When the thirty sticks were finished, the white marble stone steps were already stained with bright red blood.

The Jinwu guards took their sticks and entered the hall to resume their lives. Only Xue Yan was left, kneeling in front of the steps alone.

He lowered his head a little, panted for a moment, or stretched out his hand, barely supporting it on the stone steps. Jun Huailang subconsciously wanted to step forward, but saw that he was already supporting the ground and slowly stood up.

He suddenly remembered what Xue Yunhuan told him today.

He watched Xue Yan turn around and left alone. He walked very slowly, with a vague stagger, and walked a long way. No one came to help him. Only he seemed to be unsteady, and raised his hand and pressed it on the white marble armrest of Panlong.

When Jun Huailang came back to his senses, there was only dark red blood left in front of him.

In the education he received since he was a child, the most heinous people are self-inflicted.

But no one ever told him that some wicked people, in the long years that others could not see, walked alone in desperation for many years, and no one ever reached out to him.

He was used to it himself.

—

After Jin Wuwei was reinstated, the banquet ended unhappily. Concubine Shu hurriedly sent Dian Cui, the maid next to her, to support Jun Huailang and send him back.

Xue Yunhuan also hurried over with Jun Linghuan. Seeing Jun Huailang standing alone under the palace lantern, her lips turning white, Xue Yunhuan was startled and rushed forward: "They beat you too?"

Jun Huailang took another look at the bloodstain. There are already eunuchs carrying buckets to wash the stone steps. The bloodstains faded under the flushing of the water and were easily wiped off.

"I'm fine." Jun Huailang returned to his senses and said softly.

Xue Yunhuan was still worried and sent him back to Concubine Shu's Mingluan Palace in person. Although such a big mistake happened today, Jun Huailang and Jun Linghuan still had to move to the palace.

Mingluan Palace is luxurious, and the location is excellent, it will be there in no time.

Jun Huailang looked up in front of the palace gate, and saw gold and jade piled up everywhere, even the dougongs were carved with tangled branches of peony and decorated with gold powder. Bypassing the delicate small garden in the courtyard is the main hall of Mingluan Palace, with four side halls in the front and rear, connected by a veranda.

After Xue Yunhuan returned, Jun Huailang and Jun Linghuan were led to the side hall on the east side. The side hall is the closest to the main hall, the windows face the sun, and the ground dragon in winter is also connected to the main hall.

It was getting dark, Jun Linghuan started to doze off halfway. Not long after returning to the room, he fell asleep. Jun Huailang waited for her to fall asleep, and then returned to his palace.

The maids cleaned and washed him, and let him change into his bedclothes, then they all retired. Jun Huailang didn't feel sleepy. He lit the lamp by himself, sat under the window, and looked at the moonlight outside.

He thought, he needs to be quiet.

At this moment, someone knocked on the door from outside. The palace maid whispered that Concubine Shu was here.

Jun Huailang walked over to greet her, and saw that Concubine Shu had also taken off her makeup and hair. She was wearing pajamas and a brocade cloak adorned with fox fur, and walked straight in.

"You didn't sleep after thinking about it. Are you scared today?" Concubine Shu sat down with him by the window and said. "Your Majesty is also true. Do you have to teach him what to do?"

Jun Huailang knew that although his aunt was beautiful and domineering, she had no scheming and was very simple. It is thought that she has always been favored, not only because of the support of the family, the queen's protection of her, but also because of what she listens to and believes, which is quite confusing to the emperor.

Jun Huailang didn't talk much, and said softly: "...I'm really scared."

It's not the appearance of Xue Yan being beaten, but the hearts of those he has never seen in his previous life.

Concubine Shu raised her hand and smoothed his hair: "It's alright, with my aunt, there is nothing to be afraid of."

Jun Huailang nodded and smiled at her.

"The people and things in the palace are much more complicated than at home." Concubine Shu said. "You've always been a cautious child, and I'm relieved. It's a pity that I don't even have a child yet, and I have to make it difficult for you and Huan'er not to see their parents for so long."

Speaking of this, she lowered her eyes and sighed: "Although that woman Yijieyu is annoying, there is something she said right."

Jun Huailang was stunned for a moment, remembering what Yi Jieyu said lightly when she was in the apse of Yongle Hall today.

She said that there is a child by her side, even if it is not her own, it does not matter.

At that time, Jun Huailang felt that there were other meanings in this sentence, but the people in the harem always made three twists in a sentence, and he did not think it through for a while. It wasn't until this time that he suddenly noticed Concubine Shu's thoughtful appearance.

That sentence may seem casual, but it is actually very deliberate. She was reminding Concubine Shu that she could raise a son of another concubine by her side.

The previous life Jun Huailang knew very little about the affairs in the palace, but it was indeed in this year that Concubine Shu raised a child of another concubine under her knees. However, Concubine Shu seemed to be extremely dissatisfied and made a scene, and sent the prince back not long after.

Jun Huailang asked tentatively, "What do you mean..."

Concubine Shu paused and hesitated: "I want to ask the emperor for grace and raise a young prince in the palace. I am getting older and thinking about the future. have to rely on..."

Speaking of this, she smiled again and said, "Sister Cui also persuaded Ben Gong in the same way."

Jun Huailang knows that Concubine Shu has never been very scheming, so she always listens to Cui's ideas. He pretended to understand, "Oh", but he was thinking about which prince Concubine Shu would keep under her knees.

The princes in the palace now have no mother, plus the status of the biological mother is humble, only Xue Yan and the seventh prince. The seventh prince had just been born and had not yet been weaned, and his mother was a humble palace maid. Thinking about it, it was the best choice. Concubine Shu would never object.

So...the one who was raised by Concubine Shu in the previous life was Xue Yan?

Thinking of Xue Yan, Jun Huailang's eyes flashed the dazzling dark red in the night. He hurriedly focused, forcing himself to get the scene out of his mind.

After returning to his senses, he was a little strange, why there is such a ridiculous replacement. But before he figured out the reason for the replacement, his instinct told him that he should speak out to stop Concubine Shu. Xue Yan is extremely dangerous, and he is disgusted by the emperor. To be kept by Concubine Shu's side will definitely bring harm to nothing.

What's more, the most dangerous thing is that when Xue Yan came to Concubine Shu's palace in the previous life, Jun Linghuan was also here. It is very likely that Jun Linghuan provoked Xue during this period Yan.

Over there, Concubine Shu was still thinking about herself and said to him: "The seventh prince is not bad. He is young, and his mother is not able to raise him... What do you think, Lang'er? "

Jun Huailang could not persuade Concubine Shu to give up her thoughts.

Of course he was afraid that the events of his previous life would happen again, but not letting Xue Yan move to Mingluan Palace would not solve the problem.

In his previous life, he thought that his family's end was caused by his father being feared and Xue Yan being tyrannical and surly. But now it seems that there is a hand behind it, who is controlling the situation and pushing them in the direction of their previous life.

The seventh prince inexplicably turned into the fifth prince, his family became feuding with Xue Yan, his father and aunt died, and the king's family was destroyed... Under the appearance of smooth flow, the coincidence is extremely strange, it is clear that someone is taking the king's family step by step. Push off the cliff, leaving no trace.

If he wants to find the person behind him, he has to follow the direction of his previous life to find his trace, instead of disrupting the other party's plan and bringing variables to himself.

"Naturally it's good." Jun Huailang looked at Concubine Shu and smiled gently.

He is reluctant to admit that there is another reason in his subconscious that makes him unable to say no.

That is, he still can't forget how cold the stone steps at the entrance of Yongle Hall on the Mid-Autumn Festival night.

—

most of the time.

In the main hall, a solitary candle swayed, making the old palace look a bit eerie.

There was a suppressed sob, shaking violently, blending with the beating candlelight.

At this moment, a voice came from the bed curtain, it was obviously hoarse, a little lack of breath, but there was a calm laziness, with something that could not be ignored Coercion.

"Shut up when you cry enough, it's very noisy," he said.

"I brought those dead men back from Yan County. Without my order, they won't touch anyone in your family."

It was Xue Yan.

It's just that his back was full of vertical and horizontal wounds, which looked particularly terrifying, exuding a strong **** smell and a pungent medicinal smell.

Emperor Qing Ping didn't even announce the imperial doctor, he used the wound medicine he brought back from Yan County.

This little **** is the one who broke the jade arrow today, called Jinbao, who used to be a coolie in Yongxiang, and was assigned to serve Xue Yan closely.

He originally thought that it was unlucky enough to be assigned to such a master who was not welcome and treated like a slave, but he didn't expect this master to show his true colors and be such a terrifying evil spirit. god.

Jinbao is an ordinary person who is greedy for life and fear of death, waiting to earn enough money in the palace, go home and buy two shops for himself to spend his old age in peace. Unexpectedly, this evil spirit actually let his subordinates hidden in Beijing find his family, and used them as threats to do things for him.

This master is about to lose his own life, isn't he the first to die by doing things for him!

Why is his life so bitter!

Xue Yan looked at him for a while, but saw that he was crying endlessly. He clicked his tongue impatiently and said, "Cry again, your brother will die tomorrow."

That is the only root of Jinbao's family!

Jinbao let out a whimper with a changed tone in his throat, and swallowed the choking.

He frowned and snorted.

When he frowned, Jinbao's tears began to fall again.

"Okay." Xue Yan continued impatiently. "I know you're a waste, but I'm short of people right now. I'll use it temporarily. I won't ask you to do anything important."

Jinbao didn't retreat at all. Hearing what he said, he had no choice but to whimper and say, "Please ask the master."

Xue Yan said slowly and indifferently: "When I return to the palace, every time I am humiliated, someone will send a letter. You can see clearly where the letter was sent."

It doesn't seem too difficult to enter the treasure. After all, there are only these few people in their palace, and they just need to be careful.

Jinbao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got up. Although he is timid, he is also clever. Now that his entire family is in the hands of others, he is naturally more attentive: "The servant will go to fetch water for you..." Then he got busy.

"Stop." Xue Yan said coldly, rubbing his brows.

What a fool. he thought.

Jinbao hurriedly stopped, not daring to move.

"Do what you are asked to do, and do what you are not allowed to do. Don't make assumptions."

Jinbao nodded again and again.

"Go away." Xue Yan didn't give him a word.