On Tuesday, my mother came to the lakeside courtyard for a reunion with the couple. Unexpectedly, Zhang Ning only stayed for one night and ran back to the Chu Palace the next day.

He didn't pay attention to the yamen, but went directly to the palace to see Yao Ji. Seeing his hurried look, Yao Ji thought there was something serious, so she sat down seriously and prepared to listen. However, Zhang Ning did not sit down and was in the room.

He paced back and forth for a few steps, putting one hand into his sleeve and grabbing the other hand, looking a little uneasy.

Seeing this, Yao Ji raised her sleeves and waved lightly. Several attendants standing in the corners gently bowed their knees and said goodbye, then quietly retreated out, and then gently closed the door.

It was early in the morning, and the sun was already hanging in the sky. The sunlight filtered in from all the cracks in the windows and doors. The room was bright, but Zhang Ning felt a little confused. It seemed that he had a lot of things to say clearly to Yao Ji, and he understood that some

Yao Ji should be informed of the matter in advance, because people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Wuchang are all-pervasive and will not hide anything. He thought he had kept a secret when he had a tryst with Mrs. Yu last time. But at the moment, he didn’t know where to start.

He tried hard to organize his inner thoughts.

At this time, Yao Ji said: "If you have anything to say, just say it."

"I had a dream last night." Zhang Ning finally said, "...We can't start from the dream. I used to have a sister, a biological sister. Do you know when I am referring to?"

Yao Ji thought for a while and realized that she was the one who gave birth to Zhang Ning in the Ming Dynasty. She only had one child in her life, so where did he get his biological sister? After thinking about it, she nodded lightly, and after a moment she smiled and said, "Is it with

Does Zhang Xiaomei look similar?"

Zhang Ning shook his head: "I have forgotten what she looks like. I dreamed about her again last night. I couldn't see her face clearly before, but I could see her face clearly last night... I remember seeing her clearly when I first woke up.

I still have an impression, but I forgot all about it after a while.”

Yao Ji thought thoughtfully: "Is it possible that the past life you are thinking about is just a dream?"

Zhang Ning said flatly: "Impossible, I can distinguish this kind of thing clearly."

Yao Ji did not argue with him, but asked calmly: "What's wrong with that sister?"

"Dead." Zhang Ning whispered, his face darkened for a while. Yao Ji seemed to want to comfort him, and after a long time she said: "Everyone will die."

Zhang Ning raised his head and sighed softly. He looked at the roof as if he was not looking at anything. He murmured, "I still remember the scene when she was carried back. Two men from the same village carried her into the yard on a stretcher made of bamboo.

.There were many neighbors watching around at that time...not that many people gathered together unless something serious happened. Only then did I realize that she was really dead.

It’s strange, at that time I didn’t feel the agony of those who lost their loved ones, and I couldn’t even shed a single tear. My mind was just a little confused. I don’t know if I was slow to react?”

Yao Ji just observed him with interest, and of course she didn't look sad. Just like Zhang Ning couldn't really feel the past events she had experienced, she couldn't feel what it was like.

"Later on, in my short yet long life, I could never forget her. The sadness that did not bring me at that moment turned into tiny things throughout the entire time..." Zhang Ning's voice changed.

She trembled, "I finally realized that what I lost at that time was the most important person, bar none."

He looked back at Yao Ji with a dazed expression: "When a person first comes to this world, he will only be dependent on one person. At that time, the adults were busy with work, and I was assigned to take care of my little sister, so I became more attached to her since I was a child.

I became dependent instead of relying on my parents... It may be disrespectful to say this. If my biological parents passed away in front of me, I might be sad, but this feeling is actually sympathy and sadness. I feel that it is very pitiful that they died after working hard all their lives.

Yes, that's all; but far from losing the feelings of the only person I rely on.

...It’s like suddenly there is only one person in this world, and you feel lonely without any relatives, but in fact you still have relatives and friends.”

Yao Ji said coldly: "But Zhang Xiaomei is not that person. You are mistaken."

"Yes." Zhang Ning lowered his head, "But when I was with her, every time I dreamed about being my sister, she was still alive, and there were many things about living together, as if they were real."

He felt that Yao Ji's tone was a bit unkind, and he stopped talking. He remembered the situation in his dream when he just woke up, and at that moment he seemed to understand what happiness was...a kind of happiness based on blood relatives, but

Far beyond the feelings, warmth, safety, joy, his whole body was enveloped in the joy of love for life. If he could choose, he would rather live in the world in his dream than have the noble Taizu bloodline in the Ming Dynasty

And gradually gained real power, although the latter satisfied his ambitions and desires.

Yao Ji saw the twisted expression on his face, and the pale face showed a strange red color. She blurted out with sadness: "I really don't have a son, you don't..."

Zhang Ning was silent after hearing this, thinking that he couldn't blame himself. It was inevitable for Yao Ji to lose her son. The young scholar who was caught in a fraud conspiracy in the capital at that time was destined to die, and the person who "lived" again was an accident.

For some reason, he asked a very boring question: "If you choose one of the two, would you choose me to live, or him?"

"You." A soft but firm voice said.

Zhang Ning suddenly turned to look at her unexpectedly and saw Yao Ji biting her lower lip with her teeth. It was difficult for him to understand for a moment. Many deeper thoughts entered his mind chaotically. According to life experience, the closest blood relationship is often not necessarily

Become the person you rely on the most, but it cannot be deduced and confirmed by the theory you have seen.

"I want to keep Zhang Xiaomei by my side..." Zhang Ning rubbed his head and felt that there seemed to be no logical relationship between the request and what he just said. He couldn't say it and hesitantly said, "I just want to stay by my side."

Yao Ji is very smart and has a clear mind. She can understand many things immediately without saying them directly. She doesn't seem to care whether things are absurd or acceptable, she just blindly meets Zhang Ning's request like a doting, without even hesitating.

At the same time, she seemed to be very sensible and said: "But it cannot be made public, otherwise it will shake the prestige and give someone with ulterior motives an opportunity to take advantage of it."

Zhang Ning breathed a sigh of relief: "I think so too. Should I hire a fake consort for her or cover her up as a monk?"

Yao Ji said: "If you want to recruit a consort, if she becomes pregnant, there will be an explanation. Otherwise, you will let her never know her child forever?"

Zhang Ning was embarrassed to continue talking. He had not considered pregnancy or anything. For some reason, he felt that he was healthy and normal, but he had no offspring. Could it be that he had some aura somewhere? But Yao Ji firmly believed that he could carry on the family line, because

Otherwise, the empire he has built will be in fundamental crisis.

…

In Nanjing City, when a few people outside the palace were waiting to see the Holy Spirit, Yang Sihai was quietly giving advice to the eunuch Haitao: "The Yangtze River has river defenses. The den of thieves in Wuchang was heavily guarded and it was not easy to assassinate. Eunuch Hai arranged the factory guards.

We need to think long and hard. I have a plan. The traitor's concubine is not pregnant yet. This is a matter of great importance to both inside and outside Wuchang. The factory guards can start from this and try to get close to the people around her."

Although Haitao was a eunuch, he was full of bad intentions. A very vulgar smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "How to get started?"

Lu Qianshi, the general of Jin Yiwei, said politely: "The leader of the thieves is also a tycoon after all. This is a big deal." Although the official identity of "Zhu Wenbiao" is not recognized, everyone inside and outside the court believes that he is Jianwen's son. If you don't believe it,

He could not integrate the power of the remnants of Jianwen with the evidence. Therefore, Lu Qianshi, who was loyal to the Zhu family dynasty, was not willing to hear a eunuch slander the royal family.

Yang Sihai also shook his head and said: "What I mean is to send people to pretend to be alchemists, monks and Taoist priests, and use folk remedies to treat the disease. See if they can sneak in to find out the whereabouts of the thief's leader, and then make a thorough plan, so as to calculate the intention without the intention."

After speaking, Yang Sihai reminded him, "It's better to find a woman, it will be easier to eliminate the wariness in the Chu Palace."

"Yang Yushi's idea makes sense." Lu Qianshi nodded. He was very positive about this matter. In his opinion, there was no benefit to Haitao taking charge of this matter. Even if he became an eunuch, would he still want to be a marquis? But as an emperor

It is a great opportunity for Lu Qianshi, a general who is a personal soldier, to become a noble after he has made great achievements.

At this time, Wang Gou'er, who was coming out to convey the order, heard some words and could probably guess what they were talking about. The last time the plot to assassinate the King of Xiang was raised directly in front of the emperor, Wang Gou'er was also present, so he knew about it.

"Your Majesty has spoken, so that you can go in to see the Holy Spirit." Wang Gou'er stepped forward and said calmly. Everyone then followed Haitao into the Meridian Gate.

As the chief minister of rites, Wang Gou'er could not only read various memorials, but also often come and go by the emperor's side. It can be said that he, a eunuch, knew more about national affairs than the ministers of the court. The imperial court repeatedly attacked Huguang Jianwen's rebels, and almost no one

After winning, especially in the battle of Jiujiang, the officers and soldiers were even severely weakened. Wang Gouer already knew in his mind that he had an advantage over other losers, so he had to pay more attention to Jianwen's retreat.

If the news about the factory guard's plot to assassinate the King of Xiang was revealed to the other side, so that the other side would be more prepared and vigilant, it would undoubtedly be a crucial achievement in the future. However, Haitao's return to the court was very inconvenient for him.

If Haitao's ears and eyes accidentally caught wind of the situation, Haitao would definitely try his best to kill himself.

He had to find the right time to take action... But Wang Gou'er already had another plan in his mind, which was to seize the opportunity to slander Haitao: This dog eunuch encouraged the emperor to say these evil things in front of the ministers, wouldn't it be spread out?
Chapter completed!