While Hua Manting was chatting with Su Yian in the small courtyard behind Sanwei Bookstore, Wen Boiyu, who was living quietly in Kyoto, also welcomed an old friend.

He is Yu Dingzhi, Minister of Rites of the State of Wu!

Yu Dingzhi's complexion was a little dark.

But in such a dark night, Wen Boiyu pretended not to see clearly.

He cheerfully welcomed Yu Dingzhi to the study, cooked a pot of tea, leaned over, and looked at Yu Dingzhi's face carefully, which made Yu Dingzhi's heart tighten:

"What? I have a flower on my face?"

Wen Boyu grinned: "Old Yutou, your face is prettier than a flower!"

"Fuck you!"

Yu Dingzhi glared at Wen Boyu fiercely, "How many years have we not seen each other? You are now also a high-ranking minister of the first rank of the cabinet, why are you still looking so careless?!"

Wen Boyu laughed.

"Old Yutou, you are still so unsmiling, boring, boring!"

"It's boring! Why don't you let people prepare wine and food?"

"Hahahaha..." Wen Boiyu laughed again, "Of course it's easy to talk about food and wine. We just came back from the next morning and haven't eaten yet... Just wait a moment."

Wen Boiyu stood up, walked out of the study, gave a few instructions to the housekeeper, then turned around and came back.

"I think back in Dongxu City... we were all in our early twenties at that time, in our prime!"

He boiled the water in the pot, warmed it up, took some tea, and added: "I still remember that winter, you, me, and Xia Liu, the boy from the Xia family, took Miao Qiuqin, the little girl from the Miao family, to the shore of Xiangsi Lake.

Xiangsiju, I had a meal of braised velvet antler with pickled vegetables!"

"That taste...tsk, tsk, tsk, I dare say that in the entire Dongxu City, only Li Xiangsi from Xiangsiju's stewed pickled vegetables and velvet antler tastes the most delicious!"

"correct,"

Wen Boyu raised his head and looked at Yu Dingzhi, "How are that boy Xia Liu and Miao Qiuqin doing now?"

Yu Dingzhi glanced at Wen Boyu and said, "The eldest son of Duke Xia's family will certainly have a bright future!"

"Xia Liu is now the Minister of War of the State of Wu... Miao Qiuqin married him... Do you regret it?"

When Wen Boyu heard this, he paused for a moment and grinned: "I didn't expect this, but speaking of it, Qiu Qin is a perfect match for marrying him."

"Are you pretending to be stupid?!"

Yu Dingzhi glared at Wen Boyu again: "Who didn't know that the person Miao Qiuqin liked was you at that time!"

"Let me ask you, Qiu Qin is also the daughter of the general's palace!"

"You need a good family background, you need knowledge and talent, and at that time, he was also one of the four famous beauties in Kyoto!"

"You are a poor scholar, a staff member of the Prince's East Palace. Qiu Qin doesn't care about you. What are you afraid of?"

"Why are you running?"

Wen Zhuiyu turned off the fire, poured two cups of tea, handed one over, and shook his head:

"What I like is freedom!"

"Like you are now? Forty years old! Are you free?"

"After you left Dongxu City, Qiuqin has been waiting for you!"

"She knew that you liked Li Xiangsi's stewed snow vegetables and venison antler. She stayed in Xiangsiju for three full months to learn how to make that dish... When she learned how to cook it, she excitedly wanted to stew it for you, but you ran away.

!”

"Do you know how sad Qiu Qin was at that time?"

"But they are still waiting for you!"

"You ran away to Uighur, but news came that you married a girl from Uighur..."

"Wen Boiyu, Wen Boiyu, you are such a bitch!"

"After Qiu Qin heard about it, she cried behind closed doors for three days... After more than a year, she married Xia Liu."

"By the way, this time I came to Ningguo, and Xia Liu asked me to bring you a message."

When Wen Boyu heard this, he waved his hand, "Don't say it!"

But Yu Dingzhi still said:

"He said that one day, he will attack Ningguo, capture you, and dig out your heart to see why you are so cruel!"

"Besides, he will thank you in person!"

"Thank you for running away and allowing him to marry such a good wife as Qiu Qin!"

Wen Boyu smiled bitterly.

No explanation.

Because there are some things that cannot be explained.,

"How many children do they...have?"

"They had a son and a daughter."

"The eldest son is eighteen years old. His name is Xia An. He is serving in the Beifu Army and is now a captain of thousands."

"Daughter sixteen, her name is Xia Hua. She is a close disciple of the master of Tianyin Pavilion and one of the Seven Swords of Tianshan."

Yu Dingzhi picked up the tea cup and raised his eyes to look at Wen Boiyu: "Actually, now that I think about it, Qiu Qin marrying Xia Liu is much better than marrying you!"

"You... If you are indifferent to fame and wealth, you are now the chief minister of Ningguo."

"If you are pursuing fame and wealth, the emperor saw you three times back then. If you had stayed in Wu State, you would also be a first-class official now!"

"So, sometimes I wonder, what on earth are you doing going around in circles?"

"In the Kingdom of Wu, you have already become famous!"

"You will have a happy home, at least it won't be like now, with old friends visiting, no hostess, and no one to cook!"

"I heard that you have a daughter, but your daughter seems to be very dissatisfied with you... If you stay in Dongxu City..."

Wen Boiyu waved his hand again to interrupt Yu Dingzhi:

"It was useless to persuade me once, and it is still useless to say these things now."

"This is roughly called fate. As a person like me... I don't have such a good fate."

"By the way, I have been in Kyoto for nearly a month. As you know, I am really too busy, so I have to be slow to treat you. Since we are old friends, I think you will understand."

Yu Dingzhi took a sip of tea and put down the cup, "I can't understand that!"

"Old Yun, Shuxian Yun, back then you stole someone's guard dog, killed it and stewed it."

"Lao Yun has always been brooding about this matter, so why don't you see him and apologize?"

"His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince was young at that time. You took the Crown Prince to steal Mr. Yun's dog... Your Highness still remembers the smell of the dog meat. Shouldn't you pay a visit?"

"You have been eating at my house for a month, forget it, just feed it to the dog!"

"You are not a heartless person, why would you do such a heartless thing?"

Wen Boyu grinned:

"The second half of your last sentence is wrong!"

"I am indeed not a ruthless person. If I have done anything ruthless, it was with regard to Qiu Qin."

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has brought you here. If you come to Ningguo for exchange and play, I, Wen Boiyu, will definitely take time to entertain you no matter how busy I am."

"But your motivation for coming is wrong!"

"Ning State destroyed Yong State and occupied Wuyaguan in the 27th year of Jingtai. It has been almost forty years ago."

"Of course Wuyaguan is Ningguo's territory!"

"Does this require negotiation?"

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince needs a share of credit, but it cannot be based on the land ceded by Ningguo!"

“Isn’t it true that Wu Guo just watched Ning Guo’s national power decline and was easy to bully?”

"If there hadn't been the incident in Kyoto last year, if there hadn't been the downfall of Ji Tai's family, His Highness the Crown Prince's trip would have been a success!"

"But it's different now!"

"It is the regent Li Chenan who now controls the power of Ningguo! I believe that after these days, you must have a certain understanding of the regent."

"Tell me, if I go to see His Highness the Crown Prince, what should I say?"

"I think it would be best for you to persuade His Highness the Crown Prince to give up this idea and form an alliance with Ning Guo!"

Yu Dingzhi slowly narrowed his eyes.

After a while, he asked:
Chapter completed!