While the young emperor was talking to Xue Poye in Taihe Palace, Liu Ziqian was also having a conversation with "Shadow" Ye Huer in the deserted Wuyan Palace.

Wuyan Palace has not changed due to the change of emperor, it is still deserted. This palace has not been cleaned for too many years, and it exudes a rotten smell. It is not that no one passes by in front of the palace, it is just that everything is frozen at the sight of it.

With the cobweb plaque in front of them, everyone hurried away from this strange place.

Liu Ziqian sat on the stone ridge, looking up at the sky, lost in thought. His expression looked extremely lonely, as if he had lost something, or in other words, he had lost his soul.

Not far from him, Ye Huer was leaning against the wall quietly, his eyes as cold as ice.

"It's been three months." Liu Ziqian looked up at the sky and said softly: "You haven't done any of the things I asked you to do... I just want to ask you, why are you doing this?"

Ye Huer said calmly: "You really can keep your composure, and you only asked what was in your heart today."

"Can I not ask?" Liu Ziqian smiled bitterly: "My once most capable assistant has now become a person who even I don't know. How can I not ask? Since you went to find him that night, you

My whole person has changed...I want to know the answer."

Ye Huer said calmly: "Liu Ziqian, that night, I was saved by your mother, Concubine Lan, and saved my life. I have always been grateful to her. It's just that she died too early, so I can only repay her kindness."

On you." After a pause, a weird smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he said: "I even thought about helping you ascend the throne... But... now I'm afraid it won't work. Over the years, I have killed for you.

Many people have been killed, and most of the concubines and courtiers who have wronged Concubine Lan have received their retribution. I think your hatred should be lessened."

"You thought about helping me ascend to the throne, but why can't you do it now?" Liu Ziqian said with a sneer: "Is it possible that the old guy is dead and your goal is achieved, so you don't need me?"

Ye Huer sneered: "Do you think I'm always by your side and I'm using you as a cover?"

Liu Ziqian glanced at Ye Huer and said, "Isn't it?"

Ye Huer said calmly: "No one has ever come to Wuyan Palace, and for so many years...no one seems to be paying attention to you. I want to hide it. As long as I kill you, I can still stay well in Wuyan Palace."

With."

Liu Ziqian's expression turned cold, and the muscles on his face twitched, but he soon calmed down: "This is a good idea. It seems that you don't want to kill me because you want to have someone to keep you company."

"I do it for Concubine Lan's sake." Ye Huer said coldly: "Now that your father is dead, your biggest enemy no longer exists, so you can calm down."

Liu Ziqian sighed: "It seems you won't help me in the future."

"That's it, I will accompany you to survive in Wuyan Palace... For your mother, I won't kill you, but I will guard you and won't let you do anything that harms Zichan." Ye

Hu'er said firmly, and when he mentioned "Zi Chan", his voice actually had a hint of warmth.

Standing up from the stone ledge, Liu Ziqian limped up to Ye Huer with his hands behind his back, and sneered: "So you are afraid that I will hurt your nephew?"

Ye Huer did not deny it: "For your mother, I will not kill you, but for Zichan, I will watch you."

Liu Ziqian stared at Ye Huer for a long time, then shook his head and said calmly: "Then you have to be careful."

…

…

The General's Mansion.

Xue Poye came to the General's Mansion for the first time. As the most prestigious and powerful general in the Chu Kingdom's military circles, the General's Mansion naturally has a mansion that matches his status.

The Ren family is not a famous family. The people living in the General's Mansion are mainly the direct family members of the old General Ren, with servants and maids serving as servants. There are about three to four hundred people living in the General's Mansion.

The general is stationed at the border, and now the person who calls the shots in the general's mansion in Kyoto is the general's eldest son, Ren Siguo.

When he learned that Xue Poye had come to see him, Ren Siguo immediately came out to welcome him.

Xue Poye is now the most popular figure around the emperor. Although his official position is not as intimidating as that of the prime minister, his power is clearly understood by officials in Kyoto who have a little knowledge.

The Ren family in Kyoto always abides by the old general's instructions and keeps a low profile. The younger members of the family do not hand over court officials easily, so even if someone wants to visit the general's palace, usually Ren Siguo takes advantage of his illness to thank the guests.

But Ren Siguo did not dare to neglect Xue Poye's arrival.

After some polite greetings, Ren Siguo welcomed Xue Poye into the inner hall.

Although the general has a great reputation, the general's mansion is very simple and simple, and does not have the luxury and elegance of ordinary official mansions.

"I have heard about Mr. Xue for a long time, and I have wanted to visit him several times, but I don't dare to disturb him for fear of being presumptuous." Ren Siguo is over fifty years old, with an unassuming appearance and a calm temperament. He said these polite words with a kind smile on his face.

Xue Poye said hurriedly: "Uncle Ren, it is only right for this junior to say this. I am late to pay my respects. Please forgive me for my apology."

Since the death of the general, several generations of emperors have wanted to appoint members of the clan, but they were all flatly rejected by the general. Therefore, to this day, apart from the general, there is no official figure in the Ren family.

In order to support a large family, the old general allowed his tribe to do some small business in Kyoto, and Ren Siguo even had several restaurants in Kyoto, but he could not take advantage of the situation to do other unscrupulous businesses. The tribe could rely on these businesses to be self-sufficient.

.

Ren Siguo is over fifty and has been running a restaurant for decades. According to the general's instructions, he has never expanded the restaurant. So far in his life, he has not held any official title.

But no matter who in Kyoto sees Ren Siguo, they will call him "Uncle Ren" to show their respect.

“Mr.

The maid served tea, and after Ren Siguo invited tea, Xue Poye smiled and said: "Uncle Ren, the general is a soldier, and he always pays attention to being straightforward when doing things. When I talk to Uncle Ren, I won't mince words."

Ren Siguo nodded and said: "It should be like this, it should be like this. If Lord Xue has any instructions, if Ren Siguo can do it, he will try his best to do it."

Xue Poye pondered for a moment and finally said: "Uncle, I heard that you have a granddaughter who is fifteen years old and is very virtuous. Hmm... but I don't know if it is true or not?"

Ren Siguo smiled and said, "Yes, Xue'er just turned fifteen a month ago."

"Haha...!"

Ren Siguo saw that Xue Poye's speech was directed towards his granddaughter, and understood something in his heart. He smiled lightly and said: "Xue'er is still young, and everyone in the family loves her very much, but they are reluctant to let her out so early. This person who proposes marriage,

There were a few, but I politely declined."

Xue Poye took a sip of tea and nodded: "The uncle is right. After raising his own children for more than ten years, he would naturally be reluctant to let go of his children." After a pause, he smiled and said: "But when the male is married, the female will be married."

It's inevitable to get married soon. There is a pearl hidden in the uncle's house, so naturally everyone will take a look at it."

Ren Siguo laughed and said: "Master Xue is joking, please, please have some tea!"

After looking around and seeing no one else, Xue Poye finally said: "Uncle, Poye bothered me today just to arrange for my granddaughter's marriage... I want to be a matchmaker in the middle, but I don't know if I have such a blessing?"

"

"Oh!" Ren Siguo remained calm, took a sip of tea, and said with a smile, "But I don't know which family he is from?"

Xue Poye did not mince words and said softly: "Poye came here today to propose marriage to the Holy One and to be a national mediator."

Although Ren Siguo had a vague premonition, he was still surprised when Xue Poye said it, his expression became serious, and he whispered: "Master Xue Hou, this...isn't this a joke?"

Xue Poye said seriously: "Uncle, this matter is a state matter. No matter how courageous Poye is, he would not dare to joke about state affairs."

Ren Siguo fell silent.

Although he is not an official, he knows more about official affairs than ordinary officials.

Xue Poye suddenly came to propose marriage today. It seemed unexpected, but if you think about it carefully, it was inevitable. Now that the new emperor had just ascended the throne, the entire court seemed peaceful, but no one could figure out the calm lake in the court.

When was it broken by a stone.

What the new emperor has to do now is to try his best to win over all forces, coordinate and balance, and keep a low profile. The recent appointment and dismissal of some officials seems to be personnel transfers made by He Ruhui of the Ministry of Personnel, but even a blind person can see that.

The new emperor and Xue Poye were controlling it from behind, and it was just a means of cultivating power.

But there is no doubt that it will take a very long time for these newly cultivated forces to truly achieve the powerful power required by the new emperor.

Prince Yin and Prince Fu each have their own old tribes, and the centipede insect is dead but not stiff. Although Emperor Deqing dealt a painful blow, the tree trunk will be removed and the branches will definitely be lost. The hatred of these people towards Emperor Deqing,

It will definitely be transferred to the new emperor.

There is also the prince who is far away in Yunzhou. Although he has been deposed, who can guarantee that he will not make trouble again.

In addition to these forces, there are also some other hidden forces, each of which is a huge threat to the new emperor. Under such circumstances, it is reasonable for the new emperor to win over the general through political marriage.

This is certainly of great benefit to stabilizing the imperial power and increasing the power of the new emperor, but conversely, it is also a great good thing for the Ren family.

From a certain perspective, this is a combination that benefits both parties.

General Ren is old, and he is working hard at the border. No one can say when he will leave. If General Ren leaves, the entire Ren family will have no official, and even the business will only be a small part of the government's expenses.

The business, in this way, can be regarded as powerless, leaving only a resounding reputation, so how the Ren family will survive in Kyoto in the future has become a big problem.

In Kyoto, without power and reputation alone, it is not enough to survive well, unless the Ren family is willing to transform from a prominent family of generals into ordinary civilians.

Such a huge change is difficult for people to accept. Even under the family rules of the general, the Ren family keeps a low profile, but it is undeniable that there are many people who want to be officials.

If you marry the emperor, then the Ren family will become relatives of the emperor and have a foothold in Kyoto. Even after the death of the general, the Ren family will slowly infiltrate into the court... This is not a bad thing.

Xue Poye sipped the tea and glanced vaguely at Ren Siguo who was meditating. He knew that he was weighing the pros and cons. There was no doubt that the pros must outweigh the cons, so Xue Poye believed that this door

Marriage should be no problem.

"Mr.

Xue Poye knew that this matter would eventually have to be decided by the general, so he hurriedly said: "It should be, it should be. Come here today, I won't disturb you too much, and after the general agrees, we will take care of this matter for the emperor."

Without staying much longer, he was about to leave. Ren Siguo walked straight to the door, very enthusiastic.

Of course Xue Poye could see that no matter what the general meant, this uncle must be extremely sympathetic to this matter.

…

…

The General Guard's Mansion at night is calm and quiet.
To be continued...