"Everything is for Chu State!" Qu Xiaocang repeated: "Everything is for...the Holy One!"
Hong Mendao regained his composure, pondered for a moment, and finally said: "Back in the capital, every time I fall asleep, I dream about the wind and sand in the north. The sesame dumplings are delicious, but... the taste still doesn't seem to be as good as mutton. Burritos, let alone large wide noodles sprinkled with chopped green onion." He sighed softly: "So I suddenly understood that I was already accustomed to the life there. Sometimes people are really weird, and they want to escape from their original habitat every day. Some lives, only when you really lose them, do you realize that that is what you like the most.”
"You... want to go back to the north?" Qu Xiaocang frowned slightly.
Hong Mendao smiled and said: "I just hope to live a life that I really want to live. I have packed up and am ready to set off tomorrow."
Qu Xiaocang was silent for a moment and then said: "Compared to the north, the Shenhou Mansion needs you more now."
"Just pretend that I have never come back." Hongmendao said with a smile: "Second senior brother, Shenhou said back then that once you enter the Shenhou Mansion, you will always be a member of the Shenhou Mansion. I have never thought about leaving the Shenhou Mansion. I just hope that you will give me In two years, let me take a walk and see for myself.”
Qu Xiaocang thought for a moment and then said: "Go ahead. When you think about the glutinous rice balls in Zao'er Lane again, you will come back."
Hongmen said: "Thank you, Second Senior Brother." After a pause, he said: "There is one more thing I want to ask you for."
"you say!"
"Although Senior Brother has done something he shouldn't have done, personally, we were brothers." Hongmendao said slowly: "If Second Senior Brother can send someone to bury Senior Brother properly, I think all the brothers will be grateful. .”
Qu Xiaocang hesitated for a moment and then said softly: "He has been buried. You don't have to worry about this."
Hong Mendao stood up and bowed deeply to Qu Xiaocang without saying a word. He turned around and walked to the door. He suddenly thought of something and turned around and said: "Little junior sister has not eaten a grain of rice in three days. She has respected senior senior brother and you since she was a child." , we can’t persuade him.” He walked out and never looked back.
Qu Xiaocang sat for a long time and finally stood up.
Ximen Zhanying was placed under house arrest in a separate courtyard of Shenhou Mansion. This is Ximen Wuhen’s office in Shenhou Mansion. It is said to be an office, but in fact it is better to say it is a bookstore. The real secret of Shenhou Mansion. , and never here.
Qu Xiaocang came to the door. Two female officials from the Shenhou Mansion were guarding the door.
Although the Shenhou Mansion is dominated by men, it has also trained a group of female officials. The number is not large, but they are all smart and capable.
The door of the house is locked from the outside. In fact, there is no need for this lock. In the whole world, there are very few people in the world who are under house arrest in the Shenhou Mansion but can escape easily. When he walked to the door, Qu Xiaocang heard strange noises coming from inside. It seemed like the sound of sharpening a knife. He asked someone to unlock the door and entered the house. Sure enough, he saw Ximen Zhanying holding a knife and sharpening it on a whetstone.
After Qu Xiaocang came in, Ximen Zhanying didn't even raise his head.
"This knife is already very sharp, there is no need to keep sharpening it." Qu Xiaocang sat down on the chair and said calmly: "I sent someone to bring you books. They are all classics left by ancient sages. Read more Reading the teachings of saints will do you no harm."
Ximen Zhanying raised his head and sneered: "I haven't liked reading since I was a child. You should know that better than anyone."
"Why don't you eat?" Qu Xiaocang stared at Ximen Zhanying, and his beautiful face had obviously lost a lot of weight: "When you were young, Shenhou told you that you should never let yourself lose strength at any time. , and never say no to food.”
Ximen Zhanying stood up, put the knife back into the sheath on his waist, stared at Qu Xiaocang and said coldly: "What exactly do you want to do? What mistake did I make, why do you have me under house arrest here?"
"House arrest?" Qu Xiaocang frowned and said, "Have you forgotten that I told you that this was the intention of the Lord Shen? He asked you to stay here for two months and study hard. When he comes back, he will Examine him personally, and if you can satisfy him, you can leave."
"Question?" Ximen Zhanying asked: "Second senior brother, would you believe such a reason?" He clenched his fists and said coldly: "Tell me the truth, what happened to the Qi family?"
Qu Xiaocang's expression remained unchanged and he said calmly: "Why do you ask that?"
Ximen Zhanying sneered and said: "You know very well that you put me under house arrest here just to separate me from the Qi family." Walking up to Qu Xiaocang, his beautiful eyes were full of coldness: "What happened? What?"
Qu Xiaocang pondered for a moment and finally said: "Don't worry, nothing will happen to the Qi family. It's just some minor troubles that will be solved soon."
"You lied to me." Ximen Zhanying said angrily: "If it was just a small trouble, why did you put me under house arrest here? You... you are just worried that I will be involved in the Qi family's disaster, right?"
"Since you know, why do you have to ask more questions?" Qu Xiaocang frowned and said, "No one dares to touch a hair on your head here, I can guarantee you." He sighed: "Little junior sister, don't be so childish. Yes, I am your senior brother and I will never do anything to harm you."
Ximen Zhanying snorted coldly and said: "Then you know, I have married into the Qi family. I can't get rid of everything in the Qi family, and I don't want to get rid of it. From the day I entered the Qi family, I I am ready to share the blessings and misfortunes of the Qi family." After a pause, his voice softened slightly: "Second senior brother, tell me what happened to the Qi family, and... how is he now?"
Although Ximen Zhanying has an impulsive temperament and is even a little reckless, she is by no means a slow person. If anything happens, it will definitely start with Qi Ning. Knowing this, she is naturally extremely worried about Qi Ning's safety.
"He's fine." Qu Xiaocang said, "Just stay here with peace of mind." Staring into Ximen Zhanying's eyes, he said, "Since you really care about him, you should understand that if he knows that you are now being raped by Shenhou Naturally, you will feel at ease if you are protected by the mansion, but he definitely doesn’t want to see you torture yourself. If you want to see him, you have to be alive. If you want to survive, you can only eat. "
Ximen Zhanying stared into Qu Xiaocang's eyes, and suddenly turned around and walked out the door. When he reached the door, the two officials guarding the door immediately took out their swords and blocked Ximen Zhanying's way.
"Get out of the way!" Ximen Zhanying had already drawn the sword in his hand and raised it to pick. The two swords quickly changed their moves. They did not hurt Ximen Zhanying, but made Ximen Zhanying unable to move forward at all.
"Stop!" Qu Xiaocang stood up abruptly and shouted sternly: "Little junior sister, what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to find him!"
Qu Xiaocang's body flashed and he was already beside Ximen Zhanying. He put his hand on Ximen Zhanying's shoulder and pulled Ximen Zhanying away with a strong tug. His expression was stern: "I told you, stay here. You can't get out of the Shenhou Mansion. If you act on your own initiative, it will only make things worse, and even... may kill the person you have been worried about!"
Ximen Zhanying was stunned, and Qu Xiaocang didn't explain much and said in a deep voice: "Watch her." He never looked back and left with his hands behind his back.
At dusk, the eunuch Guihe arrived at the Shenhou Mansion, and Qu Xiaocang was naturally familiar with this person. When he was first called into the palace and found out that Qining was suspected of treason, it was the eunuch who personally told him that across the The emperor of Zhulian didn't say anything at that time.
The master in gray robes whom Qi Ning suspected was the chief disciple of Baiyun Island. It was Gui He who personally introduced Qu Xiaocang to the palace. In fact, it was this eunuch who planned to assassinate Qi Ning in front of the emperor. Xiao Cang explained.
Qu Xiaocang knew that Guihe was indeed the person the emperor trusted most. After the disappearance of Eunuch Fan Dehai, Guihe became the closest eunuch to the emperor.
Guihe's arrival immediately let Qu Xiaocang know that the emperor had a new will.
After bringing Guihe to a room with absolutely no walls and ears, Guihe took out half of the Black Iron Tablet from his arms, and Qu Xiaocang immediately took out half of the Black Iron Tablet from his body. Neither of them spoke. He put the black iron plate together, and it fit together seamlessly, turning into a complete iron plate. The iron plate carried the word "Emperor's Imperial Order" on the front, and the word "Order" carved out on the back.
The Shenhou Mansion is directly under the leadership of the emperor. Of course, everyone, including the Shenhou, obeys the emperor's orders.
When the emperor gave an order, in addition to occasionally summoning the prince of gods to the palace to personally assign tasks, more often than not he would send out his confidants and eunuchs to use the imperial edict as a token to convey the decree. Half of it was in the hands of the emperor, and the other half was In the hands of Shenhou, after Ximen Wuhen's body returned to the capital, the imperial edict that Ximen Wuhen carried personally was naturally found. When Xuanyuan Po was not in the capital, Qu Xiaocang, as the second senior brother, naturally Di took on the important task of protecting half of the imperial edict, and always carried it with him. At this moment, the imperial edict merged into one, which proved that Guihe came to convey the secret edict under the emperor's order.
Qu Xiaocang confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the imperial edict, put away the edict, knelt on the ground, and waited for Guihe to convey the secret decree.
Guihe stretched out his hand to help Qu Xiaocang up, and said with a smile: "Shenhou, please get up first. Here is the Holy Master's handwriting. It can only be read by the Shenhou himself, and it will be destroyed after reading it." He took the secret edict and handed it to Qu Xiaocang. Qu Xiaocang took it with both hands, glanced at it, his face changed slightly, but he quickly clenched the secret decree into a ball. When he opened his hand again, the secret decree had turned into powder.
"The Shenhou is really good at kung fu." Guihe said in a low voice with a smile: "The Holy Lord has decreed that after completing the task, the Shenhou will bring the things and go to the palace in person to receive the reward."
Qu Xiaocang looked calm and asked: "The secret decree does not mention the time limit. I wonder if my father-in-law can tell me!"
"Three days!" Guihe said: "Within three days, Shenhou must handle this matter neatly. Shenhou knows that if this matter is neglected, it may cause a lot of trouble. The emperor knows that Shenhou The government will definitely not let him down, so I entrust you with this important task."
Qu Xiaocang nodded and said, "Don't worry, father-in-law, I will definitely come back to the palace within three days!"