At the end of the conversation, Cui Shi could not help but ask his father the question that had been lingering in his mind.
"You said that Ning Que was a proud and cold-blooded person. I have a different opinion. In recent years, the news from Chang 'an, including the princess's residence, says that this person looks clear but is actually extremely shameless. He is very good at flattery, so both the Headmaster and His Majesty love him. How can such a person be called proud? "
Elder Cui smiled and did not speak.
Cui Shi laughed bitterly and continued, "Alright, even if this person learned to be proud in the Second floor of the Academy, where did his cold-bloodedness come from? I always thought that the information from the Military Ministry did not count. He could even maintain a good relationship with Ye Hongyu. In my opinion, Ning Que is really good at politics and is very practical. "
Elder Cui said, "It is impossible to see a person clearly just by looking at his resume and listening to his stories. That is why I insisted on seeing him with my own eyes. Even though it was just a brief glance, it was enough."
Cui Shi was slightly stunned.
"Everyone knew that Ning Que was going to the Lanke Temple, but he did not go with the diplomatic mission. Even though he stayed in the best inn in Yangguan City, he did not have any servants with him. I only saw him and that famous little handmaiden of his. I saw him holding a cup of tea but not drinking it. I saw him talking to you with vigilance even though he seemed to be carefree. However, I didn't see that he loved peace and quiet. "
Elder Cui said, "This is a habit that is engraved in his bones. This can only mean that he is an extremely cautious young man. At the same time, he is also a person who does not know how to write the word 'trust'. I even think that, other than the handmaiden, he might not even completely trust the Headmaster."
Cui Shi was silent.
Old Master Cui looked at the thick black curtains on the window and thought of the young man in the inn. He sighed and said, "He doesn't even trust a teacher like the Headmaster. Such a person can't just be described as cold. If there are major changes in the future, you must remember to make the West-Hill promise that they must first eliminate this young man. Otherwise, we may have to pay an unimaginable price."
…
…
Two secret letters from Qinghe County arrived in Chang 'an City.
A letter was sent to the Southern Gate Temple outside the imperial city through the secret guard system of the Tang Empire. The recipient of the letter was Li Qingshan, the Nation Master of the Tang Empire.
After a while, He Mingchi walked out of the Southern Gate Temple. He looked at the clear sky and thought that it might rain later. He clamped the yellow oiled-paper umbrella under his armpit and boarded the carriage.
Under the guidance of the steward, He Mingchi walked into the depths of the Princess' Mansion and came to the balcony that was very famous in Chang 'an's social circle. He greeted Li Yu who was lying on the couch.
Lee Yu frowned slightly and waved her hand to signal the nanny to take away Butchie, who was writing calligraphy. Then she asked He Mingchi to sit down and asked, "There seems to be some problems."
He Mingchi did not sit down. This seemingly inconspicuous action meant that Lee Yu's perception was not wrong. There was indeed something wrong, and it was not a small problem.
He took out the letter from his sleeve and handed it over.
Lee Yu took the letter and tore open the cover. She was slightly startled when she saw the familiar handwriting on the paper. When she saw the contents of the letter, she could not help but frown even more.
The letter was written to the Nation Master, Li Qingshan. In the letter, he mentioned what he had seen in Qinghe County, especially the test that the Cui Family had made through the House of Red Sleeves, and the old steward who had visited him at the inn.
The clans of Qinghe County were now the biggest support for Lee Yu and her brother in the imperial court. If she wanted to help her brother ascend to the throne, she needed the approval of the Academy the most. However, she could not do so without the help of Qinghe County.
Li Yu did not know Ning Que's intentions in writing this letter, but she vaguely understood why the Nation Master had passed this letter to her. She frowned slightly and said, "Sometimes I don't really understand the actions of those old people. I can only say that these things have nothing to do with me."
He Mingchi nodded and said, "I will bring your words back to the Southern Gate Temple."
Lee Yu raised her head and looked at him quietly. She asked, "The Nation Master did not need to show this letter to me. He could have brought it directly into the palace and given it to my father or Her Majesty."
He Mingchi smiled slightly and said, "As your disciple, I am not very clear about what you mean. However, since the things in Qinghe County have nothing to do with you, I think you will be very happy."
The meaning of this sentence was very obscure, and could even be said to have no meaning at all. However, as a person involved in the situation, Lee Yu vaguely caught a certain trend in it. Her eyes slightly brightened.
"I thank the Nation Master for his trust."
The second letter from Qinghe County was sent to the Academy.
Professor Huang He looked at the words on the envelope and smiled. He did not open the envelope and let someone take it to the back of the mountain.
The person who read the letter was Second Brother.
He was beside the Headmaster when he read the letter.
Second Brother respectfully bowed to the Headmaster and said, "Youngest Brother has found some problems."
The Headmaster's attention was on the small yellow croaker that was being fried on the iron plate. He casually asked, "Is it serious?"
Second Brother thought for a moment and said, "There are only two people in the Knowing Destiny State in Qinghe County. It is not serious."
The Headmaster said, "In that case, why are you still bothering me? Can't you see that I am busy? "
Second Brother was slightly startled and said, "How to deal with it?"
The Headmaster said, "Your Youngest Brother is cooking fish by the Daming Lake to understand Tao, but he still has not understood the truth of the world. Whether fish is fried or cooked, it is ultimately used for eating."
Second Brother understood and said, "Then we will wait for them to jump the beam."
The Headmaster suddenly thought of something and his expression slightly froze. He forgot to take out the bamboo spatula from the pot, and the edge of the bamboo spatula gradually became scorched. The small yellow croaker also began to emit a burnt smell.
After an unknown amount of time, he smiled and said, "If the fisherman dies, it doesn't mean that we can't catch fish. If the cook dies, it doesn't mean that we can't fry fish. The beam can't support the broken house forever. When the beam is broken, people will jump from it. Although this jump is not the same as the other jump, clowns will always be clowns."
…
…
Ning Que did not know that the Great Ancestor of Qinghe County had such a deep and serious evaluation of him. After Sangsang confirmed that there was something wrong with the old steward, he immediately wrote two letters back to Chang 'an and did not think about it anymore.
He ranked last in the back of the mountain of the Academy. Above him were the Headmaster of the Academy and other powerful Senior Brothers and Sisters. They would deal with the problem in Qinghe County, so he did not need to worry about it. On that day, he took Sangsang and left Yangguan City in the black horse carriage. Two days later, they stopped in front of a ferry.
There were no blind thieves who came to rob them, and no stupid officials who wanted to collect taxes. What blocked the way of the horse carriage was a steaming water surface with boundless autumn reeds.
The lake in front of the southern wilderness of the Tang Empire sounded very ordinary. It was called the Great Lake. Only those who had been to the Great Lake could feel the majesty of this simple name. The lake was so big that no other word in the world could be qualified to describe it except for the word "Great".
It was just like the yellow river in the further south.
The Great Lake was vast and boundless. Even birds could not cross it in one breath. If there was no ferry, even the most powerful cultivator would not be able to cross it.
This was the largest lake in the world, lying between the two most powerful countries in the world. It was like Haotian had created a buffer between the Tang Empire and the South Jin Kingdom. It brought peace to the people of the world, but it also brought many inconveniences. There were all kinds of ferries for goods and people to flow between the north and the south. When the water vapor dissipated, countless sails could be seen behind the autumn reeds. The scenery was magnificent and beautiful.
But the black horse carriage could only stop by the Great Lake and wait. Because the road leading to the South Jin Kingdom had been cordoned off. Several warships of the Tang Navy were waiting for the arrival of the diplomatic mission.
Ning Que had many ways to ignore the martial law and leave quietly. However, regardless of whether it was for the sake of peace or if he was as cold and cautious as Elder Cui had described him to be, waiting for the diplomatic corps to travel with him would be more appropriate than taking out his waist token to reveal his identity and letting the Tang navy clear the way for him.
Fortunately, the scenery of the Great Lake was pleasant enough, and the diplomatic mission did not make him wait for too long. Just when he was about to get tired of looking at the autumn reeds and eating the raw fish in the lake, the diplomatic mission arrived.
On the warship of the Tang Navy, Ning Que saw the head of the diplomatic mission for the first time. It was the Zhenxi General Xian Zhilang, who was known for his weak martial arts but amazing intelligence.
The main hall of the warship was empty. Ning Que and Xian Zhilang sat opposite each other. Because of their status, it was difficult to distinguish who was stronger and who was weaker.
The Zhenxi General was not simple.
This was Ning Que's first impression of Xian Zhilang.
He looked at the man who looked like a woman and had a scholarly temperament and said in his heart.
"I work for Her Highness. To be more precise, if His Majesty leaves, I will be loyal to Prince Li Huiyuan. You don't have to look at me like this. After all, this matter will not be a secret forever."
Xian Zhilang looked at him and said with a smile, "When Her Highness tried to let me replace Xiahou's position, this secret was no longer a secret. And I believe that now that the Empress in the palace has tried her best to make His Majesty drive me into this diplomatic mission, she should have already investigated my relationship with the previous Empress."
It was a very open and honest conversation, but it reminded Ning Que of the opening remarks of the master of the Cui Family in Yangguan City. So he smiled and said directly, "I don't know."
Xian Zhilang said, "Before Empress Renxiao married into the palace, I was a manservant who led her horse."
Ning Que said, "This relationship is very deep."
Xian Zhilang looked into his eyes and said, "And I have a good relationship with Chao Xiaoshu."
Ning Que said, "What do you want to say?"
Xian Zhilang said, "I want to make a good impression on you."
Ning Que said, "The Academy strictly forbids interfering in court affairs. Moreover, you are already one of the few bigwigs in the military. I don't think it is meaningful for you to make a good impression on me."
Xian Zhilang smiled and said, "The Academy strictly forbids interfering in court affairs, but it never includes those who have entered the human realm. If you can't do anything, why did the Headmaster ask you to enter the human realm? And … "
He suddenly leaned forward and lowered his voice. He said mysteriously, "… Xu Shi is old."
Ning Que looked at him and shook his head. He said, "It seems that I have underestimated your ambition, and you have overestimated me. Don't forget that I am now the most unpopular person in the Tang military."
Xian Zhilang smiled and said, "I welcome you very much."
…
…
(I have a runny nose on one side and diarrhea on the other. It is said that I have the legendary gastrointestinal flu again. Who knows? In any case, I am sweating like rain and my whole body stinks. But it does not affect my brain. That is good. I cry silently. Am I finally beginning to act sad again?) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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