Actually, for the two of them, being a customer service, security guard, or janitor was nothing. No matter what, it was better than squatting in a village and showing off their strength to survive. However, it was difficult to balance it out.
An Cui used to be attentive and concerned to them, calling them brothers and thinking highly of them.
But now, he didn't need them anymore. From being An Cui's right and left arms and confidants, they were reduced to the background, idlers who did chores.
This wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that the people who used to suck up to them were now stepping on them. Their days were getting more and more depressing. With such a huge difference, it would be strange if they felt good. But they couldn't complain, lest An Cui heard about it.
They only had a little bit of friendship left with An Cui. If they lost even this, they would probably be beaten back to their original state.
"Sigh … Let's not talk about these unhappy things. We haven't had a drink together in a long time." He patted the shoulder of his brother and sighed. "Sister-in-law warmed the food and wine at home. We're going to drink to our heart's content tonight. Let's go …"
Both of them were sad people, so they agreed to get drunk together.
Unexpectedly, they ran into Lu Zheng, who had lost a lot of weight and was about to return home.
The brothers' eyes brightened. One of them called out to Lu Zheng.
"Military Advisor Lu, where are you going?"
Lu Zheng's situation wasn't much better than the two brothers. The latter saw it and remembered it.
Lu Zheng had sacrificed a lot for An Cui. The first two years were even more difficult. Who knew how much energy and effort it took to slowly open An Cui's shop, allowing him to enjoy the glory he had today. Now that Hua Yuan, who was more to An Cui's liking, had appeared, Lu Zheng, the strategist with whom he didn't share the same values, was slowly buried and marginalized. To be honest, Lu Zheng was one of the few people in An Cui's camp who was willing to look the two brothers in the eye. Thus, they were extremely respectful to Lu Zheng. They would greet him and say a few words when they met on the road.
Lu Zheng turned his head and said calmly, "So it's you two generals. I went to congratulate my lord earlier. I'm on my way home to stay up for the New Year."
Even though there weren't many people in Lu Zheng's house, staying up for the New Year was an old tradition.
The two brothers looked at each other, cupped their fists, and invited, "We are also alone outside, and it's boring to stay up all year round. Why don't you join us, Military Advisor?"
Lu Zheng nodded in agreement.
Festivals like the Chinese New Year should have some popularity, and the more people, the merrier.
The two brothers happily led the way. After a few turns, they arrived home. The house was brightly lit, and a beautiful woman had been waiting outside for a long time.
"Madam, go and prepare some good wine and dishes. We must drink to our heart's content with the military counselor and the others tonight."
The woman nodded and led the two maids to bring out the wine and delicacies that had been kept warm.
After eating two mouthfuls of food, her sworn brother said, "Sister-in-law's cooking is amazing. I haven't had such delicious food in a long time."
The two brothers boasted about their business. Lu Zheng sat at the side and listened quietly. He did not speak for a long time.
He had met that madam once. It was said that she was originally the wife of a small aristocratic family.
Because of the chaos of the war, she was separated from her family when they migrated. She fell into the hands of the Southern barbarians and was tied to the back of a horse as a spoil of war.
Whether it was luck or misfortune, the Southern barbarians were about to take their spoils of war away to enjoy when they ran into the troops of An Cui's tent.
At that time, An Cui's career had just started. The two sworn brothers were the most useful generals under his tent.
The sworn brother killed the Southern barbarian bandits and saved this concubine's daughter. He immediately saw her and brought her back to his tent without a word. From Lu Zheng's point of view, this kind of forced buying and selling was essentially no different from the Southern barbarian bandits. Weren't they all bandits?
But this madam had accepted her fate, so Lu Zheng could not say anything. He did not like this world. Whether it was men or women, they were all pitiful and weak in the face of evil bandits who took things by force. In the end, they had to accept their fate and treat the other party as "heaven and earth". It was truly laughable.
Lu Zheng was not a talkative person, so the two brothers did not think there was anything wrong with him.
After three rounds of wine, their faces were red, and they began to speak with a lisp. Their voices sounded slurred, and they did not control their mouths.
Lu Zheng listened and sighed inwardly.
No wonder An Cui was at odds with these two brothers.
Secrets could not be kept. Once they drank, they dared to say anything. As time went on, a narrow-minded person like An Cui would naturally have disagreements.
The two were discussing An Cui's inability to have children due to her unmentionable illness, each saying something about how the other had gotten pregnant …
Not only did An Cui disagree with them, but Lu Zheng also felt uncomfortable listening to them.
If the salted fishes were here, they would know why.
Because the words of these two brothers were stabbing straight at the G spot of a straight man!
It would be strange if Lu Zheng, who had normal values, could feel comfortable listening to them.
After listening for a while, Lu Zheng used the excuse of sobering up to go out to the veranda to look at the snow. The sounds in the room faded away behind him.
"It's snowing?"
The bright moon poured down cold light, dispersing the tipsiness on Lu Zheng's body. His swollen mind calmed down again.
He had a question in his heart. This question was the same as the two people in the room.
How did An Cui have a child?
How did the child come so coincidentally?
Seeing An Cui so happy all day, it did not seem fake.
Although he was confused, he did not say it out loud like a boor.
Lu Zheng still cherished his life. If he angered An Cui's murderous intent because of this, wouldn't he die an unjust death?
No matter how imaginative he was, he did not expect Hua Yuan to play such a trick. On the surface, he was plotting for An Cui, but behind his back, he wanted to kill An Cui. Moreover, he did not expect Hua Yuan to arrange for the sowing opportunity to be the elder brother of the Xichang Princess. Those with more upright thoughts would not immediately think of something that went against human relations, unless it was someone as observant as Jiang Pengji or someone as schizophrenic as Hua Yuan.
As he thought about it, Lu Zheng heard the crunching sound of wooden clogs stepping on the snow. A delicate fragrance wafted into his nose.
"Sir."
A gentle female voice carried a watery warmth. The lady walked over gracefully and put down a cup of soup to sober up.
Lu Zheng declined politely. "I haven't had much to drink, so I won't trouble you."
He was not a single person. He could understand women's hints. When dealing with married women, it was right to keep a respectful distance.
"Sir, don't be nervous. Langjun and Third Brother are drinking in the room. The two of them are drunk and don't know what's going on here." The lady laughed. Seeing that Lu Zheng was still keeping a respectful distance, she said warmly, "Sir, please don't misunderstand me …"
The lady secretly looked around the room. Suddenly, she poured the warm soup on Lu Zheng. She raised her voice and kept apologizing to Lu Zheng. Lu Zheng's face darkened. He raised his hand and brushed away the lady's action of wiping him with a handkerchief. He looked angry.
"I'm sorry. There are still clothes to change in the residence. Why don't you come to the guest house and change? I'll arrange for a servant to send you away."
Lu Zheng did not say anything. He closed his eyes and hid his thoughts.
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