Qi Min had only been imprisoned for less than a day before he was released with his tail between his legs.
It was to the point that the successor even felt a bit of guilt towards this old pedant that he had disliked since childhood. After releasing him from the prison, he actually left him in the palace and comforted him a bit before letting him go home.
When Qi Min returned home, the streets were already brightly lit.
His entire family had already been released from prison and were waiting at the door to welcome him. His good friends were also waiting in front of his fu. When they saw him coming down from the carriage, they all came forward to congratulate him.
Surviving a great disaster was a happy thing. After Qi Min greeted them one by one, he welcomed everyone into the fu and invited them to eat a meal before returning.
The officials naturally didn't refuse.
Qi Min set up a banquet at home to congratulate everyone. He was usually frugal, so when his house was searched this time, he didn't find much money.
Thus, the banquet was prepared quite simply. However, everyone at the banquet were his good friends and knew his character.
The officials closed the door to the banquet. After eating and drinking to their heart's content, they gradually spoke more freely.
"Today at the imperial court, I finally understood what it means to be heartless." One of the officials held a wine cup and said drunkenly.
For a moment, everyone at the banquet was speechless and gradually quieted down.
The official continued, "Official Qi can be considered to have students all over the world. Which one of the people he knows isn't a scholar who is well-read? But today, this group of people who framed him, fanned the flames, and took the opportunity to clear their names are all his disciples! "
Although Qi Min hadn't been a teacher for a day, scholars always valued rules. If a commoner wanted to become an official, they all had to pass the imperial exam. And those who passed the imperial exam had to be grateful to the examiner for recognizing their worth. Thus, they had to call their examiner as their teacher.
As for Qi Min, she had been the chief examiner of many imperial examinations.
Hearing this, the banquet was completely silent.
A moment later, an official drank the wine in his cup and put the cup on the table with a clang.
"Dun Ting …! Who would have thought that the one who did this was Dun Ting! "
All the officials present knew that Zhao Dunting was very filial to Qi Min. Back then, Zhao Dunting was poor and destitute. He sold his ancestral home and farmland to enter the capital for the imperial examination. However, he was robbed outside the city. When he entered the capital, he was penniless. At that time, it was Qi Min who happened to meet him and helped him, allowing him to gain a foothold in the capital and take the exam.
After that, everyone saw how Zhao Dunting reported back to Qi Min every year.
Hearing this, everyone's expression became even more solemn. Qi Min was silent for a while. Then, he picked up his chopsticks, picked up some food, and put it into his mouth.
"I didn't teach him for even a single day. He became a High Scholar and served the Imperial Court. It was all because of his own ability and luck." He said plainly. "I'm not his teacher, and he didn't betray me."
For a moment, everyone sighed.
Someone continued, "Today's matter is also a good thing for Lord Qi. He saw the nature of some people clearly. It can be considered a blessing in disguise."
The official next to him praised, "That's right. Lord Qi's subordinate, Zhang Yan, who forced the Emperor to thoroughly investigate Lord Qi's relatives and friends, is a hidden person. "
The people around him nodded.
However, Qi Min put down his chopsticks.
"He's not," he said.
The official next to him said in surprise, "Lord Qi, you mean …?"
Qi Min stared at the cup on the table and said slowly.
"Today, he seemed to be adding insult to injury, but he didn't forget to drag Zhao Dunting into this. If it weren't for him, I would have been beheaded by now. His actions made it seem like he knew something in advance and stood out to save me. "
The banquet fell into silence.
"I just don't know how he knew who was behind this."
At this moment, an official spoke slowly.
"Lord Qi, I have some personal relations with Zhang Yan. A few days ago, when we were drunk, he said something to me."
Qi Min looked at him and heard him speak slowly.
"He said … he wanted to do something for His Highness, Prince Jing. He didn't know if he would live or die, but he had to do it."
— —
By the time the lanterns were lit, the search of Zhao Manor was almost complete.
The soldiers and soldiers dispersed. Everyone in the Zhao Manor had been arrested and dismissed. The heavy door was slowly closed and sealed.
The Zhao Manor, which was bustling with people, fell into darkness and silence.
At this moment, a few shadows jumped up from the eaves. They were very fast, like birds in the night sky. They jumped up the walls in the darkness and disappeared into the darkness in the blink of an eye.
These were Xu Du's men of sacrifice.
The black shadows flashed a few times and disappeared into a dark alley. In the time it took for half an incense stick to burn, the alley was already empty. The people in black had disappeared long ago. Only a few inconspicuous servants in coarse clothes were left. They carried the groceries they bought from the busy market and went straight into Prince Jing's Manor.
No one noticed that there was a bottomless dead end next to the alley where they disappeared. If you turned there and walked a little further, you could smell the pungent smell of blood.
A few people were quietly hiding there. At their feet, there were a dozen or so corpses piled up into a small hill.
These corpses were the work of these people.
Almost inaudible footsteps could be heard.
"Let's go," the person stood in front of the corpses and said slowly.
In the darkness, the few figures that were climbing the wall like vipers started to move when they heard this. One of them jumped down from the top of the wall and pulled off his mask. He walked to the corpses and casually kicked them.
"It's finally over," he said. "The assassins sent by Old Thief Pang are quite skilled."
The person who was on the lookout also pulled off his mask.
It was Wei Kai.
"I'll have to trouble my brothers to clean up these things," he said as he looked at the corpses. "Make sure there's no trace left."
"Commander Wei, don't worry," someone next to him said. "We'll do it. Don't worry."
Then, they started to get busy in the dark.
The person who spoke first said as he worked, "I don't know what the general is thinking. I thought it was something big that even Commander Wei had to work."
Someone next to him laughed and said, "That's right. Look at how big this is. I'm rubbing my hands together. I thought we were going to rescue the general from Prince Jing's Manor."
Someone else said, "Who knew that we were secretly protecting a few men of sacrifice. Commander Wei, do you know which family these men of sacrifice belong to? Why are they so precious? "
Wei Kai scolded them with a sullen face, "Don't gossip. Hurry up."
They laughed a few times when they heard this and didn't say anything else. They quickly got to work.
Wei Kai stood on the side with a frown on his face.
His subordinates weren't the only ones who were confused. Even he didn't know why.
He probably knew that Prince Jing wanted to oppose Pang Shao, and he had also heard that Prince Jing had succeeded in this matter.
The general had asked him to make arrangements for them to hide in the dark and wait for the men of sacrifice from Jiang Suizhou to retreat.
Although the general's foresight was miraculous, and if Pang Shao's men really did come to investigate, they were all killed by them. However, Wei Kai did not know why the general would do something so superfluous.
Was it to kill Pang Shao's men, or was it because the men of sacrifice from Prince Jing's Manor really had something special about them?
— —
The two jars of wine in Jiang Suizhou were good wines that had been kept in the manor for many years. The original owner of the manor seemed to like collecting wine, but she didn't drink much. There were many good wines in the manor that were brought from Ye City.
This was one of the jars.
Jiang Suizhou also didn't expect that the alcohol of the Northern Lands in ancient times would be so strong.
He carried the wine jars to Huo Wujiu's room. Huo Wujiu had just finished dinner.
Jiang Suizhou saw him sitting on the bed and remembered that he was still injured. He hurriedly asked, "You're still taking medicine. Can't you drink wine?"
Huo Wujiu looked up and saw him carrying the wine jars. He asked, "Is it done?"
Jiang Suizhou naturally knew what he was talking about. He raised his hand and dismissed the servants. He smiled and said, "It's done. Everything is going according to plan."
Huo Wujiu's gaze was fixed on the smile on his face and didn't move away for a moment.
Jiang Suizhou put the wine jars on the table and sat down on the left. He said, "I wanted to celebrate with you, but I forgot that your injuries haven't healed yet. Otherwise, forget it. It doesn't matter if you drink or not. "
Huo Wujiu repeated, "Celebrate with me?"
Jiang Suizhou nodded.
"No matter what, Pang Shao has a grudge against you. He suffered a great loss. For you, it's something to be happy about. "
His words were quite dignified. At this time, the room was brightly lit and seemed a little out of place.
He paused. He pressed one hand on the wine jars and rested his chin on the back of his hand. He looked at Huo Wujiu and smiled frankly.
"There's really no one else. There are very few people who know about this. Gu Changyun is unreliable, and Xu Du is still busy. If this prince didn't invite you to celebrate, wouldn't I be bored to death? "
He was very relaxed now. The pretense on his face had been mostly removed, revealing his lazy and gentle appearance.
Huo Wujiu remained silent, but his movements were nimble. He pulled the wheelchair over with one hand, and with a push of his hand, he sat down in the wheelchair. He walked straight to the table and sat opposite Jiang Suizhou.
He didn't say anything, but opened the wine jars.
For a moment, the fragrance of the wine filled the room.
Jiang Suizhou was stunned. He hurriedly raised his hand to stop him.
"Can't you drink alcohol? If you can't, then forget it. Don't delay your treatment … "
Huo Wujiu looked up. His black eyes were especially bright under the light.
"I've brought the wine. Do you want to drink?"
Jiang Suizhou always felt that there was a smile in his eyes right now.
Although he couldn't see it and couldn't find any clues, it was bright. It was like sunlight shining on the tip of a spear. When it shone in his eyes, it made him dizzy.
He couldn't help but withdraw his hand, allowing Huo Wujiu to skillfully pick up the wine jars with one hand. He casually grabbed two bowls and filled them to the brim.
It wasn't until Huo Wujiu placed one of the bowls in front of him that he came back to his senses. He was dumbfounded.
The wine in the bowl was very clear and fragrant. Just by smelling it, one could tell that it was strong. The bowl wasn't small. The wine in the bowl shone brightly under the light. For a moment, Jiang Suizhou flinched a little.
Even before he transmigrated, he had never seen anyone drink white wine from a bowl.
He stared blankly at the bowl on the table, then raised his eyes to look at Huo Wujiu. He said firmly, "Drink with this?"
Huo Wujiu had a puzzled look on his face. "What else?"
It took him a while to realize that the people in the capital didn't drink from bowls, unlike the people at the border. They were always short on supplies and didn't have so many fancy cups. They used the same things to eat meat and drink wine.
He was a little annoyed. He felt that he was a little unsophisticated.
"I forgot," he said. "I'll go ask someone for a cup."
He was about to leave when he saw Jiang Suizhou look up and stop him.
He saw that Prince Jing's face seemed to show some self-esteem that he didn't want to show.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Forget it. Pang Shao is out of luck today. It's worth it for me to drink with a bowl. "
Huo Wujiu watched him pick up the bowl and suddenly remembered the day when he came back drunk. He smelled of sweet wine. He could tell that it wasn't hard wine just by smelling it. Presumably, this person couldn't hold his liquor well.
He paused. He was about to say something to stop him, but he swallowed it back down.
He remembered the day when this person lost his balance and fell into his arms.
It was the smell of osmanthus.
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