After Silent Cloud introduced the situation of the Southern Zhou Dynasty mission, the context of the whole matter became very clear.

Emperor Kaiping asked the eldest prince and Pei Yue to come forward, obviously intending to hand over the important task of marriage to the eldest prince. After all, he was currently short of people, and his marriage to the eldest daughter of Dingguofu had long been hopeless. The matter of welcoming the bride was left to Pei Yue. Taking up the responsibility can be regarded as giving the Southern Zhou Dynasty the dignity. After all, no one can find a more outstanding young man than Pei Yue.

After discussing the two matters of disaster relief and marriage, everyone bowed and left, but Emperor Kaiping left Pei Yue alone.

"You don't want to go south?" Emperor Kaiping asked calmly.

Pei Yue replied: "Your Majesty, since the attack on the Zhou Dynasty is inevitable, the ministers will have to go into battle. If you go to the south to welcome the bride, you will have to deal with those Zhou people. When the swordsmen actually meet on the battlefield, I will inevitably feel a little unbearable."

Emperor Kaiping frowned and said, "Just because you don't want to take over the Kyoto garrison, I want you to go south."

Pei Yue was stunned, and then he understood the deep meaning of this sentence.

Emperor Kaiping continued: "In the battle to the south, even if Gu Liang takes command, he still has to sit in the middle of the army. It is impossible to charge into the battle like before. You must not forget that he is several years older than me and is no longer like you. Young man, since you are unwilling to guard the capital for me and want to go south to make great achievements, I am not willing to stop you."

He stood up and walked around the imperial desk, came to Pei Yue, looked at this young and handsome face, and said in a complex tone: "Gu Liang is in charge of the central army, there must be someone to charge for him and break through all the obstacles in front of him. You go Take a trip to the south to get familiar with the local geography and people, and you will have a better chance of winning in the future."

Pei Yue nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Emperor Kaiping suddenly raised his hand and patted his shoulder, and said slowly: "After the Southern Zhou Dynasty is pacified, you will step down from your post as commander-in-chief and enter the Xifu. Let Gu Liang train you well for a few more years so that you can take over from him in the future."

Pei Yue was shocked.

He remembered very clearly that this topic had been discussed once before. At that time, Emperor Kaiping's attitude was equally gentle, but Pei Yue could still guess that the other party planned to cross the river and demolish the bridge after conquering Zhou.

But this time it is obviously different. The so-called emperor has the Constitution in his mouth, and some words cannot be spoken at will.

Now that Emperor Kaiping personally promised to let Pei Yue enter the Xifu, he naturally really wanted to make him a pillar of the army, not just a tool that could be thrown away after use.

Emperor Kaiping stared at Pei Yue's eyes and had a clear understanding of the boy's psychological activities. He smiled and said: "If you have time in your spare time, teach Liu Xian how to behave. This will be good for him and yourself."

It seems that the eldest prince's position as heir apparent is a foregone conclusion. After all, once the emperor in front of him makes up his mind to do something, no one can stop him unless all the officials in the court unite to oppose it.

Emperor Kaiping's attitude was very straightforward. He planned to train Pei Yue to be the assistant minister of the future prince.

Pei Yue was silent for a moment, then bowed his hands and said, "I will remember it."

His attitude was not as respectful as that of some courtiers, but Emperor Kaiping didn't care and smiled and waved his hand for Pei Yue to step back.

After walking out of the palace, there was no joy on Pei Yue's face. He needed time to digest and judge the emperor's intentions.

And whether it is necessary for him to get involved in the battle for the crown prince so soon.

After all, taking sides must be done very carefully.

…

Yongrenfang, Shen Zhai.

In the inner study, Silent Cloud was checking a file, and Shen Danmo didn't even raise his head when he walked in with a tray.

"Dad, this is the lotus seed soup cooked by my mother. It clears away the heat and is perfect for summer." Shen Danmo said softly.

Silent Cloud nodded slightly, closed the file after a moment, raised his eyes to look at Shen Danmo, who was facing the sky, and asked with some surprise: "Why is Mo'er dressed like this today?"

Shen Danmo sat next to her and said, "Dad, the weather is getting hotter and hotter, and my daughter doesn't want to dress up at home. Anyway, it's more relaxed and comfortable this way."

Shen Zhai is different from those high-ranking families in that the rules are not strict. In addition, Shen Moyun has been cultivating Shen Danmo in unusual ways over the years, so he does not care about these details.

While he was drinking the soup, he was chatting with Shen Danmo about the drought in the south. Suddenly, he heard the housekeeper say outside: "Master, Master Lin wants to see you."

The father and daughter looked at each other, Shen Danmo stood up and said, "Dad, my daughter is going back first."

Silence said: "Okay, let's go and have a rest."

Shen Danmo walked out of the study and saw a man with a broken arm walking towards him before entering the corridor.

When the Lingzhou imperial envoys went to battle, Lin He's left hand was cut off by Chen Xi's sword. The left-hand sword he had practiced for more than ten years was useless. In addition, he was hit by another knife on his tail vertebra, and he was almost a cripple. For nearly a year, In the past, he was finally able to stand and walk, but could no longer reconnect his left hand.

On the surface, Lin He's mental state was pretty good. After seeing Shen Danmo's figure, he took the initiative to stand aside, slightly bowing his head and waiting for her to pass. There was no inappropriate behavior from beginning to end.

Shen Danmo glanced at his silent posture and wanted to say a few words of concern, but found that she didn't know how to speak. After all, there were very few interactions in the past years, and there was no acquaintance at all. When she passed by Lin He, she stepped slightly After a while, he didn't stop in the end.

Lin He still looked calm, and after Shen Danmo had gone away, he walked straight into the inner study.

"My nephew has met my uncle." Lin He saluted respectfully.

Silent Cloud looked at him with complicated eyes, and sighed softly: "I have seen all your difficulties this year. It is a good thing to be able to stand up again, but it is difficult for this martial arts to return to its previous level."

Lin He said calmly: "If my uncle hadn't searched for famous doctors for my nephew, how could he be where he is today? In fact, if he can act like a normal person, my nephew would be satisfied and no longer expect to regain his martial arts skills."

Shen Moyun said: "It's great that you can think like this. It shows that you have grown a lot, although the price you paid is a bit high. As for the things I did, they are not worth mentioning. Back then, your father even risked his life for me, and you yourself didn't You have done a lot of things for me. If I really want to break it down, I actually owe you the Lin family."

Lin He shook his head and said: "There is no need to worry about my uncle. Neither my late father nor I regret following my uncle."

Silent Cloud did not continue this topic. He had rarely received favors from others in his life, but Pei Zhen's support and Lin Donghai's desperate service would never be forgotten. Therefore, even if Lin He had done some wrong things in Lingzhou, he could not do it. Do nothing to save him.

After a long time, he asked warmly: "I asked you to come here today because I want to tell you my future arrangements."

Lin He lowered his head and said, "Please give me your uncle's instructions."

Shen Moyun said: "You don't have to be highly skilled in martial arts to work in Tai Pavilion. You should fully recover from your injuries first, and then return to Tai Pavilion and follow Jing Chu to learn how to handle the affairs of the pavilion."

Lin He's eyes finally showed a flicker, and he said softly: "Yes, uncle."

The two chatted for a few more words, and then Lin He said goodbye and left.

Silent Cloud sat alone in the study, but had no intention of looking at the files on the table. No one knew why he suddenly looked sad.

All because of the word uncle in Lin He's mouth.

Looking back on those days, Silent Cloud never thought of becoming a lonely minister at first, because at that time he had a son whose talents and abilities were not inferior to those of Pei Yue.

That is Shen Wende, Shen Danmo's elder brother.

Shen Wende has been known as a child prodigy since he was a child, and Silent Cloud has devoted countless efforts to him, hoping to train him into a talented person who will leave a name in history. Unfortunately, in the winter of the fourth year of Renxuan, the seventeen-year-old Shen Wende unfortunately died in an accident. After passing away, Shen Moyun had to bear the pain of a white-haired person giving away a black-haired person, and then gradually became a real lonely minister.

Silent Yunku sat there for a long time, and suddenly a stern look appeared in his eyes.

He murmured to himself: "What an accident."
Chapter completed!