If the Clivia is well cared for, it can bloom all year round.

Apparently, Lian Shenwei's plant was the best among them. Even in autumn, as the room was warm, it kept blooming. Lian Shenwei would sometimes feel surprised that although his own body was sick, the flowers and birds he raised were doing very well.

He no longer has much power. Apart from the fact that the information network formed by Tiannan and Mingzhang is still sensitive, the Xuanjia Guard has been taken away and no reports from outside have been sent in for a long time.

Really being sidelined.

Lian Shenwei enjoyed his leisure and freedom.

If he were the little emperor now, he would definitely choose to take action against himself in the near future to eradicate the trouble permanently.

"Add some water to the ink."

Tiannan: “Yes.”

He couldn't help but take a closer look.

The owner has been painting this picture for more than a month.

He was a rough man, and at first no shape could be seen, only a few scattered lines, but now the whole picture can be seen.

It's a long scroll.

The overall feeling is ethereal and distant.

Green smoke dots the ink, temples and taverns, knights walking with swords on their shoulders, and young children running through the streets, all of which are vivid and vivid. This is not the scene of the capital.

The puzzled look on Tiannan's face was too obvious. Lian Shen smiled and said, "This is spring in Jinling. I haven't painted too many spring scenes yet, so you may not be able to see it."

Tiannan exclaimed: "How beautiful! Was the master born in such a place?"

Lian Shenwei: “Yeah.”

My sister likes snow and plum blossoms, so she likes winter. But he likes the feeling that spring brings him.

The last time I went to Jinling was also in summer, but he was never as happy as in spring.

He was in a good mood, so he called Ming Cang over and asked them to take a look together.

"The overall tone of this painting has been set. The colors cannot be too bright, only light colors can be used. I don't know whether it is a painting of spring or a spring rain. Both seem good."

One is brighter, the other is a little desolate, but both are worth the fun.

Ming Cang was not good at speaking, so he just said, "Master, all your paintings are good."

Tiannan quickly poked her and said, "You can draw one kind this time, but you can draw another kind next time, right? There is still a long way to go, there is always time."

“That’s right.”

Lian Shenwei narrowed his eyes and responded.

As he was about to put pen to paper with his sleeves rolled up, he suddenly frowned and couldn't help coughing a few times. Lian Shenwei put down his pen and quickly took out a handkerchief to cover his lips.

Unfortunately it's a little late.

There were already two drops of extremely bright red on the scroll.

Tiannan and Mingzhang are already adept at handling this situation.

Ming Cang quickly came in with a basin of water.

This coughing caused him to lose most of his strength, and Lian Shenwei's face turned pale. He was helped to sit down and took a moment to relax, then he slightly loosened the handkerchief in his hand and took a look.

The color of the handkerchief was changed to a lighter color.

The blood on it is very conspicuous, and there are almost undetectable tiny clots.

He took only one look and threw the handkerchief into the basin, then his eyes fell on the blood-stained scroll.

Before, he could sense it in advance every time he coughed because a bloody smell would rise from his throat. Now, it seemed as if all the taste had disappeared and he could no longer sense it in advance.

Tiannan murmured, "It's alright, Master. You can draw again later."

Lian Shenwei rinsed his mouth, frowned slightly, and after a long time, he picked up the pen again.

He smeared the blood and mixed some flower juice into it.

The color is still too bright. If this blood were to be painted as flowers and also to depict spring, then the entire light-toned spring scene would have been ruined.

After a little thought, he had made up his mind. Lian Shenwei changed his brush and spent two hours, and the whole painting suddenly changed its feel.

The plum blossoms on the corner of the wall are covered with snow-colored blood drops, the ends of the knight's hair are frost-white, the child is wearing more clothes and holding an umbrella with residual snow on it. A distant snowy mountain scene is added above, and a thin layer of powder is spread out, just like a snowy scene of red plum blossoms all over the mountain.

uncanny workmanship.

Tiannan was already stunned.

After Lian Shenwei finished the painting, he added his seal and signature, then put down his brush, with a look of regret in his eyes.

"One wrong stroke, and the warm spring turns into the cold winter."

Tiannan: "Master, do you still want to write a poem?"

"I prepared two lines of spring poetry, but they won't be used anymore," Lian Shenwei shook his head. "Let Qiu Che and the others think about it later. When we're done, we'll put it away."

He pinched his brows and said, "Ningfeng's army is returning to the court, but there is no welcoming banquet?"

Tiannan: "Have you forgotten? The day for the late emperor to be buried is approaching, and banquets are prohibited in the palace."

Lian Shenwei was stunned for a moment.

It's been so long.

Time has passed quickly this year.

He turned his head and glanced through the window at the falling autumn leaves in the courtyard.

Know the country.

Xiao Guangtuan reported: "The situation at the Buddhist Spring Temple is almost done. The information revealed is enough for them to guess some of your identity. Is the show about to begin?"

“Soon.”

Gong Du curled his eyes, then turned over happily while hugging the quilt.

The imperial palace.

Purple Palace.

"After this period of time, you will be given a celebration banquet."

Ying Jingjue's attitude towards Li Ningfeng remained the same as before. After Ningfeng returned from the border, he was able to help him share a lot of things.

The two of them sat opposite each other, their postures casual. Ying Jingjue personally poured him a glass of kumis: "You should be used to drinking this. This is my first time drinking it. You have to accompany me."

Li Ningfeng smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. We don't have to worry about these trivial matters."

Ying Jingjue: "How is your leg?"

"It couldn't be better," Li Ningfeng sighed, "Thanks to my master for asking Mr. Fu Biao to treat me. By the way, Your Majesty, I have something else to tell you."

Ying Jingjue was aroused by his mysterious expression: "What's the matter?"

Li Ningfeng: "My master is Ximian."

"Hmm..." Ying Jing decided to nod, then froze for a second before reacting, and asked in surprise: "What?!"

After a long time, he still remembered the young man in white who saved him from danger that night when he was attacked during his southern tour.

It turned out to be the mysterious master of Ningfeng? !

Did he save him during the southern tour because of Ning Feng's friendship with him?

There is nothing to hide about these things, and they are also related to Ying Jingjue.

Li Ningfeng slowly told him what he knew, saying that he was still very upset when Ximian injured his hand. Qiu Che told him a lot about his master.

The master was just as he thought, a chivalrous man with a sense of justice and loyalty.

However, according to Uncle Qiu's description, the master was sometimes very disobedient. He refused to take medicine when he was sick, was afraid of needles, and loved to tease people. When he was young, he was a person who loved to watch the fun and noisy things. He was clear about gratitude and resentment, and was very lively.

Whether it was his leg or the help from Qiu Che at the border, Ximian was a man who had made contributions to the country. But he never showed up, and even Qiu Che disappeared after leaving the border.

Li Ningfeng finished speaking, and said a little sourly: "I have never met the master."

Ying Jingjue rolled his eyes at him: "Stingy."

He sighed in his heart about the friendship between the Jianghu and recalled for a moment: "When Mr. Ximian saved me, he was wearing a veil, which obscured his figure. It was a dark rainy night, so I couldn't see him clearly. I only remember that he was very thin."

Li Ningfeng pursed his lips and said, "Master's kindness is as great as a mountain. When I'm done with my work here, I will definitely pester Master to ask him where he lives and serve him well."

“It should be.”

"Your Majesty doesn't look well."

"I still have a lot of dreams," Ying Jingjue said, "I haven't had a good sleep for a long time. I always dream about the past, which seems to be the memory before I got sick at the age of six."

"Your Majesty was six years old... I think you just met me. I only remember that Your Majesty had just been brought back from outside."

"So you don't know where my mother's hometown is." Ying Jingjue sighed.

"Your Majesty, if you have trouble sleeping, I have something here called Meng Po powder. Mix it with spices and it will be more effective than tranquilizing incense. When I was treating my leg, I couldn't sleep every night because of the pain. Mr. Fu Biao lit this incense and I could sleep until dawn."

"Okay, come back and bring some back."

The two chatted about this and that and then got back to business.

Li Ningfeng returned to Beijing mainly for this matter.

"Your Majesty, have you decided when to act? It would be better not to make a fuss."

Ying Jing decided: "The day I enter the Foquan Temple, I will give my father an explanation."

Ye Mansion.

The windows of the study were wide open, and the moonlight outside seeped in easily.

Ye Mingqin sat at the table, staring at official documents in a daze.

She has seen clearly the ups and downs in the court, including the various clashes between the Regent and His Majesty over the past year... Now the fall of her sworn brother is inevitable.

She went to the Regent's Palace several times, but unfortunately the door was always closed.

My brother-in-law doesn't see her.

Anything related to her brother-in-law would always turn out to be complicated and intricate, and she always felt that her brother-in-law fell from power too quickly.

It doesn't seem like his all-out effort at all.

This year, it was very difficult for Her Majesty to seize power, but the feeling her brother gave her was not that he was fighting back hard, but rather that he was doing it with ease.

But the parasites who were removed from office one after another were indeed closely related to her brother-in-law. She even found out several pieces of evidence that her brother-in-law had accepted huge bribes from those officials.

There's someone knocking on the door.

Ye Mingqin came back to his senses: "Yan Niang? Come in."

A woman in a Xiangfei-colored dress came in, put down a bowl of soup, and gently gave Ye Mingqin a lamp, "Master Ye, be careful not to hurt your eyes."

Yan Niang was the woman Ye Mingqin rescued from a house next to a brothel in the suburbs during the Luan Qingan collusion case.

Blind Ade has some unclear relationship with Luan Qinggan. She is Blind Ade's woman and gave birth to a child with Northern Yi descent and light-colored eyes with Ade.

The investigation of Luan Qingan's case had made no progress when it came to Yanniang. Ye Mingqin felt sorry for her, so after investigating Yanniang's background, she kept her in the mansion as a maid.

Ye Mingqin: "The court is busy. These must be dealt with before your Majesty goes to Foquan Temple. It will be very late. You don't need to accompany me."

Yan Niang said softly, "Yes," and then hesitantly said, "Master Ye is the most amazing woman I have ever seen. Will you go to the Foquan Temple in a few days?"

"Of course, I also work in the Ministry of Rites."

Ye Mingqin also wanted to relax a little, but many officials had been detained during this period, resulting in a shortage of available talents in the court. He would have to wait until the next imperial examination or the arrival of people transferred from local areas before he could relax a little.

She held two jobs and received a salary from one. Although the national treasury was indeed short of money, she sometimes couldn't help but want to curse the court for being greedy.

The left chancellor and several secretaries were so busy that they could hardly keep their feet from moving. They could see blisters on their lips about to appear.

She glanced at Yan Niang and narrowed her eyes imperceptibly, "What's the matter, Yan Niang?"

Yan Niang hurriedly shook her head, "No."

She bit her lower lip and said, "I will go down first, Master, have a good rest."

Ye Mingqin stared at her back, and when she walked to the door, he said with concern: "Yan Niang, your child is also at the age to go to school. If you are at ease, I can teach him."

The tangled look in Yan Niang's eyes became even more intense, her nails almost digging into her palms, "Yes, I thank you for your grace, sir."

She left quickly.

Ye Mingqin just said these caring words, but there was a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Yanniang is a gentle woman with a good nature. Although she has some little thoughts of her own due to her past experiences, she is actually pure and kind. She has taken care of her in every possible way in the mansion over the past year, so what is she hiding from her?

After Li Ningfeng returned to his residence, he sent the remaining Meng Po powder to the palace.

All items used for protection had to be inspected by the Imperial Medical Bureau. After confirming that Meng Po Powder was safe and had a calming effect, the doctors in the Imperial Medical Bureau secretly kept some of it to further study the formula ratio, and the rest were all sent to the Purple Palace.

Xiao Zhizi sprinkled some in the incense burner, thinking that His Majesty could finally have a good sleep this time and would not have to be woken up in the middle of the night, so he happily turned off the lights and stood guard in the outer room.

Ying Jingjue indeed did not wake up all night.

He slept deeply, but fell into deeper and clearer dreams.

[fire.

There was fire everywhere.

The house, the pillars, the exquisite attics were all engulfed in the raging flames.

Many people in night clothes stood on the roof, their faces covered with black cloth, with uniform knives on their waists, staring at the fighting below with indifference.

The killers, armed with different weapons, were extremely vicious, and carried out the massacre in a playful manner like a cat catching a mouse.

Some people threw the severed heads and torsos into the yard, while others held up a list and counted and marked the names.

The stench of the corpse being burned by fire and hot oil is nauseating, and the reflection of the small lake outside the pavilion distorts the picture into purgatory.

"Oh, I haven't told you yet. I heard that you are the young master of the manor? You are a beauty. Not to mention King Xiao, we brothers would be moved when we see you."

The woman whose chin was lifted up was covered in blood, and the glass sword in her hand was already stained and dirty, and there was no trace of its original clean appearance.

The woman spat out a mouthful of blood, her eyes filled with hatred: "Royal...coward! Dog emperor!"

"Where is the Xiao King? Tell him to come out!"

"No, brothers are all doing things for money. Wait, where is your brother? The two elders are dead. The only direct bloodline of Fudu Villa is you and your brother. Where is he?"

The woman bit the man's finger and bit off a piece of it!

The man wailed and kicked the woman out. The long sword in the woman's hand slipped out, and she fell to the ground. But she laughed, a little crazy, with tears in her eyes.

She struggled and lay on the ground, looking towards one place.

There was a door ajar, and she could see a child standing there in stunned fear.

The coldness in the woman's eyes melted away, and the light in her eyes flickered, tender and gentle, her lips opened and closed silently: "Jing Jue, hide..."

"Wait until your uncle comes back."

"Revenge..."

A sword was lodged in the back of her neck.

Blood gushed out of the woman's mouth and mixed with the blood on the ground, seemingly forming a river.

The child forgot to breathe and tears welled up in his eyes. He was too young and didn't know what death was, nor did he know why his home became like this overnight.

The child opened his mouth to cry, but was covered tightly by a cold hand.

"Tsk."

The boy dressed as a scholar was trembling with fear. He hurriedly recited a few lines from the Analects and "Saints' Blessings" and whispered in the child's ear: "Don't talk."

The child nodded with tears in his eyes.

"Brother Acheng..."

The boy named Acheng shook his head crazily and said, "Call me uncle."

The fear in his eyes was no less than anyone else's, but he emphasized it again, saying in a trembling voice: "From now on, no matter who asks you, I am your uncle, understand?"

The child nodded obediently: "Uncle..."

"Uh-huh!"

The scholarly boy quickly stuffed the child under the bed and pulled the quilt down. His arms and legs were limp. He had never held a sword before. He only held a pen and had never even killed a chicken.

His ancestors had been generals, and his eldest brother was also a very powerful swordsman. He often looked down on him for being weak, saying that after so many years of being enemies, their only enemy was a sour, stupid little scholar.

The eldest brother disliked him, but he always took good care of him.

Ximian is the eldest brother's best friend. He was taken care of at Fudu Villa, so he should repay the kindness. A drop of water should be repaid with a spring of water.

The young scholar kept wiping away tears. He couldn't get in, so he lay on the ground and talked to the child under the bed: "You must survive. Tell my brother not to blame Brother Ximian in the future. Give me some money during the holidays. I have to buy books when I go downstairs. Read more books on your way to reincarnation, and you may be smarter in your next life..."

He told the child to keep quiet, whispered a few words himself, and then ran out in panic.

When he reached the door, he stopped and ran into a man in black holding a knife.

The young scholar was frightened on the spot and backed away step by step. After taking a few steps back, he suddenly remembered something, stopped, and subconsciously looked in the direction of the bed.

The child under the bed heard a plop and peeped out one eye in fear. He saw a pool of blood slowly flowing out from the side of his neck and a piece of black clothes embroidered with dark gold patterns.

Someone was walking towards the bed with a knife in hand.

The child was pulled out, but the man in black didn't kill him. He just pointed at the body on the ground and asked, "Who is he?"

The child answered blankly.

"...Uncle."

"He is...my uncle..."]

His consciousness returned to darkness again, and a tear flowed from the corner of the eye of the young emperor who was sleeping soundly on the dragon couch.

Foquan Temple.

Everything that had been discovered during the past year was laid out on the table.

Moda looked at it for a long time and was extremely shocked.

He had doubted Lian Shenwei's former identity and his motives for doing things, but he didn't expect that what he saw was just the tip of the iceberg.

This regent of the Great Sheng Dynasty actually came from the former Fudu Villa.

"...The royal family's secret guards were replaced a long time ago, and none of the original ones survived. I have been investigating in Nanjing for a whole year, but I have not found much information. I can barely infer something, but it is not accurate."

"The great army of Dasheng has returned to the imperial court, and the royal court has been defeated again. Grand Master, you..."

Moda: “You don’t have to tell me.”

"I just didn't expect that the most important thing for the Great Sheng Dynasty to get rid of was not the young emperor and those talented generals, but the regent who cultivated the young emperor into what he is today. The young emperor is young and naive, and the fact that Lian Shenwei is still alive is the biggest variable."

Jinling had been investigating for such a long time, but only had this little bit of information. He integrated and deduced it for a long time, half guessing, and finally guessed something.

"Has there been any activity in the Regent's Palace recently?"

"no."

"No movement is the biggest movement. How could someone like Shen Wei really let the little emperor kill him? I'm afraid he will run away."

Moda narrowed his eyes and said, "Let's change some of the previous arrangements. We need to change the plan."