The prince winked at Chu Xinian, as if to hint at something, wanting him to help him. But Chu Xinian lowered his eyes and adjusted his sleeves, pretending not to see anything.
Xie Jingyuan couldn't think of any solution for a while. Although he had soldiers, he couldn't put a knife on someone's neck and force him to donate. This kind of job was notoriously thankless and offensive.
Xie Jingyuan frowned and said, "You go back first. I'll tell you when I come up with a solution."
The prince touched the tip of his nose and said, "I didn't expect you to come up with a solution..."
The person he wanted to find was Chu Xinian.
Xie Jingyuan narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, and said with a fake smile: "Beggars complain that the food is rotten. Then don't count on me, go door to door to collect food yourself."
The prince thought that this was not okay, as he would become a beggar. "Why can't I just have a cup of tea at your general's mansion before leaving?"
Xie Jingyuan sneered: "Okay, drink if you want, and leave when you're done. I'll watch you drink."
So the final result was that the three of them sat around a table, staring at each other.
Chu Xinian lowered his eyes and pondered what the prince had just said. The matter of collecting grain was indeed difficult, but if it was done well, it would be a great achievement. The officials were shrewd and cunning, so it was impossible to find any flaws in them, so the only way was to make money from the merchants.
In a flash, a solution came to Chu Xinian's mind. However, he didn't know if he was teasing the prince on purpose, as he watched him drink cup after cup of tea without saying a word.
Xie Jingyuan pushed Chu Xinian under the table and said with disdain: "Hurry up and find a way to get rid of him."
Otherwise, the shameless prince would really be able to stay overnight in their house.
Chu Xinian pressed Xie Jingyuan's hand and said, "It takes time to come up with a good solution. Don't worry, General. We will find a way."
Xie Jingyuan gnashed his teeth and said, "If you keep thinking about this, he will empty out my general's mansion."
Chu Xinian subconsciously looked up and saw the prince finishing his tea and holding an antique ornament in the room, admiring it. He said that it was an antique from the previous dynasty and would be worth a lot of money if sold. He handed it to the entourage behind him, saying that it was a donation from General Xie for the disaster victims.
It would be fine if he just took one, but what does it mean for him to take two after another
The prince set his eyes on a statue of the Peacock King and pointed at it in amazement, saying, "Hey, this is obviously a good thing, lifelike and exquisitely crafted. After all, General Xie's mansion has many good things. I will gladly accept it."
Just as he was about to repeat his old trick and stuff it into the servant's arms, a slender hand suddenly pressed down on the Buddha statue. It was Chu Xinian. He said with a half-smile, "Your Highness wants to sell a good Buddha statue. Isn't that blasphemy? What will you do if you are punished by God?"
Xie Jingyuan was much more straightforward. He glared at the prince and said sarcastically, "Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"
After saying this, he snatched the Buddha statue back.
The prince's hands were empty, and he looked embarrassed: "Anyway, all civil and military officials have to donate silver and grain, so I will just treat it as your donation in advance. Look at how stingy you are."
Xie Jingyuan lifted his robe and sat down again: "Even if this general emptied out the entire mansion, I'm afraid it would not be enough to fill the hole caused by the locust plague in the north."
The prince said angrily, "Those old guys guarded the gold and silver treasures and wanted to take them into their coffins. Today I will send secret guards to steal from every household and take as much as they can!"
Chu Xinian smiled and clapped his hands, not minding the excitement: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is wise, this is a really good idea."
Xie Jingyuan said coldly: "It's obviously a bad idea. It's okay for him to make trouble, but you are also fooling around."
Is it appropriate for a crown prince to steal things
Chu Xinian then stopped smiling, leaned back in his chair lazily, and said with his head propped up, "I have a plan that will not only get the officials and merchants to contribute money, but will also secretly make the King of Jin fall. I wonder if the Crown Prince is willing to listen?"
The prince immediately came over with a shameless face: "Go ahead and talk. I'm listening."
Chu Xinian raised his eyebrows lightly and asked with a smile: "Your Highness, aren't you afraid that I'm a spy sent by Prince Jin's Mansion?"
It was inevitable that people would feel embarrassed when he brought up the past. Even Xie Jingyuan looked over, coughed softly, and said nothing.
The prince said, "Don't doubt people when you employ them. If you doubt people, don't employ them. If I and Jingyuan really fall into your hands in the future, it will be our fault for not being able to judge people. Your life and death will be determined by fate. No one else can be blamed."
He and Xie Jingyuan are both people who are determined to go all the way. A not-so-smart prince and a general trapped in a cage, thus forming the villain alliance in "A Thousand Years of Marquisship".
Xie Jingyuan had a grudge for having his entire family wiped out, and the prince had a grudge for having his mother killed.
Chu Xinian was so focused on Xie Jingyuan that he sometimes forgot that the prince's background was not much better. He once witnessed his mother being strangled to death by his father.
Xie Jingyuan didn't know if he had the same idea as him. His narrow eyes slowly drooped, and his eyelashes cast a shadow. The sun was setting, and the light and shadow moved, dividing his face into two halves from the middle of his eyebrows.
Half of it is flawless and still belongs to the human world; the other half is covered with cold iron and has long belonged to hell.
The prince squatted in front of Chu Xinian, looked at him curiously, then looked at Xie Jingyuan, and for a moment he didn't understand why both of them were silent.
The prince was a frivolous person, and his happiness or unhappiness was written all over his face. He had no idea that his rebellion would fail, and he would be imprisoned in the East Palace and hang himself.
Chu Xinian saw the prince in a bright yellow python robe and a dragon pendant on his waist. For a moment, he found it hard to imagine how this nobleman would end up in such a miserable state. He simply stopped teasing him and whispered his methods one by one. Finally, he made a summary: "… Officials care about their reputation, merchants pursue fame and fortune, and aristocratic families think highly of themselves. Even if you do nothing, they will rack their brains to send money to you."
The prince's eyes sparkled when he heard this, but he still couldn't believe it and asked, "Will the civil and military officials really give me money?"
Xie Jingyuan raised his eyelids and said, "I don't know whether they will send it or not, but the General's Mansion will definitely not send it."
The prince got a good idea and wanted to do it immediately. He said to Xie Jingyuan, "I already know that you are a miser and don't want to spend a penny. I won't bother with you. I will settle accounts with you after we finish collecting grain."
After he finished speaking, he bowed to Chu Xinian as a way of thanking him, then turned around and left in a hurry.
Xie Jingyuan's expression really changed, and he sneered at Chu Xinian, "You shouldn't have helped him."
The courtyard was deserted and silent. Chu Xinian reached out and pulled Xie Jingyuan into his arms, taking off the mask on his face. The sky-high clouds fell on the two of them, adding a bit of magnificence.
"It was the general who told me to come up with a solution, and it was also the general who didn't let me help. What should I do?"
Chu Xinian rubbed his lower lip with her fingertips, with an inexplicable erotic aura. Just as Xie Jingyuan was about to speak, Chu Xinian's fingertips suddenly found a gap and penetrated into his mouth, stirring it gently.
"Um... Chu Xinian..."
Xie Jingyuan's Adam's apple rolled and he wanted to push him away. This kind of thing should happen once, why does Chu Xinian do it again and again
"Shh..."
Chu Xinian smiled and whispered in his ear: "General, lick it..."
He teased Xie Jingyuan's soft tongue with his fingertips, which was extremely flexible, and then slowly increased the number to three, until it was completely wet, and then he gently pulled it out.
Xie Jingyuan choked, and the corners of his mouth were a little red because he hadn't closed them for a long time. He grabbed Chu Xinian's wrist, as if he had finally given up, and after a long while he reluctantly said, "Use the things in the box."
Chu Xinian moved his fingertips: "General, what do you mean, ointment?"
Xie Jingyuan felt that he was deliberately torturing him: "Apart from this, what else is there?"
"All right."
Chu Xinian finally stopped teasing him, smiled, carried Xie Jingyuan into the inner room, and gently threw him on the bed. The ointment box that had been gathering dust in the bedside cabinet finally had a use.
Chu Xinian dug out a piece of ointment and used it with ease. Seeing Xie Jingyuan gasping for breath, he asked with a smile, "General, is this good to use?"
"… "
Xie Jingyuan couldn't say what it was like, feeling a little impatient and empty. He eagerly kissed Chu Xinian's lips and tongue, then wrapped his arms around his waist, silently signaling him to hurry up.
The body temperature rises sharply,
Eyes gradually turned red.
Xie Jingyuan's whole body was tense, his muscles were taut, and his lines were smooth and clear. Just because of the sensory stimulation, his eyes trembled uncontrollably, his eyelashes were wet, and his rapid breathing was very obvious.
His voice was broken, and he bit his lower lip unconsciously, saying with a nasal voice: "Chu... Chu Xinian..."
"What does the General have to say?"
Chu Xinian gently bit Xie Jingyuan's earlobe from behind. He really loved this body, one more would be too much, one less would be too little, this was just right.
Xie Jingyuan's mind was in a mess. When he was in the mood, he didn't know what he was doing, and he said a lot of dirty words without any guidance. When he was in the army, he had heard a lot of dirty words, but he didn't expect that they would come in handy today.
Chu Xinian's ears were a little hot after listening to this. He lowered his body to cover up the muffled groan that escaped from Xie Jingyuan's lips, and said with a curled lip: "General, you can say it in front of me, but you are not allowed to say it in front of others."
Xie Jingyuan was covered and couldn't speak. He could only nod with red eyes and wet eyelashes.
"So good."
Chu Xinian kissed his eyes with satisfaction.
They used up most of the last box of ointment, and only a few were left, so they called it a day. It can only be said that Xie Jingyuan is worthy of being a martial artist, and his endurance is better than others.
When he fell asleep at night, Xie Jingyuan was so tired that he could hardly open his eyelids. But thinking of the prince's grain collection, he still asked, "Is your method really useful?"
They maintained the embrace and never separated.
Chu Xinian quietly opened his eyes in the dark when he heard that, and held Xie Jingyuan tighter in his arms from behind. It was unknown what he said, but Xie Jingyuan groaned softly.
Chu Xinian sighed softly, implying something: "General, do you think this ointment is really useful?"
Xie Jingyuan didn't know how Chu Xinian could say such obscene words with such a bright and sunny appearance. Even if he was not particular about trivial matters, his face was inevitably embarrassed. He glanced at him and said, "Who asked you this?"
Chu Xinian smiled and said, "General, are you referring to the Crown Prince? This method is naturally no problem."
Chu Xinian is setting up a big plan, which can not only force the King of Jin into a corner, but also use the power of the King of Yan to pull down the King of Yan. Today's matter of the Crown Prince collecting grain is just the beginning.
He would quietly weaken the power of the King of Jin, first by his reputation, then by his financial resources, and then eliminate all of his advisers one by one.
Once these things are done, the game can begin to wind down, and Xie Jingyuan's revenge will naturally be avenged.
"Lanting..."
Chu Xinian suddenly called out to Xie Jingyuan, then tilted his head and kissed him.
Xie Jingyuan said nothing, retreating into Chu Xinian's arms. Every time at this time, he would feel that the hatred in his heart was less, and he would not have the feeling of destruction like dying together.
Perhaps because he was too tired today, when Xie Jingyuan fell into a deep sleep, he dreamed of the events of the previous year. The Xie family was annihilated, and hundreds of generals risked their lives to escort them out of the city, but in the end, not a single one was left alive.
It was a barren mountain outskirts, but because a fight had just taken place, corpses were scattered all over the ground, and blood was flowing everywhere, dyeing the dry land dark.
Xie Jingyuan also killed someone, but he was exhausted and could not kill anymore. He barely supported his body with the sword and protected his mother firmly behind him. The boy had an immature face, but his eyes were as fierce as a wolf.
He was wearing a white shirt, which was stained red by blood. If it were clean, his elegance would probably be no less than Chu Xi's.
Seeing this, an armored general signaled his men to retreat, sighed, and said to them: "Thank you, General, for your kindness to me. If I kill you all today, I will be ungrateful. But if I am soft-hearted, I will fail the emperor's command. Madam Xie, please don't make it difficult for me."
Madam Xie suddenly fell to the ground as if all her strength had been drained away. She was once a noble lady from an aristocratic family, but now she knelt on the ground, crying and kowtowed: "My husband died unjustly, and Lanting is my only bloodline. Please show mercy, General. I will work like a cow or a horse in my next life and will never forget this kindness!"
The general thought for a long time and said only one word: "Yes."
The tip of his sword flashed with a cold light, pointing at Madam Xie. His meaning was very clear: only one person could survive today. "Madam Xie, I have no choice. You can go with peace of mind. I will take good care of your son. His Majesty said that the descendants of your Xie family will be spared from death."
Upon hearing this, Xie Jingyuan pulled Madam Xie up with all his strength, his eyes reddened: "Mom, don't beg him! I'm not afraid of death!"
"Snapped!"
Mrs. Xie suddenly slapped him hard and cried, "But mother is afraid!"
I don’t know if it was because the slap was too heavy, or because Xie Jingyuan had been fighting all night and had run out of strength, but he fell to the ground and didn’t get up for a long time.
Mrs. Xie suddenly ran over and hugged him in her arms, tears streaming down her face: "Lanting... Lanting... my child..."
She hugged Xie Jingyuan very tightly, her fingertips almost digging into his flesh, but her expression was gentle, she lowered her head and carefully touched his face, gently and softly. After a while, she closed her eyes in pain, and slowly pulled out a golden hairpin from her head with one hand, and all the hot tears fell on Xie Jingyuan's face: "You must remember what mother said... Leave the capital... Don't enter the court, don't be an official... Go as far as you can..."
Xie Jingyuan didn't know what she was going to do, so he froze and didn't dare to move, until Madam Xie suddenly scratched his face with a hairpin, then he was shocked and started to struggle.
Xie Jingyuan said in a panic: "Mom!"
Madam Xie hugged him tightly and kissed his forehead hard, not letting him move. Tears mixed with blood flowed all over her face: "Lanting, Lanting, don't move! It's mother who is sorry for you, it's mother who is sorry for you, it's you that mother loves the most..."
She pressed against Xie Jingyuan's forehead and scratched his face with the hairpin until it bled. She cried out in pain: "Lanting, mother doesn't want to, mother doesn't want to..."
The hairpin cut through the flesh, leaving hideous scars, and sticky blood flowed slowly.
Xie Jingyuan opened his eyes helplessly, his body twitching uncontrollably and tensing up due to the pain, but he did not dare to push his mother away, until the blood blurred his vision and all the scenery turned blood red.
"Mother..."
He uttered in a daze, half of his face already numb. He wanted to reach out to touch it, but Madam Xie grabbed his hand.
The woman’s hands were cold and trembling, and she held him tightly in her arms: “Lanting, Lanting, this is the last time I will call you this. From now on, forget your name... forget your identity, and live well...”
She kissed Xie Jingyuan's forehead lovingly again, and finally let him go. Xie Jingyuan watched her stand up and back away, smiled at him sadly, then picked up the long sword on the ground and slashed it hard at her neck -
The sky is bright red.
"mother!"
Xie Jingyuan suddenly woke up from his sleep and sat up in bed. When he noticed the surroundings, he realized that it was the general's mansion. His chest was heaving, and he closed his eyes, slowly calming down his fluctuating emotions.
The morning light was dim outside the window, and the sun slanted into the inner room, falling on the flower-covered carpet, casting beams of light. The curtains were layered with gauze, and the dust could be vaguely seen dancing.
"A nightmare?"
Chu Xinian also woke up. He glanced at the bright sky outside, then got up from the bed, put on his clothes, poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xie Jingyuan, saying with concern: "Drink some."
Xie Jingyuan finished drinking in silence, and for some reason, he looked at Chu Xinian without saying a word.
Chu Xinian paused when he saw this: "What's wrong?"
Xie Jingyuan lowered his head and touched his face unconsciously: "Nothing."
Chu Xinian pulled him out of bed and said, "It's getting late. Get up and change your clothes. The grain collectors from the East Palace will arrive soon. The general can still enjoy a good show."
Chu Xinian likes to wear white clothes, and this color looks good on him. Xie Jingyuan is a man who has been on the march and fought in battles, so he put on his clothes in no time. Seeing Chu Xinian's slow movements, he leaned against the door with his arms folded and looked at him, and suddenly curled his lips and said, "This general also liked to wear white clothes before, and they looked better than you."
Chu Xinian paused after hearing this, not knowing why Xie Jingyuan wanted to compete with her so early in the morning: "Why do you think so?"
He thinks he is not bad.
Xie Jingyuan put the silver mask on his right face and turned to leave: "Isn't it obvious?"
The boy who grew up in the northwest, dressed in white, galloped on horseback, and grew up wantonly. During the day, there was the dazzling sun, and at night, there was the bright moon on the yellow beach. He crossed thousands of miles of mountains and rivers to come to the capital, also dressed in bright clothes and riding a horse, no one could match him.
Chu Xinian was left staring at the mirror in the room for a long time, touching his face in thought. Is he ugly in white clothes