"Sir, please sit down."

In the study, Pei Yue couldn't hide his excitement and poured the tea himself. There was a bit of surprise in his words, which was slightly different from his usual calm and reserved demeanor. At this moment, he no longer seemed to be the person who could decide the lives and deaths of millions of people with just a few words.

The first-class prince of the country finally showed a bit of hesitation that he should have at his age.

This is certainly not because he became childish and fragile overnight, it's just that Mr. Xi occupies a very special place in his heart.

No matter how many people he received later on, Pei Yue always remembered that it was Mr.

In addition, he believed that only Mr. Xi and Gu Liang would help him without any purpose.

After taking the tea cup from Pei Yue, Mr. Xi motioned for him to sit down first, with a feeling of nostalgia and comfort on his face.

Although both master and disciple had countless words hidden in their hearts, the topic started from the far west.

"When the Duke passed away, I could feel that there was some depression in his heart." Mr. Xi sighed softly and slowly started talking.

Pei Yue recalled what he had seen and heard on the island in the middle of the lake, and couldn't help asking in a complicated tone: "Did Duke Dingguo leave any last words about me?"

Mr. Xi looked at him with pleasure, nodded and said: "He hopes that you can occasionally take care of Pei Cheng and leave a seed for the government. As for the others, the Duke of Guo didn't say much. After all, he is ashamed of your past.

They will make excessive demands on you."

Pei Yue said slowly: "Even if he doesn't say it, I will do it."

Mr. Xi said solemnly: "The Duke of Guo has been loyal and upright throughout his life, but in the end he couldn't even return to his roots. Even though he never regretted it from the beginning to the end, if he could start his life over again, I think he might have done it again.

Make different choices."

Pei Yue sighed softly.

The Dingguo Mansion sixteen years ago was by no means empty-handed today. At that time, it had only been two years since Pei Yuan's death. Pei Zhen was still the pillar of the country in Daliang, and the military was full of awe and respect for the Pei family. However, after the change of imperial power, they faced

Faced with the turbulent situation in Kyoto and the danger of the Western Army pressing down on the border, Pei Zhen did not hesitate to lead the Western Expedition and chose to abandon his martial arts after establishing immortal achievements.

Mr. Xi said that Pei Zhen has never regretted it. It is probably because he has repeatedly considered the situation and believed that he did not have the ability to compete with the Tianjia royal family, unless he insisted on rebelling as the final bargaining chip. For Pei Zhen, he would definitely not be able to do that.

This is a choice because he has accepted the idea of ​​loyalty to the emperor and serving the country since he was a child, and he cannot bear to let the people fall into the precarious killing and turmoil.

That time and that moment, exactly this moment.

Thinking of this, Pei Yue suddenly realized the reason for Mr. Xi's arrival tonight.

Mr. Xi watched the change in his expression and said softly: "I have never told you about my past."

Pei Yue raised his head and said sincerely: "Sir, please speak."

Mr. Xi smiled, but the smile was full of sadness, and then said solemnly: "Actually, it is just a very ordinary story. It is not even qualified to leave a few figures in the history books. The Xi family can barely be regarded as officials.

From this aristocratic family, several ancestors became officials in the court, and the highest one became the Minister of the Ministry of War. I remember that when I was a child, there were many military books in my home. Those days when I was immersed in the library can be regarded as the simplest and happiest time in my life."

Pei Yue vaguely guessed the progress of the story later.

Mr. Xi continued: "My grandfather was an upright man, and he offended many important officials in the court. He was also involved in a dangerous court dispute, and finally ended up having his house confiscated. Without the appreciation and persuasion of the Duke of the country, I would have never been able to do anything in my life.

You can only be a wandering warrior, and you will never be able to realize your ambitions."

Pei Yue sighed softly: "So sir, I feel unworthy for Duke Ding."

Mr. Xi looked at him steadily, and after a long silence, he nodded and said, "That's right."

He paused for a moment, and his tone gradually became serious: "If the Duke of Guo returned to Beijing with a great victory, what could the emperor do? It would be nothing more than trying to weaken his power and even force him to do what he did to Wang Pingzhang in recent years.

On the road to desperation. But compared to the Wang family that rose later, the Pei family naturally has an extremely deep foundation, and the prestige of the Duke of Guo is not comparable to that of Wang Pingzhang. When we are really in a desperate situation, we may not have much chance of winning if we rise up and call out."

Those turbulent years came to Pei Yue's mind. Listening to Mr. Xi's rarely expressed anger, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Pei Zhen, and he also had real respect in his heart.

He said in a deep voice: "Ding Guogong just doesn't want Daliang to fall into civil strife."

Mr. Xi nodded and said: "This is natural. After all, this territory was built with bloody battles by their ancestors. No one wants to see the dynasty collapse from within, but those high-ranking emperors don't think so. They wholeheartedly think that Daliang is

No matter how much they mess with the Liu family's private property, no one else has the right to comment."

Pei Yue shook his head and said: "The whole world is not the king's land, and the shore of the land is not the king's ministers."

Although the superficial meaning of this sentence was to stand on the emperor's side, the mocking look on his face at this moment was undoubtedly revealed.

For a modern person who has received a complete education, he can make sacrifices in order to survive, but when faced with a situation related to his own safety, he will never be able to uphold the reverence for imperial power like Pei Zhen in his heart.

Mr. Xi said slowly: "It's a pity that the Duke is too obsessed. He doesn't want the beam to fall apart, he doesn't want to see the good men in the army fighting against each other, and he doesn't want the ancestors of the Pei family to bear the reputation of being a rebellious minister. So he chose to be in Weiming

When he was in his prime, he faked his death and escaped, which indeed prevented civil strife in Daliang, but he had to spend more than ten years alone on that island in the middle of the lake, and was even unable to see his relatives when he died."

He looked at Pei Yue with sad eyes and said word by word: "He is a loyal minister who can serve as an example, but a loyal minister should not have this fate."

Pei Yue's heart suddenly tightened.

He thought of his experiences over the years, and it seemed that he had been arbitrarily arranged by a big hand from the beginning to the present. For example, the reason why he was able to take charge of Zangfengwei was just because Emperor Kaiping wanted to use him to catch the big fish related to the Chen family.

The Battle of the Western Territory, the turmoil in Kyoto, and the Battle of the Southern Territory, all this journey seems to be full of flowers, but in fact he is always a knife in the hands of others.

Even if you are making knives for others, as long as you can get enough benefits from it, you can barely accept it. It is nothing more than mutual use.

However, now the man felt that the knife was too sharp and was afraid of cutting himself, so he wanted to break the blade.

Pei Yue sneered several times and said to Mr. Xi, "I don't want to be such a loyal minister."
Chapter completed!