Morbid pet

In the end, the traces behind the three nameless thieves were not found out. Xie Zhao sent people to follow them. When the time comes, as long as the person behind them comes out to contact them, they will receive the news and everything will be revealed.

After all, no harm was done, and the motive was strange.

This matter was slowly shelved.

Xie Zhao now began to think about the possibility of passing the throne to Ban Ning. He quietly observed it for a long time. His nephew had a temper as gentle as jade, and he just endured the humiliation suffered in the officialdom. It seemed that He has never been angry, but today in the court, he found that his previous views on Puan Ning were wrong. Puan Ning was not a docile rabbit, but a ferocious beast, which is what an emperor must have. quality.

If you can bear it, bear with it; if you can't bear it, then you must grit your teeth and fight back.

If you don't show your fangs, enemies will think they belong to a sick cat.

Xie Zhao began to admire Wan Ning quite a lot, and even organized a courtyard dinner to save him and Wan Ning.

The night is slightly cooler, and the wind in the imperial garden is filled with the faint fragrance of cool flowers, which is refreshing.

Wan Ning likes to come here to enjoy the cool air after going to court on weekdays. Although he is only 16 years old, he already has the majesty of a young emperor, and his every move and smile seems to be measured by a ruler.

Xie Zhao looked at this nearly perfect work and suddenly became a little panicked. What about his child?What will happen to him and Changle's children in the future?

However, although Changle is not a person who seeks fame and reputation, as a parent, he always wants to give the best things to his children, and Xie Zhao could not give much. He asked himself, he has always been very devoted to the company of his children. Lack of time, the only time he squeezed out was given to Changle. He couldn't spare the rest of his body to care for the child. Only at this time did he feel a little guilty.

Wan Ning looked at Xie Zhao doubtfully and asked, "Your Majesty, do you want me to enjoy the flowers today?"

Xie Zhao's thoughts were brought back to reality by Ban Ning's almost childish words. He was stunned and said warmly: "Ban Ning, you know what I asked you to do. You are very smart."

A treacherous thought flashed through Wan Ning's mind, and was quickly covered up, "Your Majesty, Wan Ning doesn't know."

Xie Zhao looked at him with disdain, "The 16-year-old champion has a bright future, and your aunt and I will protect you. I heard that the noble ladies in the capital blush when they mention you. Have you ever thought about getting a wife?" "

"Marry a wife?" Wan Ning looked at Xie Zhao suspiciously, then shook his head, "If you don't want to marry a wife, please return to Your Majesty. Wan Ning will not marry a wife casually until he meets a woman he truly loves."

It is actually not an exaggeration to say that all the noble ladies in the capital blush when mentioning Ban Ning, especially the parents behind them.

Who knows who the last emperor is?
If you don't know for sure, you will bet on making your daughter a queen.

Wan Ning didn't want to see himself as a stepping stone for other aristocratic families, and he also didn't want to betray Changle, which was his lifelong belief.

Xie Zhao did not continue the topic of getting a wife, and he had no interest in cultivating an uncontrollable rival for himself. It was best to prevent himself from being obsessed with power, but if he really wanted to pass the throne to him, sooner or later he would have to marry someone from a good family background. Distinguished woman.

Xie Zhao narrowed his sharp eyes slightly, and then said: "Okay, it's up to you. Let's eat." In front of them were two small tables sitting opposite each other, with plates of exquisite meals placed on them. , which contains all of Bang Ning’s favorite dishes.

In fact, Bang Ning has always been very restrained.

He never ate more than three chopsticks of any dish in public.

Even in front of Chang Le, he was very restrained.

This is almost his last line of defense.

And Xie Zhao only got along with him a few times, and he was able to find out all his preferences and spread them out under the moonlight.
A chill ran down Wan Ning's spine. He forced himself to stay calm and picked up the chopsticks. As if he didn't know what to eat, he took a little bit of each dish and couldn't tell his preference.

Xie Zhao had been observing him. He suddenly took a sip of tea and sneered, "Eat more if you like, Ban Ning, I'm not a fool. You have the city, the scheming and the skill. I admire you very much, but, this This is not a reason or excuse for you to deal with me, you can always be your truest self with us, you know?"

Wan Ning raised his head, his eyes dimmed for a moment, then brightened again, "Thank you."

Xie Zhao laughed: "You kid, why are you being polite to me?"

In the end, neither of them brought up the almost taboo topic again, which was unreasonable.

Wan Ning himself couldn't tell. Although he wanted to protect Changle and her children, Xie Zhao might be suspicious.

A clear voice suddenly sounded outside the door. The voice was so soft that it was impossible to tell that it was the voice of a woman who was almost 30 years old. Her face was even more delicate and beautiful, and her figure was extremely slim.

Chang Le came over wearing a bright red dress. She was obsessed with wearing exotic clothes some time ago and always exposed a little of her belly button and bare feet. However, after catching cold a few times, Xie Zhao had her clothes locked up. When she got up, she simply asked the designer to change the style, filling the exposed waist with fabric, and put on the pink deerskin short boots again on her ankles.

She looked neat and beautiful. She smiled brightly and said, "Hey, why don't you call me for dinner?"

"aunt!"

Wan Ning was the first to stand up, looking a little at a loss, like a child who had done something wrong.

Chang Le walked over and touched Ban Ning's head, "Good boy, please sit down quickly, Ban Ning." The maid quickly added a table and cushions for her. Chang Le lowered his head and said yes, and then took Ban Ning to sit down.

Xie Zhao always felt that he had done something wrong. He asked: "Chu Chu, why are you here?"

Changle shook his head, "I'm here to see you, especially the heartless one like Puan Ning."

Ban Ning was amused, "Auntie, how can I have no conscience?" Changle sneered, "You have been working in the imperial court for so long, have you taken the initiative to see your aunt?"

Wan Ning felt that it was inappropriate for him to still pester Chang Le now that he had grown up, "Auntie, I know I was wrong, but I have grown up and if I still run to you often, it would not be good for your reputation." OK, I'm worried."

Changle raised his hand to interrupt him, "What are you talking about? When did your aunt and I ever care about those so-called reputations? My aunt is also telling you now that reputation and interests are external things and cannot be taken away. You have to be happy in life, you know? Of course power is very important. Without it, there is no way to live decently, so you have to make good choices, but those hermits hiding in the mountains and forests may not necessarily have a bad life."

Wan Ning's mind was shaken, "Yes, I understand, aunt, have you eaten?"

Changle smiled: "I ate it."

Xie Zhao: "Wan Ning, please eat quickly. After eating, we will go for a walk."

Wan Ning smiled and said, "Okay, Your Majesty."

Xie Zhao raised his eyebrows and said, "When my aunt is here, I'll call her aunt. Why should I call her your majesty? I'll call her aunt."

Ban Ning was a little embarrassed. Although he had known Chang Le for the same time as he had known Xie Zhao, he felt that there was a barrier between him and Xie Zhao. That impenetrable barrier was indestructible. After a long while, he called out: "Uncle. "

Xie Zhao smiled, poured himself a glass of peach blossom wine, and drank it all in one gulp. His mouth was filled with the fragrance of peach blossom wine, "That's right."
-
later.

Chang Le and Xie Zhao were leaning on the carriage returning to the western suburbs. Tomorrow was his holiday, so he could go to the western suburbs to stay for two days.

Changle asked him: "Do you have anything to do with Wan Ning today?"

Xie Zhao shook his head, but still told the truth, "I thought about it for a long time when I went back. In fact, Puan Ning is more suitable to be the emperor than me. He has a gentle and decisive temper, has awe and compassion in his heart, and is willing to endure hardship. He is a good successor. In fact, when he was in his teens, I could tell that this piece of jade was almost polished. I originally wanted to discuss his views on succession with him today, but I found that he didn't want to communicate with me about this matter at all. He's all making some detours, pretending to be harmless in front of me. As soon as you come here, all his pretense is removed. What he said in the end is the truth. He just wants to protect you and your children, no matter what he is asked to do. He is willing to do both.”

"I'm jealous, Chu Chu, I'm jealous!"

Chang Le chuckled and patted Xie Zhao's arm, "You are the one who is jealous of your child."

Xie Zhao asked: "What do you think? I am very confused. It is not impossible to pass the throne to Wan Ning, but what about our children? If Tuanzi wants the throne in the future, will it be another fratricide? A fierce battle? People can change. If Puan Ning is blinded by power, can he still maintain his true heart and be a good emperor? Continue to protect our children. "

Chang Le raised her eyebrows slightly. In fact, she had thought about these issues, but they were too annoying. Thinking about things that had not happened in the future made her feel very annoyed. Now that Xie Zhao suddenly mentioned them, she was forced to frown and said: " You can give it a try. We may not know what will happen in the future. Tuantuan doesn’t like reading now and is obsessed with painting all day long. Nini is also an artistic person. Neither of them is willing to read. How can they not read the books of sages? What about governing the world? But I'm not the kind of mother who would force them to do things they don't like, so let's not think about it so much, okay? If that doesn't work, just let Nini marry Wan Ning in the future."

Xie Zhao frowned and thought about his little daughter, and fell into deep thought. After a while, he said, "Chu Chu, isn't this bad? Wan Ning has reached the marriageable age for men, and our Nini is still so young."

Changle laughed out loud, "It's a reservation, dear, do you understand? Besides, if you really want Ban Ning to inherit, he must find a strong mother's family. With our relationship, he can't stand stable."

Xie Zhao thought about it for a while, but it was too early. "I discussed this matter with him today, but Wan Ning is not willing to marry yet, so just let him go. He said that he will not get married until he meets someone he loves."

The smile in Changle's eyes deepened, "Okay, then let's wait until he meets the one he loves."

Xie Zhao hummed in a low voice and hugged his little wife into his arms.

The carriage was still speeding on the mountain road, the cold wind howling.
-
The next day.

An Ying went to the palace to meet him, but he was in vain and ran to the western suburbs courtyard in a hurry.

Changle had dressed up early and was playing with the two children in the yard. The little princess looked snow-white, like a Snow White, and the little prince became more and more handsome, like a dummy that came out of a painting. His appearance was too outstanding, so If a child enters the school, he must be very explosive.

Changle has not yet thought of sending them to private school. Firstly, it is not necessary, and secondly, he is worried that the children will learn badly.

An Ying ran over and saw this scene. He hadn't seen Chang Le for a long time. This was the first time they met since Jiangnan left without saying goodbye last time, but Chang Le had never looked for him once. An Ying thought something happened to Changle.

Chang Le raised his head and looked at An Ying, who was panting from running, and laughed, "What's the matter?"

After Xie Zhao fell ill last time, Chang Le really didn't have the heart to do other things, so he naturally ignored An Ying's existence.

An Ying shook his head and sat down next to her, "You didn't look for me when you came back. I thought something happened to you. I dreamed about you last night. I dreamed that you fell off the cliff. , I was scared to death, so I ran to the palace early in the morning, but the maid said that you were not here, so I guessed that you were in the western suburbs, so I ran over and saw that you were okay."

Changle smiled brightly and said: "What kind of messy dream? Can you believe this? Aren't I here well? I have been too busy recently after I came back. The matter of toxic substances in Jiangnan has been dealt with. It's a long story, or Do you know that the chaos caused by those people in Tianshan and the belief in sorcery in Tianshan is even more terrifying than the poison you use in Northern Xinjiang."

An Ying stared blankly for a moment, "Are we scary? I think it's okay. After all, we have been living with poisonous insects since we were young, and it depends on how you use the poisonous poisons. Some can save people, but not all of them are harmful. Something. Is the Tianshan you are talking about the place you said you were going to in Northern Xinjiang? Isn’t there your friend named Gongsun Yu there? "

Changle hadn't heard Gongsun Yu's name for a long time, and now he felt infinitely sad when he heard it, "Yes, Gongsun Yu. In the end, he died by my sword, and I buried him with my own hands."

An Ying knew that there must be a very twisty and bizarre story in it, something that would touch people's sadness, "I'm sorry."

Changle shook his head, "No need to be sorry. It's been many years since this happened. It's been many years. I'm relieved. It's okay. People always have to look forward. The patriarch of Tianshan Mountain is my friend's mother." , he himself does not practice sorcery, but his tribe does, strangely speaking, his father, General Gongsun, is obviously a great hero of the Ming Dynasty, but his mother is a goddess of a foreign race."

An Ying: "I thought about Tianshan for a while. I seem to have some memory. Someone came to us to buy some formulas before and said that he was from Tianshan."

Changle was no longer interested in these things. She just replied casually: "Buy the poison and mix it. Tianshan has been destroyed a long time ago. Their group has now changed their base. It is on top of Qishan next door. We found a very good place there." A large drug manufacturing factory. Fortunately, most of the poison is in the mountains and is not sold."

An Ying nodded: "Yes, we were too poor in Northern Xinjiang before, so we could only make money by selling these things."