About ten miles outside the western city of the royal capital, there is a rolling pasture, a small clear river flows from the side, and the other side of the river bank is a dense forest. Due to the quiet scenery, complete terrain, and close proximity to the official road, it has always been a place for your sons to ride horses or practice riding and shooting.
The sound of hoofs is like rain, and the two horses galloping along the river bank are one after the other. The horses are like dragons, the people are like brocades, and the bridles are carved with saddles. It is rare that the riding skills are matched with each other. Turning the horse's head and stepping into Hanoi, the water splashed everywhere, soaking the soap boots and arrows.
"Jing Rui! Don't be crazy, it's winter, come up to me!" The man on the shore reined in his horse and shouted loudly.
As if the knight in the water didn't hear it, he stepped on the water with the jade cong under his crotch, and the water depth was gradually reaching the horse's belly.
"Okay!" The people on the shore also became angry, "Aren't you coming up? Then I'll go down, the big deal is to freeze, and then get sick like before..."
Following these words, the person on the shore rushed down without any ambiguity. His companion finally reacted. He pulled the horse to block it, and the two riders stayed side by side and ran diagonally up. After crossing a small slope, Xiao Jingrui suddenly took the reins and jumped. He got off his horse, ran a few steps with all his strength, and fell to the ground at once, burying his head in the deep weeds.
Yan Yujin shook his head, also threw the stirrup and dismounted, walked over and kicked his stomach softly: "Hey, are you pretending to be dead?"
The man on the ground didn't even snort, his jet-black hair scattered on his cheeks, and together with the weeds, he covered his face tightly.
"I really can't do anything about you." Yan Yujin sat down beside him, took a piece of grass and put it in his mouth, "Didn't you like to pretend to be generous since you were a child? Who doesn't know that Young Master Xiao has a broad mind, He is gentle and elegant, and he is a rare gentleman. Why are you making trouble now? Brother Su didn't say anything, so how could you be so angry with you?"
Xiao Jingrui turned around suddenly, his face tensed, his eyes staring straight at the sky.
"After drying your back, are you going to be tanning your belly?" Yan Yujin grinned beside him and fiddled with his ears with a blade of grass, "Are your shoes and socks wet? Take them off and dry them together."
"Go away, don't bother me!" Xiao Jingrui opened his hand.
Yan Yujin immediately raised his eyebrows: "Hey! You see clearly, it's me, I'm not your punching bag, you've been treated coldly by other friends, but don't ask me to make up for it, I've never put anyone in bed. habit!"
Xiao Jingrui rolled over and sat up, staring at him angrily: "What did you say?"
"I'm afraid of you if you stare at me?" Yan Yujin stared back, his voice higher than his voice, "You are angry because you feel left out! Brother Cong Su said to you, 'Jing Rui, don't ask, When it's none of your business', you're already starting to feel uncomfortable, right?"
"I do not have… "
"Don't pretend to be in front of me," Yan Yujin stopped him in a sentence, "then out of the palace, he doesn't want to ride in a carriage, he said he wants to walk slowly by himself, and think about it if you have something ready. I can't see your expression at that time... Later, I chased after him to accompany him, but was rejected? It was not a courtesy, it was a rejection, it was a clear statement that I didn't want you to follow him, why don't you understand?"
"I understand!"
"I understand why you are still betting? At that time, you said that sentence like a child, like 'then go by yourself, I'm going to play polo', how do you expect him to answer you? Do you want to hear him say?' Jing Rui, why are you like this? I'm sick and you still want to leave me to play/'? It's just a truth, you don't turn around and leave in anger, right?"
"But we are friends," Xiao Jingrui bit his lower lip, "Shouldn't friends care about each other when they get along?"
Yan Yujin shrugged and said with a flat mouth, "You still said that you understand. Let me tell you, Brother Su said that, not to refuse you to care about him, he really, really wants to Go back slowly by yourself! As for why he wants to walk on the street by himself, I haven't figured it out yet. I originally planned to follow him secretly, but you idiot turned around and left, so I had to chase you over. ."
"You mean..." Xiao Jingrui asked in a daze, "Brother Su wants to go alone, not only for things, but also for other purposes?"
Yan Yujin laughed a few times and squinted at his friend, "Jing Rui, don't you think that Brother Su came to Jinling with us until now to recuperate?"
"I..." Xiao Jingrui sneered, "Of course I'm not that slow... He doesn't seem to be deliberately trying to hide from us, and has been letting things develop like this..."
"Brother Su got involved in this series of events after arriving in the capital. It must not be accidental. All his actions should have his specific purpose, but unfortunately we don't know what he wants to do."
Xiao Jingrui's two thick and clear eyebrows swept to the center, squeezed out two lines, and sighed again, "I think I know..."
"You know?" Yan Yujin's eyes widened immediately, and he pressed down on him, "Then talk about it!"
"I asked Xie Bi to find out. The 'the talent of the unicorn' he mentioned at that time was originally mentioned by the pavilion master of Langya. The prince and Prince Yu are vying for him, and the root cause is also here," Xiao Jingrui pushed the pile on him. Weight, if you don't push it, it's okay, "I think, with Brother Su's ability and the power of the Jiang Zuo League, it's impossible for him to know about this after he arrived in the capital..."
"Well," Yan Yujin nodded, "it makes sense, continue."
"Since Brother Su has long known that the Crown Prince and Prince Yu are interested in him, then even if he doesn't come to the capital, trouble will still come to him. Maybe not only himself, but also the entire Jiang Zuo League will be involved. already."
"So the Sect Master went to the capital to deal with it in order not to lead the trouble to Langzhou?" Yan Yujin tilted his head and smiled, "It also makes sense, someone like you would guess the result. ."
"Of course I'm not that naive anymore!" Xiao Jingrui slapped the head hanging above him in embarrassment, "But Brother Su is very passive in this matter! The power of the Crown Prince and King Yu is by no means a Jianghu gang can compete with. Besides, Brother Su is full of talents and knowledge, and he is resourceful and decisive, and he is indeed worthy of the reputation of a unicorn talent. Even if he came to the capital and really wanted to choose the master, there is nothing wrong with it. He won the fame of the world? Besides, you and I can see how much he cares about his Jiang Zuo alliance. If he succeeds in the capital, the Jiang Zuo alliance will be supported by the court. This is also one of his goals..."
"Then what are you going to do?" Yan Yujin looked at him deeply, "He is a Jianghu man, but he wants to get involved in political disputes to gain fame. You are obviously a son of the Hou family, but you always hope to stay at ease and not get involved in political affairs. , you are obviously two opposites, why do you still value him so much?"
"These are two different things! I value Brother Su because he is a good friend worth making, and it has nothing to do with whether he will enter an official career in the future, right?"
"But the path he chooses is not the same as that of the scholars in the world," Yan Yujin's tone gradually revealed a coldness, "Jing Rui, Brother Su is obviously going to participate in the struggle for succession, so you Don't you feel a little uneasy?"
Xiao Jingrui pursed his lips and thought for a long time, then sighed, "Yes, I'm a little worried, in case the party he chose loses in the future..."
"That's not what I meant," Yan Yujin interrupted him immediately, "I don't care which side he chooses, but what about you? Aren't you afraid that Xie Fu's position is just the opposite of his?"
Xiao Jingrui really never thought of going up to this level. After staying for a long time, he said, "There won't be such a problem, right? Although Xie Bi is a little more inclined towards King Yu, my father is very neutral..."
"Your father can't be neutral all the time!" Yan Yujin asserted, "Your father is different from my father. Although my father holds the post of Hou, he is an idler. Your father is the head of the military officials and the pillar of the imperial court. Storage is the biggest thing for the royal family in all dynasties, how can it be so easy to stay out of it."
"But... but..." Xiao Jingrui thought about it carefully, thinking of the worst place, suddenly felt horrified, and broke out in a cold sweat.
"Hey, hey," Yan Yujin hurriedly slapped his pale cheeks, "the chance is 50 to 50, it's not low, you don't need to scare yourself like this so early, right?"
Xiao Jingrui lifted his friend away with a heavy expression, "No, I'm still going to persuade Brother Su, the water in the court is too muddy, he'd better not come in..."
"Cut, you yourself said he was passive, even if he promised you, did the Crown Prince and Prince Yu agree?" Yan Yujin clapped the grass clippings on his hands and sat up cross-legged, "Jing Rui, to be honest, Things are out of our control for a long time, I just remind you that in the future, you may not be friends or enemies, so don't be too fond of him."
Xiao Jingrui's whole body froze, whether he was surprised because he couldn't understand why the other party said this, or was shocked because he understood the deep meaning of his words. He stared blankly at Yan Yujin for a long time without answering a word.
"Hey," the uncle, who has never been serious, showed a rare serious expression, put both hands on Xiao Jingrui's shoulders, and said in a low voice, "You should also understand that Brother Su is a different person from us. , how deep and hard his heart is, and what kind of thoughts are in it, we can't see through it at all... But you are different, your heart is too hot, too soft, and too real, so listen to me Let's keep a little distance, isn't it good for everyone to only maintain a general relationship? He is no longer the brother Su you brought to Beijing and promised to take care of him to recuperate. I'm sure he doesn't have any spare time in his mind now. Thinking of you, if you still regard him as a good friend as hotly as before, you will definitely be the one who will suffer in the future, do you understand?"
"Yujin..."
"It's a good friend who only told you these words. From now on, you have to tell yourself that Su Zhe is a friend you met by chance and didn't have a deep relationship with. You went to Beijing together, and he stayed in your guest house, that's all. You Stop taking him unilaterally as your confidant. I don't know how intimate he is to you. I only know that in his eyes, you can't be his confidant as well. Because if you say something bad, Su Brother is a bottomless person, whether it is you or me, no matter how beautiful we are, we are not qualified to be his confidants."
Xiao Jingrui had almost never seen Yan Yujin speak to him so solemnly, he couldn't help being shocked, he lowered his head and thought for a while, after thinking about it, his words were not wrong, but the subtle feelings between people, how could it be? Is it possible to separate these three words clearly and clearly
"Okay, after talking, think about it slowly." Yan Yujin jumped up, dragged Xiao Jingrui's arm and pulled him up, showing a heartless smile, "Now accompany me to Miaoyinfang Listening to the tune, I haven't been there for a long time, Miss Gong Yu must miss me, I heard that there is a new tune by Mr. Thirteen, how about we go to the lake to see the lights on the painting boat at night?"
"What else," Xiao Jingrui rolled his eyes at him, "Your eldest young master asked me to accompany you, do you dare not to accompany me?"
"Haha, that's how you know each other. You're not afraid of the cold even if you're wet, let's go, you'll change your clothes when you get to Miaoyinfang..."
"Yujin..."
"Um?"
"I'd better go back and change my clothes..."
"Please, your home is in the city, and Miaoyinfang is at the west gate. Can't you tell where it is?"
Xiao Jingrui's gaze lingered on the ground for a while, and said in a low voice, "I still want to go back and have a look... I don't know if Brother Su is going alone... Did he get home..."
Yan Yujin slumped his shoulders, his expression extremely helpless.
"I turned around and left. What was your reaction when you saw him?"
"There was no reaction at all." Yan Yujin said with a stern face, "He was really thinking about things at the time, he didn't notice that you were angry at all, and he still took his original steps, taking a step by step slowly. away."
"You also know that he has symptoms of a disease after drinking that glass of wine. He walks slowly because he is uncomfortable. Even if he is just an ordinary friend like you said, he should pay attention. If he is half-dizzy, What should I do if I fall down? After all, this capital is not Jiang Zuo, and Fei Liu did not follow him.
"Okay, okay," Yan Yujin raised his hands to admit defeat, "It's as if I really have no heart. According to you, look for him along the road first. Send it back first and then listen to the song, don't you mean that?"
"Why does it sound strangely awkward no matter what you say?"
"Are my words awkward or you?" Yan Yujin snorted, "What kind of person is the suzerain of the Jiang Zuo League? Since he came to Jinling not to recuperate, he would never really only bring One Fei Liu came. I don’t know about the others, but the four experts in Jianghu who escorted me to Beijing are still living in the city and haven’t left.”
"Just take a look, I'm afraid in case..."
"It's all up to you, so what else are you talking about?" Yan Yujin turned around and brought the two of them's mounts over, threw Xiao Jingrui's reins to him, clambered on the saddle himself, put his left foot into the stirrup, and his right foot was just With a forceful kick, there was a sudden "Ouch" sound.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Jingrui turned his head.
"I almost slipped when I stepped on a rock." Yan Yujin retracted his left foot, pushed the gravel, and kicked it away.
The landing point of the stone was a depression in the grass field. Due to the dense grass, the falling stone itself did not make a loud noise, but the sound of the grass was clearer.
"Where are you eavesdropping?" Yan Yujin raised his eyebrows and shouted loudly.
"I'll come to you first, then come later, so what about eavesdropping?" A voice rang out calmly, "I've tried my best not to disturb you, but a stone falls from the sky, so I must be allowed to hide?"
Following the clear voice, a person slowly stood up in front of the two noble sons. He was dressed in a simple tuxedo silk robe, tall and slender, with long hair half-tied and half-draped, and his eyes were deep, like a smile that was not a smile. He clearly had a young and handsome face, but there was a strand of white hair on his forehead. The looming traces of silk added to his feminine temperament.