It was not hot in Chang 'an in the early summer, but there were already ice basins in the backyard of the rich. The cold wind lingered in the room, as if it was winter.
However, Old Master Chu's shirt remained unbuttoned. He was sweating profusely as he constantly fanned himself. He appeared extremely hot — he could not help but feel nervous after hearing the news. His heart began to heat up.
"Is it true? Is it true? " He stared at Chu Youxian and asked in a low voice, looking very mysterious. "If it's not convenient for you to tell me, just blink your eyes."
Chu Youxian looked at his father and sighed helplessly. He held his forehead and did not know how to answer. Although the news had been spreading in the house for the past two days, he could not admit it.
Looking at his reaction, Master Chu knew that it was probably true. The wrinkles on his face suddenly smoothed out. He laughed and patted Chu Youxian's shoulder excitedly, saying, "No wonder it's hard to see you at home these days. I didn't see you in the House of Red Sleeves either. I thought it was impossible for you to turn over a new leaf. It turns out that you have become an official. Not bad, not bad. I was right to spend so much money to send you to the Academy. "
Master Chu was a famous rich man in Chang 'an. What he hoped most in his life was that his son could make a name for himself in the officialdom. According to the news, although Chu Youxian's position was not high, it was very important and could be regarded as the confidant of the imperial court. Now that it was confirmed, he was very happy.
He looked at Chu Youxian and said seriously, "Your performance in the Academy is a mess, and your ability to handle affairs is not outstanding. You should know that you can get to this position because of Mr. Thirteen's old friendship. You can't let him down. Be careful with your words, and don't be too complacent."
Chu Youxian finally could not stand it anymore after hearing this. He waved his arms and shouted angrily, "Who is complacent? Who is complacent? I'm a secret guard, and I can't let anyone know about it! You had to spend thousands of taels of silver to hire someone to investigate me. Now you found out. Do you think I can still be a secret guard? Do you have to spend tens of thousands of taels of silver to shut everyone's mouth? I don't understand. It was supposed to be a good thing. Why did you make it so troublesome? "
Master Qin was scolded by his son, but he couldn't retort, because he really didn't think things through. His face turned green and red, and he said, "I won't care about you anymore, okay?"
Chu Youxian stood up and was about to leave angrily.
Old Master Jin saw that this brat actually didn't appreciate his humility, and he couldn't help but feel a little angry. He shouted, "Don't think that just because you are a trusted aide of the imperial court, I won't dare to beat you up! At a time like this, why go out and have fun? "
Chu Youxian said, "There's a party at the House of Red Sleeves tonight. I have to go."
"I haven't been there for ten days, what right do you have to go?"
Chu Youxian said angrily, "If you don't let me go, I won't go."
Master Chu wanted to say, "So what if I don't go?" Suddenly, he remembered that Mr. Thirteen was his son's classmate, so he couldn't bring himself to say it. He said, "Go early and come back early."
…
…
In the early summer, the city of Chang 'an was covered with green trees. Even from a long distance, there was a large patch of green, which made people feel very comfortable.
However, no matter how beautiful the scenery was, if one looked at it for a long time, one would get tired of it. For example, the Headmaster of the Academy had been looking at the vast world for thousands of years, and he always wanted to go somewhere else. Another example was the Empress, who had lived in this city for decades, and because no one accompanied her, she also grew tired.
Standing on the city wall, Ning Que looked at the mountains and lakes in the city, and naturally thought of these two people. Then he thought of what Ye Hongyu said by the Yanming Lake.
— — You will be trapped in Chang 'an for the rest of your life, and you will be an angry prisoner.
Except for the Qingming Festival, he hadn't left Chang 'an for many days. He began to get tired of it, and there was still a long way to go before he was angry. But he knew that he had indeed become a prisoner.
There was a warm wind blowing on the city wall. Early summer, like late spring, was the warmest and most beautiful season in Chang 'an. However, Eldest Brother still did not take off his old cotton-padded jacket.
Ning Que was very sure that Eldest Brother's cotton-padded jacket had not been washed since the day he first met Eldest Brother in the spring of the 13th year of the Tianqi era. He was always covered with dust, but why did he still feel so clean?
"If the heart is clean, the body will naturally be clean," Eldest Brother said slowly.
Ning Que smiled and said, "I have only heard of the saying 'if the heart is calm, the body will naturally be clean', but I have never heard of the saying 'if the heart is calm, the body will naturally be clean'. Senior Brother, don't you think this is very unreasonable?"
Eldest Brother walked slowly to his side, looked at the streets under the city wall, and said, "If the heart is calm, the body will naturally be clean … This sentence is very interesting, but it is a pity that your heart can't calm down."
If the heart could be really calm, then even if he was trapped in prison, he could still gallop between heaven and earth. Ning Que understood what Eldest Brother meant, but under the current situation, he could not calm down.
Eldest Brother looked at him with pity and said, "Since you can't calm down, then move a little."
Ning Que thought for a while and said, "It is too risky."
Eldest Brother said, "The God-stunning Array is still here, and I can also leave. Even if there is danger, I believe that I can also resist for a while. We can't let you really waste your time here."
Ning Que pointed at the pedestrians in the streets and said, "Their lives and future are all on my shoulders. What right do I have to take the risk with them?"
Eldest Brother said, "Now you are guarding this city and its people, but if you can't walk out of this city, then this city and its people will be guarding you."
Ning Que was silent for a long time, and then said, "I understand."
Eldest Brother said, "According to the method we have thought of a few days ago, it is okay to move a little. Jun Mo and I are not worried about Chang 'an, but what we may encounter on the road."
Ning Que said, "If Fourth Brother's calculation is correct, even if we encounter something, we can solve it. Now we need to confirm the news from the West-Hill Divine Palace."
Eldest Brother asked, "When can we confirm it?"
Ning Que was silent for a while and said, "It may never be confirmed. I want to get more information before making a decision. If I really do this, I will still have to trouble you, Senior Brother."
Eldest Brother said gently, "Then you can take a look. I will leave first."
Ning Que asked, "Senior Brother, are you going back to the palace?"
Eldest Brother said, "There is something wrong with the long Wei River dyke. The officials of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue are quarreling in the hall. His Majesty and Li Yu are still waiting for me to go back and make a decision."
Ning Que asked seriously, "Senior Brother, is there anything you can't do?"
Eldest Brother smiled and said, "I don't know Talisman Taoism, or I would be a prisoner of this city. But if I were to be imprisoned in Chang 'an, I think I would not have any objection."
After Eldest Brother returned to the palace, Ning Que stayed on the city wall for a while. He watched the sun gradually sink to the west, and the sunset glow illuminated the city wall of Chang 'an. Then he saw the city wall turn into a sea of flowers.
Thousands of Tang soldiers walked into Chang 'an City, welcomed by the warm waving of the people and the scattering of flowers. They belonged to the Northern Battlefront Army and suffered the most in this war. And because of the pressure exerted by the Golden Palace, they could not return to Chang 'an until early summer to receive their rewards.
Ning Que walked down the city wall and walked to the House of Red Sleeves.
…
…
Tonight, the House of Red Sleeves was booked to hold the classmates reunion of the Academy in the 13th year of Tianqi era.
Ning Que stood by the window and looked at the young generals downstairs who kept drinking and the new officials in various departments. He saw Chu Zhongtian who was bearded and no longer looked young. He saw Wang Ying of Linchuan who was very popular in the Hanlin Academy. He saw Chen Simiao, He Yingqin, and Chen Zixian and other classmates from Classroom Three.
Situ Yilan and Jin Wucai sat by the table hand in hand and were whispering stories after they parted. Looking at his back, Situ Yilan asked, "You really don't want to go down?"
Ning Que shook his head, walked to the table and sat down.
It was indeed inconvenient for him to go downstairs because of his current status, and there was no need to deliberately make those gestures. In this single room, there were only him, Chu Youxian, and the two familiar girls.
After the mourning period, Jin Wucai married a young official of the Ministry of Works. Looking at her gentle expression, she should be very happy after marriage. But it was unknown whether she sometimes thought of a man named Xie Chengyun.
Situ Yilan had been in the army all these years. Since last year, she had been fighting against the cavalry of the Golden Tribe Royal Court at the frontline of the Northern Borderline. Today, she had just returned to Chang 'an. The most important reason for holding this reunion was to wait for her return.
Chu Youxian drank a few cups of wine with her. Seeing that Situ Yilan seemed to want to talk to Ning Que alone, he winked at Jin Wucai and they went downstairs.
Situ Yilan looked into Ning Que's eyes and said, "It's said that it was the prince's idea to cede the Xiangwan Plain. If he dies, so does the Empress. Even the soldiers in the Northern Battlefront Army can't be angry. But I know that it must be approved by the Academy."
She had changed into casual clothes. Although she was a little tanned after being exposed to the wind and sun in the Northern Borderline, she was still beautiful. But the cloth wrapped around her head looked a little weird.
Ning Que looked at her and said, "I know what you want to ask. Yes, ceding the Xiangwan Plain to the Golden Palace and Dongshan Commandery to the Yan Kingdom was approved by the Academy, or more precisely, by me. "
Situ Yilan asked, "Why? If ceding Dongshan Commandery was just a temporary show of weakness, why cede the Xiangwan Plain? You should know how important that pasture is to the Tang Empire. "
Ning Que said, "You can probably guess that something happened and the Academy had to retreat temporarily."
Situ Yilan said, "The cavalry of the Golden Palace is really strong. Many of us died there. I feel a little uneasy when I think they may become stronger."
Ning Que said, "I will kill them all. Don't worry."
Situ Yilan trusted him. Although she knew that no cultivator could destroy the entire Golden Palace, she was not worried anymore because it was the Academy's promise.
She noticed that Ning Que kept staring at a certain part of her body. She asked with a smile, "Are you curious?"
Ning Que nodded.
She pulled off the cloth.
It turned out that the waterfall-like hair of the past had already become short and messy.
…
…
(Note: The part about Chu Youxian was inspired by a student's comment in the book review section. I was looking for a starting point for the plot at that time. Thank you. I will try to finish the next chapter before one o 'clock.) (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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