The place where the two came ashore was at the bottom of a cliff, surrounded by towering ancient trees and dense shade. Raindrops fell from the broad branches and leaves, making a "plop" and "plop" sound.

A drop of water fell on Rong Shu's forehead, sliding down the bridge of her pretty nose from the tip of her nose.

She raised her eyelashes and looked at the dark forest in front of her, and asked softly: "Where are we going?"

It was obvious at first glance that there were few people in this place. The ground was covered with moss, and the weeds and shrubs were taller than Rong Shu. She was in this place. In a place like this, it's really hard to see where the road ahead is.

No wonder those people chose this place to collide with the boat. This section of the river is very remote, with sparsely populated cliffs and dense forests on both sides. Even if something happened, no one would notice.

"The denser the forest is, the more it is a place where hunters like to hunt." Gu Changjin raised his hand and waved away the thick branches that protruded from one side. After Rong Shu got through, he put down his hand and continued: "That's all. The dense forest is full of dangers, and experienced hunters will arrange some hiding places in it.

"Is this where we are going now?" Rong Shu asked curiously.

Gu Changjin said "hmm" and slowly scanned the endless dense forest, saying: "I just felt the traces of arrows on many trees. There must be such a place inside."

Such a gray It was a rainy day and it was midnight. Rong Shu could not even see the road in front of him clearly. The sound of drizzle in his ears was even faintly mixed with the roars of beasts.

But for some reason, she was not afraid at all.

Perhaps it was because the man beside him always gave people a firm and reassuring strength.

The two climbed up the road for more than an hour, killing countless small snakes that jumped out of the road. Finally, they found a moss-covered small room behind a towering tree with a dozen people hugging each other. wooden house.

The location of this wooden house is really wonderful. It is not only hidden in the shadow of dense trees, but also next to a cliff. Looking at it from a distance, I just think it is a dead road. Who would have known that there is a wooden house inside? From the wooden house The side door also leads to the mountain road on the other side.

There was an iron rope tied outside the wooden house. Gu Changjin was about to pick the lock with the dagger in his hand. Rong Shu quickly took out the key given by Master Guan from his waistband and opened the lock with a "click".

Gu Changjin recognized at a glance that it was a master key that was most commonly used by folk thieves. This master key was a must-have for robbing and robbing homes.

He looked at her, took back the dagger, and said nothing.

The outside of this wooden house was covered with moss and moss. Rong Shu thought that the inside of the house must also be extremely humid, but unexpectedly, it was surprisingly dry and clean inside.

The ground was covered with straw, covered with linoleum cloth and a few bundles of dead branches. There was a small table next to it, and behind the small table was a wooden bed wide enough for one person.

Gu Changjin looked around, "The owner of the house just came here a few days ago, and many things were newly added."

As he spoke, he bent down, groped under the bed, and pulled out a bamboo basket.

Rong Shu looked inside and saw that there were a lot of things in the bamboo basket, including a pile of herbs, a small pot of strong liquor, a fire sickle, and flint.

"How did you know there would be something hidden under this bed?"

"Only the wooden bed and the pile of straw can hide things here."

Gu Changjin explained patiently, took out the fire sickle and flint, walked towards the linoleum cloth in the middle, and gently lifted it , then revealed the cloth bag hidden in the dry straw. He handed the cloth bag to Rong Shu and continued: "It should be a set of clothes and some dry food."

Rong Shu opened it and saw that it was true.

"How did you know?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the originally dark room suddenly lit up.

Gu Changjin threw the fire sickle and flint back into the bamboo basket, looked at the little lady's eyes illuminated by the fire, and smiled slowly: "When I was young, I often went hunting with my father in the mountains. My father also had a house like this in the dense forest. "A hunter who hunts all year round will never get injured. If he is injured and has no time to go down the mountain, these things can be used in emergencies for a few days."

The firelight illuminated her eyes, and also illuminated his increasingly pale face.

Rong Shu stared at him for a long time.

This man still had a piece of iron stuck in his back that was thrown away when the ship exploded. She really didn't know how he could laugh.

She took out the herbs in the bamboo basket in a few steps and said to Gu Changjin: "Teach me how to give you medicine."

She knew how to use the medicine for wounds, but she really didn't know how to use these herbs.

After being soaked in the water for two hours and raining for more than an hour, her body was wet. Her thin autumn clothes clung tightly to her body, and her undulating curves were clearly visible.

Gu Changjin moved his eyes away and said, "You change your clothes first."

"Put on the medicine first." Rong Shu took out the pile of herbs, and then took out the palm-sized liquor inside. He said without any room for argument, "I don't know how to do it." Be careful, your injury is the most important."

She looked like there was no need to discuss it, so Gu Changjin could only say "yes", took out the dagger from his waist, roasted it in the fire, and untied it with his other hand. He tied a belt around his waist and said: "First pull out the iron piece, and then I...take off my upper garment, then pour liquor on the wound, and then use this dagger to stop the bleeding."

He never looked back, and his voice was calm and gentle. , except for being weaker, it sounds the same as usual.

Rong Shu glanced at his back and saw half of an iron piece exposed near his waist. His clothes were torn in several places, and the bleeding wounds could be seen deep inside the bones.

Rong Shu took a breath.

He had been protecting her back in the water before. Was he just afraid that she would get hurt?

Rong Shu squeezed the small wine bottle in his hand, stepped forward and knelt behind him, touched the sharp piece of iron on his back, and said softly: "Gu Changjin, please bear with it."

Gu Changjin " "Yeah." His consciousness was actually a little blurry. He was just afraid that she would worry, so he tried to stay awake. When he noticed that she had pulled out the iron piece, he moved his hand and took off his upper garment.

The strong wine slowly flowed from the wound, but the severe pain did not make him show any signs of color. He handed the red-hot dagger to Rong Shu and said, "One wound after another will be burned. This is the fastest way to stop bleeding."

After saying this, he whispered to her: "Be careful not to burn yourself."

Rong Shu said. There was some of his blood on Shu's chin. She raised her hand and wiped it carelessly, looking at the dagger that was burning red in the fire. She took a breath, took it, and calmly pressed it into the place where he was pierced by the iron piece.

There was only a "squeak" sound, and the blood from the wound froze.

The wooden house is small, and after the fire is lit, the small space feels as warm as spring. The red-hot firewood crackles and the fire shines.

The fire in front of Gu Changjin's eyes changed from one to two to three. His eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, but he knew that he couldn't sleep, at least not now.

After waiting for a long time, the girl behind him said softly "Okay". Gu Changjin finally couldn't hold on anymore, closed his eyes and fell forward.

Consciousness seems to be trapped in a quagmire, dull and stagnant.

Time seems to have stopped at a certain moment, but also seems to be flowing crazily, like water bursting from a dam, changing the ocean in half an instant, and changing the world in an instant.

A pattering of rain woke him up from this long period of chaos.

The raindrops fell in thick layers, and the rain curtain under the eaves became thicker and thicker.

Gu Changjin lowered his head and saw that the clothes on his body were dry. Chang Ji passed through the Moon Cave Gate and hurried over, panting: "Master, the young lady went to Dali Temple Prison. The people in Dali Temple Prison did not allow me to Go in."

In an instant, countless memories flooded into my mind.

He came back from Qingzhou. As soon as he entered the city gate, Xie Hu applied to enter the main hall of Kunning Palace. The emperor and empress were sitting there. In addition to the emperor and empress, the chief assistant Xing Shicong, Zuodu Yushi Mengzong, and Hanlin Academy scholar Lin Ci, Li Meng, the minister of Dali Temple, and six ministers are all here.

As soon as Gu Changjin entered the main hall, everyone's eyes fell on him.

Emperor Jiayou looked at him and said calmly: "Take blood."

Sun Bailong, the imperial hospital envoy, hurried forward and took out a drop of blood from the tongues of Emperor Jiayou and Gu Changjin with a silver needle, put it into a jade bowl, and stirred slowly.

The hall was so quiet for a moment that you could hear a pin drop.

Gu Changjin lay on the ground with his eyes downcast. He had taken the secret medicine left for him by the old doctor before entering the palace. Now he could only leave it to fate whether it would succeed or not.

He only hoped that Chang Ji could find her as soon as possible. If not, he could send her from the secret passage of Four Seasons Garden to the forbidden area of ​​Daci'en Temple.

Not long after, I heard brisk footsteps passing by.

Sun Bailong raised the white jade bowl in his hand high above his head, presented it to the emperor and empress, and said respectfully: "Your Majesty and Queen, the blood has fused."

As soon as Sun Bailong finished speaking, Empress Qi stood up and went to Gu Changjin As she walked over, she took Gu Changjin's hand and called softly: "My son."

Gu Changjin stood up in a daze and raised his eyes to look at the emperor on the high throne.

The thin-faced Emperor Jiayou was also looking at him.

His eyes were deep and gentle, scanning Gu Changjin's eyebrows inch by inch, as if he was trying to find the familiar contours on his face.

For a long time, he looked sideways at the new Minister of Rites and said warmly: "Let Qin Tian Jian choose a lucky day to welcome the prince back to the court."

The word "prince" was like thunder in the ears, and even Queen Qi looked at Emperor Jiayou in shock. .

In less than half an hour, the news that Gu Changjin was the son of Queen Gu spread throughout the court.

The Qi family was surrounded by the Jinwu Guards and the Yulin Guards, and was imprisoned for disrupting the royal bloodline. Even the former second prince was ordered by Emperor Jiayou to be imprisoned in the palace courtyard, and no one was allowed to visit.

When he left Kunning Palace, Gu Changjin was no longer Gu Changjin of Wutong Lane, but Xiao Changjin, the prince of Dayin.

The people in the palace respectfully held umbrellas for him, and the roar of thunder echoed for a long time in the solemn and graceful palace.

Aunt Zhu followed behind him and said respectfully: "The Queen empress is considerate of Your Highness's filial piety and has specially asked this slave to take you back to Wutong Lane to say goodbye to your adoptive mother."

Gu Changjin turned his head and glanced at the strange palace maid, and said The sentence "It's hard work".

The carriage with the hexagonal palace lantern hanging on it was speeding in the corridor. Gu Changjin carefully recalled everything that had just happened in the palace. When Emperor Jiayou announced him as the "Prince", two people looked calm. Meng Zong, the censor of Zuodu, and Hanlin Scholar Linci.

The two of them seemed to have long expected that Emperor Jiayou would make him the crown prince today.

Perhaps it should be said that today's situation is that they are fueling the situation behind the scenes, forming another faction among the civil servants and helping him behind the scenes.

Gu Changjin pressed his palm on the jade pendant hidden in his clothes, and the words that the old doctor had said to him rang in his ears again.

"That imperial city is the most noble but also the cruelest place in the world." The old doctor held a white coin in his hand, looked at him quietly with a pair of wise eyes, and said meaningfully: "My child, do you know that you are leaving?" What kind of path is it?"

"Yan'er knows." The young man with clear eyebrows held a white jade chess basket and made a move with a calm expression.

The old doctor looked at his newly fallen chess piece and sighed: "The road you have to take is too difficult."

It is indeed difficult. Every step must not be wrong. If one step is wrong, every step will be wrong. Now, he only has the last step left.

Gu Changjin opened the car curtain and looked at Shangjing, which was drowned by the thunderstorm, with cold eyes.

Only reaching that position is the greatest revenge on Xu Fu.

Emperor Jiayou's body could not last long, and the Qi family fell. Queen Qi recognized him in order to protect the Qi family except Qi Heng and the second prince.

The ministers who used to support the second prince will also support him, including the old members of the Qi family.

But now it is not known whether the Xing family will fight to the death, or whether Queen Qi will continue to support Emperor Jiayou after his death. Before he takes that position, he cannot let the girl stay in Shangjing.

When the carriage engraved with the logo of Kunning Palace arrived at Wutong Lane, the rain that had been falling for most of the day finally stopped.

"You guys wait here. You don't have to follow me in."

Gu Changjin walked quickly to Songsi Courtyard. Heng Ping came from Liu Miao Hall and whispered in his ear: "The people from Liu Miao Hall have disappeared. "

Disappeared?

Gu Changjin frowned, and not long after, he saw Chang Ji panting through the Yuedong Gate and said to him: "Master, the young lady went to Dali Temple Prison, and the people in Dali Temple Prison did not let me in."

Dali Temple Minister Li Li Meng is the chief assistant of Xing. The Xing family has been planning for many years. How could they give up that position so easily?

The case between the Shen family and the Rong family is now not only a tool to bring down the Qi family, but also a weapon to criticize him. Chang Ji is his man, so Gu Changjin is not surprised that the people in Dali Temple will make things difficult for him.

"Take my belt and go to Dali Temple Prison to pick her up."

As he said this, he was about to pull off his belt. There was a sudden noise outside. He looked up and saw the girl walking in quickly with her skirt in hand, behind her Following Zhang's mother, Yingyue, Yingque, and two palace maids from Kunning Palace.

Gu Changjin's hands slowly dropped from his waist and he stared at the girl in the yard.

She has lost a lot of weight and her face is haggard, but the look between her eyebrows and eyes is still tough and calm.

Gu Changjin glanced at the palace maid standing at the moon gate, and ordered Chang Ji and Hengping to send her away. However, she gently grabbed his sleeve and asked him: "Gu Changjin, don't you have anything else to say to me?" Say something?"

Gu Changjin paused and looked down at her clenched white fingertips.

He had many things to say to her.

The top priority right now is to let her go to Four Seasons Garden. Changji will give her his letter. After reading the letter, she will understand everything.

The sleeves slipped from her fingertips, and he continued to move forward. Suddenly, there was a chill between his brows, and rain began to fall on the dark sky again.

His steps hesitated slightly, and from the corner of his eye, he saw the girl standing in the rain in a daze.

"Your Highness." Aunt Zhu stepped forward and held up an umbrella for him with a smile, "Your adoptive mother is not here, why don't you go back to the palace first?"

Gu Changjin said "hmm" and walked out of Songsiyuan.

Three days later, he personally went to Dali Temple Prison to investigate the case of Cheng'an Hou's collusion with the enemy. After that, he went to Yangzhou and Wanping County, and even vaguely found out the people in Cheng'an Hou's mansion who were really colluding with Shen Zhi.

Changji and Hengping wrote to him every two days. On the eighth day of September, he had not received a letter from Shishiyuan for three days.

These senior followers around Gu Changjin have been with him for many years, and he knows very well that only if something happens to the two of them, this letter will not come.

And something happened to them, which means something happened to her too.

Gu Changjin dropped everything in his hands and rode his horse to the Four Seasons Garden. Halfway through the journey, heavy rain came, and big raindrops hit his face, soaking his head and shoulders.

When he arrived at Four Seasons Garden, it was shockingly quiet.

Changji is not here, Hengping is not here, not even Zhang's mother and the others are here. Amidst the roaring thunder, the carved lanterns were spinning crazily under the eaves.

Gu Changjin strode across the verandah and pushed open the wooden door of the main room.

The moment he pushed the door open, he said to himself that the worst-case scenario was that she was kidnapped and they wanted to use her to blackmail him. He would find those people and find her.

But he never thought that the girl was not taken away.

There she is.

Sitting quietly on the couch next to the window, his eyes were distracted, staring at a point in the air.

She was wearing a very beautiful pleated skirt embroidered with gold and red plum blossoms all over. At this time, the skirt was stained with a large amount of black blood, and blood beads slid down her cheeks drop by drop.

"Pap", "pap" -

all the sounds disappeared at this moment.

The sound of thunder, wind, rain, and the "clang" sound of the lanterns hitting the wooden eaves in the corridor suddenly disappeared without a trace.

Gu Changjin only heard her shouting "it hurts".