack up and follow me to the palace immediately. You saved the little prince, and the princess will definitely have many questions to ask you. You will have to go to the palace sooner or later, so why not do it today?"

He Yan and Xiao Jue looked at each other, and He Yan said, "Okay, uncle."

Cui Yuezhi took Mu Xiaolou out. He Yan said to Liu Buwang, "Master, you stay in the mansion first. We can talk about anything when we come back." She was afraid that Liu Buwang would leave without saying goodbye after returning to the mansion, so she instructed Lin Shuanghe, "Brother Lin, please take care of my master first. Don't let my master act alone."

Liu Buwang looked at her and smiled helplessly.

Lin Shuanghe immediately understood what He Yan meant and said, "No problem. I guarantee that when you come back, Master Liu will still be the same, without losing a single hair."

He Yan was relieved, and asked Hong Qiao to comb her hair again, change into clean clothes and wash up, then followed Xiao Jue to the door of Cui Mansion, and whispered to Xiao Jue as they walked, "Commander, why did you say my master was your martial arts master?"

He also said "Mr. Yunlin" instead of "Liu Buwang".

Xiao Jue raised his eyebrows: "Your master seems very reluctant to reveal his identity. Saying that he is my master can at least avoid suspicion."

That's right. Just as He Yan was thinking about it, he suddenly heard Xiao Jue say, "But your master is not a simple person. It seems that he is an old acquaintance of the princess."

He Yan was horrified: "How could it be?"

"The way he looked at Mu Xiaolou seemed like he was looking at someone else through Mu Xiaolou. If I'm not mistaken, it should be that princess." Xiao Jue said slowly, "How come you, as his disciple, don't know anything?"

"He didn't tell me anything in the first place!" He Yan couldn't hide her shock. Liu Buwang and Mu Hongjin were old acquaintances? This was the most shocking news she had heard today! But He Yan also felt that what Xiao Jue said might be true. Liu Buwang's gentle doting on Mu Xiaolou, the sadness in his piano music, and his refusal to go to the palace with Cui Yuezhi, all seemed to indicate one thing, at least Liu Buwang was not completely unrelated to the Mu family.

But what is the relationship?

This question was not answered, and Cui Yuezhi had already urged them to go to the palace.

Mu Xiaolou took a sedan chair, while He Yan and his group took a carriage. Cui Yuezhi personally escorted them, and the guards were all in armor and carrying swords. This was probably because Mu Xiaolou had just said that he was kidnapped by thieves yesterday, which made people feel that Jiyang City was not as peaceful and safe as it seemed.

The palace was located in a line heading north from the center of Jiyang City, and it covered a large area. As soon as they arrived at the gate of the palace, soldiers came up to question them. Cui Yuezhi led them into the palace, first taking Mu Xiaolou in, and asked He Yan and Xiao Jue to wait in the outer hall, and then call them in later.

He Yan and Xiao Jue sat in the outer hall, bored. He Yan asked Xiao Jue, "Commander-in-chief, do you know Princess Mengji?"

"I don't know much about it." Xiao Jue said lazily, "I only know that King Mengji had a son and a daughter, and the eldest son died before he was 18. At that time, King Mengji's position was not very stable."

If you are not stable in your position, you need to unite forces to consolidate your power. Your Majesty is a benevolent ruler, but there are always confidants who are not used to the division of power among the vassal kings and wish to make all the vassal kings of the Wei Dynasty disappear.

Finally, the daughter of King Mengji married the son of an important official in the court. As the husband was a member of the court, he could always monitor whether Jiyang had any rebellious intentions. It was because of this that King Mengji was able to retain his status as a vassal king.

However, the son of the courtier, the husband of Princess Mengji, died of illness shortly after the birth of a son. Their son also had the same problem as his father, with congenital deficiencies, and their daughter passed away when she was young. Therefore, in the current Mengji Palace, there are only Princess Mu Hongjin and her granddaughter Mu Xiaolou.

He Yan was not particularly curious about Mu Hongjin, but after hearing what Xiao Jue said, she knew that this person might be an old acquaintance of Liu Buwang, so she began to have some expectations and wanted to know who had appeared in Liu Buwang's past life. Liu Buwang treated Mu Xiaolou so well. A man who treated a little girl well, if he was not gentle by nature, it was most likely because he was the little girl's relative.

They sat there for a while before a maid in a gauze dress with her hair in a braid came forward with a smile and said, "Please follow me, the prince wants to see you."

He Yan and Xiao Jue stood up and followed the maid inside.

Once you enter the palace, you will be surprised to find that it is larger and more spacious than it looks from the outside. It is magnificent. The main color is red, and the railings and pillars in the palace are all carved with myths and legends about the water god. In the backyard of the palace, there is even a bronze statue of a naked goddess riding a Kun on the sea.

The weather in Jiyang is hot, but not as cold as in Liangzhou. It is spring, and when the sun rises in the morning, it is a bit hot. Copper basins filled with ice cubes are placed in the four corners of the courtyard, so it doesn't feel hot, but cool and pleasant. As for the flowers, plants and trees, they are just like the feeling of Jiyang City, prosperous and bustling, proud and proud.

After walking through the courtyard and the long corridor, the maid stopped in front of the prince and said with a smile, "Please come in, both of you."

He Yan and Xiao Jue walked in, and suddenly the view in front of them opened up.

The hall was very wide, with columns carved with water god patterns on the four corners, and auspicious cloud patterns painted on the top. The floor was covered with a thin blanket, as clear as gauze, embellished with some gold, and sparkling. For a moment, He Yan felt that the legendary Dragon Palace was probably like this.

With a mysterious beauty that grows wildly.

There is a main seat in the hall and a side seat, but at the moment, there is no one on either seat. Is the princess not here?

While He Yan was wondering, he heard footsteps coming from the back of the hall. Then, someone walked out from the high seat at the back of the hall.

This is a very beautiful woman.

She was very tall and thin, and although she was quite old, she still looked like a beauty in her old age. She wore a red robe with waves embroidered on the corners with gold thread. Her black hair was braided and tied up on top of her head, and she wore a small golden crown. Her skin was very white, but her eyes were very black, with a little red at the end of her eyes. Her facial features were gorgeous and deep, but her expression was a little cold. Even though there was a little smile on the corner of her lips, that smile was also high and mighty, like a frost flower standing on a cliff, blooming brilliantly but coldly. You could only watch her from a distance, and not get close to her.

It is rare to see a woman with such an imposing aura. She is already very beautiful, but her arrogance makes her beauty a burden.

Mu Hongjin walked out slowly and sat down on the high seat in the middle, looking down at He Yan and the others.

He Yan tugged at the corner of Xiao Jue's clothes, lowered his head, and said respectfully: "Yu Yan has seen His Highness."

No one answered for a long while.

Just when He Yan thought Mu Hongjin would continue to remain silent, Mu Hongjin spoke. Her voice was also very cold, gorgeous and unrestrained, which touched people's hearts bit by bit.

"I don't know how the Right Army Commander has time to disguise himself and come to Jiyang?"