At the end of the conversation, Cui Shi could not hold back and asked his father the question that had been lingering in his mind.
"You said before that Ning Que is a proud and cold-blooded person. I have a different view. In the past few years, the news from Chang'an City, including the princess's mansion, said that this person seems to be clear-minded, but in fact he is extremely shameless and is very good at flattering, so regardless of
Both the Master and Your Majesty love him very much, how can such a person be called proud?"
Mr. Cui smiled and said nothing.
Cui Shi gave a wry smile and continued: "Well, even if this person learned to be proud on the second floor of the academy, how can he be cold-blooded? I always thought that the resume information in the military department was countless, and he didn't even have a relationship with Ye Hongyu.
They can maintain it well. In my opinion, Ning Que is really good at dancing and very knowledgeable in practical world affairs."
Mr. Cui said: "Of course you can't see a person clearly by looking at his resume or listening to stories, so I insist on taking a look at him with my own eyes. Even though just a few glances are enough, it's enough."
Cui Shi was slightly startled.
"Everyone knew that Ning Que was going to Lanke Temple, but he did not follow the mission. Although he stayed at the best inn in Yangguan City, there were no servants with him. I only saw him and
That famous little maid of his, I saw him holding tea but not drinking it. I saw him looking cool but actually talking to you warily, but I didn't see that he loved peace and quiet and was good at cultivating his energy."
Mr. Cui said: "This is a living habit engraved in his bones, so it can only mean that he is an extremely cautious young man, and he is also a person who does not know how to write the word trust. I even thought that, except for the little maid,
Besides, maybe he doesn’t even want to fully believe the Master.”
Cui Shi remained silent.
Old Mrs. Cui looked at the thick black curtain on the window, thinking about the young man in the inn before, and sighed: "I don't even want to trust a teacher like Master. Such a person can't be described as just cold. If there are big changes in the future,
, you must remember. We must make Xiling promise beforehand that this young man must be wiped out first, otherwise we may pay an unimaginable price."
…
…
Two secret letters from Qinghe County arrived in Chang'an City.
A letter was sent to the South Gate Temple outside the Imperial City through the system of the Secret Guards of the Tang Dynasty, because the recipient of the letter was Li Qingshan, the Imperial Master of the Tang Dynasty.
After a while, He Mingchi walked out of the South Gate Viewpoint. He glanced at the clear and distant sky. Thinking that it might rain later, he clamped the butter paper umbrella under his arm and boarded the carriage.
Under the respectful guidance of the steward, He Mingchi walked into the depths of the princess's mansion. He came to the terrace that was very famous in the social circle of Chang'an City, and greeted Li Yu calmly on the couch.
Li Yu frowned slightly and waved to his mother to take away Xiaoman who was writing calligraphy. Then he extended his hand to ask He Mingchi to sit down and asked, "There seems to be some problem."
He Mingchi did not sit down. This seemingly inconspicuous action meant that Li Yu's perception was not wrong. There was indeed something wrong, and the problem was not small.
He took the letter out of his sleeve and handed it over.
Li Yu took the letter, tore open the cover, looked at the familiar handwriting on the letter paper, and looked slightly startled. After seeing clearly what was written on the letter, his brows could not help but frown even more.
The letter was written by Ning Que to the Imperial Preceptor Li Qingshan. In the letter, he mentioned what he had experienced in Qinghe County, especially Cui Clan's test through the Red Sleeve Move and the old steward who went to the inn to see him.
The various sects in Qinghe County are now the biggest helpers to Li Yu and his brother in the government and the public. If she wants to help her brother ascend the throne, she needs the recognition of the academy the most, but she cannot leave the help of Qinghe County.
Li Yu didn't know Ning Que's intention in writing this letter, but she vaguely understood what the Imperial Master meant when he forwarded this letter to her. She frowned slightly and said, "I don't understand how those old people behave sometimes.
All I can say is that these things have nothing to do with me."
He Mingchi nodded and said, "I will take His Highness's words back to Nanmen Temple."
Li Yu raised his head, looked at him quietly, and asked: "The Imperial Master does not need to show me this letter. You can take it directly into the palace, whether it is for the father or the queen."
He Mingchi smiled slightly and said: "As a disciple, I don't know what the master means, but since the affairs of Qinghe County have nothing to do with His Highness, I think the master will also be very happy."
The meaning of this sentence is very obscure, and it can even be said that it has no meaning. However, as a person in the situation, Li Yu vaguely caught a certain tendency in it, and his eyes brightened slightly.
"I would like to thank the Imperial Master for his trust."
The second letter from Qinghe County was delivered to the academy.
Professor Huang He looked at the words on the envelope, smiled, and took it into the back mountain without opening it.
The person who read the letter is the second senior brother.
When he read the letter, he was beside the Master.
The second senior brother bowed respectfully to the teacher and said, "Little junior brother, I have seen some problems."
At this time, the master's mind was completely focused on the small yellow croaker fried on the iron plate, and he asked casually: "Is it serious?"
The second senior brother thought for a while and said: "There are only two fate-knowing realms in Qinghe County, so it's not serious."
The master said: "In that case, why are you bothering me? You don't see me busy?"
The second senior brother was slightly startled and said, "How to deal with it?"
The Master said: "Your junior brother is cooking fish by the Daming Lake to gain enlightenment, but he still has not yet understood the truth of the world. Whether fish is fried or cooked, it is ultimately for eating."
The second senior brother received the instruction and said, "Then wait for them to jump off the ladder."
The master suddenly thought of something, his expression was slightly condensed, and he forgot to take out the bamboo spatula in his hand from the pot. The edges gradually became burnt, and the small yellow croaker also began to smell mushy.
I don't know how much time passed, but he smiled casually and said: "If the fisherman dies, we may not be able to catch the fish; if the cook dies, we may not be able to fry the fish. The pillars cannot hold up the broken house forever. If they are broken,
There are people who are good at jumping from pillar to pillar. Although one person jumps from one pillar to another, the clowns will always be those clowns."
…
…
Ning Que didn't know that the ancestor of Qinghe County had such a profound and cautious evaluation of him. After Sangsang confirmed that there was something wrong with the old steward, he wrote two letters and sent them back to Chang'an immediately, and didn't think about it again.
this matter.
He was ranked last in the back hill of the academy. There were also the master and all the extremely capable senior brothers and sisters above him. The problems in Qinghe County were handled by them, so there was no need for him to worry about it. That day, he took Sang Sang with him in the black carriage.
I left Yangguan City and stopped at a ferry two days later.
There are no blind thieves coming to rob, and there are no stupid officials trying to collect tax money. What blocks the carriage's path is a piece of water with steaming water and boundless autumn reeds.
The name of the lake in front of the southern wilderness of the Tang Empire sounds very ordinary, called Daze. Only those who have actually been to Daze can feel the aura contained in this simple name - this lake is really too big, except
Big characters. There is no word in the world that is qualified to describe it.
Just like the big yellow river further south.
The great swamp is vast and boundless, with an unknown number of miles in circumference. Even a bird can hardly cross it in one go. Without a ferry, no matter how powerful a practitioner is, he will not be able to cross it.
The largest lake in the world lies between the two most powerful countries in the world. If Haotian created a buffer between the Tang Dynasty and the Southern Jin Dynasty and brought peace to the people of the world, it also brought
There are many inconveniences. To circulate goods and people from the north to the south, various ferries are naturally indispensable. When the water vapor dissipates, you can see countless sails behind the autumn reeds in the sky. The scenery is magnificent and beautiful.
But the black carriage could only park at Daze and wait. Because the road leading to the Southern Jin Dynasty was under martial law, several warships of the Tang Navy were waiting for the arrival of the mission.
There are many ways for Ning Que to ignore the martial law and leave lightly, but whether it is for the sake of peace or for being indifferent and cautious as Mr. Cui said, waiting for the envoys to accompany him, it is better than him to show his identity and let others know his identity.
It would be more appropriate for the Tang Dynasty navy to clear the way for him and escort him.
Fortunately, the scenery in Daze was pleasant enough. Moreover, the mission did not keep him waiting too long. Just when he was almost tired of looking at the reeds in early autumn and getting tired of eating raw cut lake fish, the mission arrived.
On the warship of the Tang Dynasty Navy, Ning Que saw for the first time the envoy of the mission—Xian Zhilang, the general of Zhenxi who was famous for his weak force and astonishing resourcefulness.
The sky above the main hall of the warship was as clear as wild fields. Ning Que and Xian Zhilang sat across from each other, because when it came to their status, it was difficult for the two of them to prioritize.
This general who controls the west is not simple.
This was Xian Zhilang's first impression on Ning Que.
He looked at the man opposite who had the face of a woman and the temperament of a scribe, and said in his heart.
"I belong to Her Royal Highness the Princess. To be more precise, if Your Majesty leaves, I will be loyal to Prince Li Huanyuan. You don't have to look at me like this. This matter cannot become a secret forever."
Xian Zhilang looked at him and smiled and said: "When Her Royal Highness the Princess tried to let me replace Xiahou's position, this secret was no longer a secret, and I believe that the Queen in the palace now tried her best to get Her Majesty to drive me into this palace.
After the group, you should also have investigated the relationship between me and the queen in front of me."
The conversation was very frank, but it reminded Ning Que of the opening remarks of the head of the Cui Clan in Yangguan City, so he smiled and asked in the same direct manner: "I don't know."
Xian Zhilang said: "When Queen Renxiao was not married into the palace, I was the boy who led the horse for her."
Ning Que said: "This relationship is very profound."
Xian Zhilang looked into his eyes and said, "Besides, Chao Xiaoshu and I have a good relationship."
Ning Que said: "What do you want to say?"
Xian Zhilang said: "I want to gain your favor."
Ning Que said: "The academy strictly prohibits interference in government affairs, not to mention that you are already one of the few big shots in the military. I don't think gaining my favor will mean anything to you."
Xian Zhilang smiled and said: "The academy strictly prohibits interfering in government affairs, but this does not include people who join the world. If you can't do anything, what do you do if the dean asks you to join the world? And..."
He suddenly leaned forward, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously: "...Xu Shi is old."
Ning Que looked at him and shook his head and said: "It seems that I still underestimated your ambition, but you overestimated me. Don't forget that I am now the most unwelcome person in the Tang Dynasty military."
Xian Zhilang smiled and said: "I welcome you very much."
…
…
(I have a runny nose and diarrhea at the same time. It is said that I have the legendary gastrointestinal cold again. Who knows. Anyway, I am sweating like rain and my body is sour and smelly when I write. But it doesn’t affect the brain. That’s okay. I shed tears silently.