Huo Wujiu looked at Wei Kai and frowned. He opened his mouth but didn't say anything.
Wei Kai felt that his general's cheeks were clenched, as if he was gritting his teeth. The general didn't look happy, but Wei Kai didn't know why he was unhappy.
The general's thoughts had always been difficult to guess. Wei Kai couldn't make sense of them.
After hesitating for a moment, he asked tentatively, "... General?"
Huo Wujiu glanced at him with an indifferent expression.
"This subordinate understands!" Wei Kai immediately stood up straight.
Wasn't the general's gaze telling him not to talk too much? He understood. Although the general had such thoughts, they weren't honorable. He definitely couldn't say them out loud.
As long as he was well aware of it, it was fine.
With that thought, Wei Kai smiled at Huo Wujiu.
Huo Wujiu glanced at him indifferently. He didn't want to delve into the mess that Wei Kai understood. He looked out of the window. It was already late at night, but Jiang Suizhou still hadn't returned.
"Since you understand, let's go take a look," Huo Wujiu said. "Wait for Prince Jing to return. I have something to discuss with him."
Wei Kai nodded and left.
— —
At this moment, the atmosphere in the palace's banquet hall was tense.
Scholars who had been taught by Confucius and Mencius knew how to be tactful. No matter the situation, they would leave some face for the other party and tactfully express their intentions. Therefore, the court officials had their own way of interacting with each other. Even if they were at loggerheads with each other, they wouldn't really trample on the other party's face.
However, Lou Yue was different. He was someone who had never studied before. The principles of those cultured people couldn't be understood by him.
After he finished speaking, the hall was completely silent. The court officials all held their breaths and didn't dare to speak again. He was the only one who glared at Pang Shao. Pang Shao sat there with an ugly expression on his face.
He was silent for a moment, then said with a cold expression, "I'm afraid that General Lou has drunk too much. Servants, hurry and help General Lou to rest. "
He was trying to save his own face, and also to warn Lou Yue.
However, Lou Yue completely ignored him.
He sneered and said loudly, "I'm not drunk. I'm very sober. Old thief Pang, if I had drunk too much today, I'm afraid that your head would've fallen under the table already. "
Pang Shao's face darkened even more.
In the dazzling hall, the courtiers dressed in luxurious robes all looked at each other in dismay, their gazes stealing glances in his direction. Pang Shao was used to living like a prince and couldn't stand these things. He pressed his hands on the table and resisted the urge to leave.
Lou Yue … Lou Yue! He had already made up his mind to deal with this person. After today, he would definitely let this boorish man know that if he dared to provoke him, he would make him suffer a fate worse than death.
He gritted his teeth and didn't speak for a moment.
At this moment, a voice came from the side.
"Since today is the day to celebrate General Lou's achievements, why don't we speak in private. General, please return to your seat first. Don't be disrespectful in front of His Majesty. "
Lou Yue turned his head and saw that it was Qi Min.
He remembered this old thing. Although he was usually long-winded and annoying, he was always at odds with Pang Shao. They had always minded their own business.
What's wrong with this old man? I've only been gone for a year, and now I'm on the same side as Pang Shao?
When he saw that Qi Min had come to speak for Pang Shao, Lou Yue didn't care at all. He turned around and scolded, "Disrespectful? Since you're the Grand Marshal, this matter is indeed your responsibility. Then let me ask you, is it proper for a prince of the imperial family to marry a war prisoner? "
Qi Min frowned and looked at him. After a moment, he sat back down and didn't say anything else.
Lou Yue glared at Pang Shao, then threw the cup in his hand away. He walked to the back emperor's throne and knelt down. He bowed and said, "This general knows that he has acted presumptuously today, but I ask Your Majesty to think carefully. If you are bewitched by a scoundrel and do something that will damage the imperial family's dignity, it will damage Your Majesty's dignity, not that scoundrel's. "
The back emperor's expression was extremely ugly.
Lou Yue was frivolous, but he had the right to be frivolous.
Even if he was muddle-headed, he knew that there were no other talented generals in the imperial court. No matter how dissatisfied he was with Lou Yue, he didn't dare to kill him.
In the current situation, Lou Yue was their only solid wall.
He moved his lips and reluctantly said, "I understand."
Lou Yue calmly stood up and returned to his seat.
Neither the host nor the guest were happy with the meal. When the time came, the banquet was hastily dismissed.
Qi Min boarded the carriage. Just as the carriage was about to leave, his good friend suddenly stopped it and squeezed into the carriage.
"What's the matter?"
Qi Min was old and had drunk some wine. He was a little dizzy and leaned against the carriage to rest.
His good friend sat down in front of him and asked in confusion, "Why did you say that today, Duke Qi?"
Qi Min opened his eyes and looked at him. He said, "Because Lou Yue overstepped his boundaries today and made the Emperor unhappy."
This didn't sound like something Qi Min would say. His good friend said anxiously, "Duke Qi, please don't tease me!"
Qi Min grunted, "I'm not teasing you."
He sat up straight and said slowly, "You can see that General Lou is straightforward. Today, not only did he offend Pang Shao, he also made His Majesty unhappy. It's common for generals to be a little frivolous. However, General Lou's frivolity is not based on merit. He is sincerely angry with Pang Shao and is worried about Da Jing. "
His good friend said, "Of course!"
Qi Min sighed.
"Pang Shao will not tolerate him being like this."
His good friend said, "Duke Qi, is that what you think? But now, without Lou Yue, Da Jing will no longer have a good general. "
Qi Min lowered his eyes.
"You and I will be worried about this, but Pang Shao will not," he said. "When I left the banquet just now, I purposely walked near Pang Shao. Sure enough, I saw someone go up to him to comfort him. He simply said to that person, 'Let him be arrogant, he will face a great disaster in the future.' Then, I knew that I guessed right. "
His good friend panicked. "What should we do?"
Qi Min pondered for a moment and slowly spoke.
"We can't really let him have his way," he said. "That's why I said this today. I want to have a direct confrontation with General Lou and draw a clear line between us. This way, Pang Shao won't have to be too careful when making a move. He might even try to test my intentions and use me. Although I am old, I still have some connections in the court. When the time comes, I will be able to find some clues. This way, he will be able to do what he wants to do and we will have a way to defeat him. "
His good friend pondered for a moment and nodded in approval. "Duke Qi's idea is very good."
He sighed and said, "I've always known Duke Qi to be impartial and straightforward. Now, it seems that he has a delicate heart."
Qi Min heard this and smiled as he shook his head.
"I don't have a delicate heart," he said. "It's just that a few days ago, His Highness Prince Jing secretly saved my life. Only then did I realize that I should learn to retreat in order to advance in a fight with Pang Shao."
On the other side, Lou Yue's carriage could faintly be heard cursing and swearing.
Lou Wanjun sat to the side and looked at him with a smile.
"What are you so happy about?" Lou Yue was dissatisfied.
Lou Wanjun smiled and said, "It's nothing. It's just that Father is very straightforward today and it's very enjoyable to watch."
"What's the point of just cursing him?" Lou Yue said angrily. "He's already done some ridiculous things, but it's a pity …"
At this point, he suddenly didn't know whether he should feel pity for the imperial court being destroyed like this, or for Huo Wujiu, that child, to have suffered such torment.
"Pity for Big Brother Huo?" Lou Wanjun asked.
Lou Yue's expression was heavy and he didn't say anything else.
He knew that he had wronged Marquis North Placating, but the country was at stake. As a general, he couldn't be indecisive because of his brotherly feelings. But …
Huo Wujiu had died on the battlefield and he didn't even know where he was buried. He only had one son, but now he had to watch as his son was beaten until he was crippled, unable to die and humiliated as a concubine.
Lou Yue only felt pain in his heart.
He heard Lou Wanjun gently laugh and reach out to pat Lou Yue's shoulder. He comforted him, "Father, don't be too sad. It's already happened. At the very least, Prince Jing doesn't seem like a bad person. He won't really do anything to Big Brother Huo. "
Lou Yue glared at him, "You only met him once. How do you know he's a good person? Just because he's good-looking? "
"Of course not. If you don't think he's a good person, why didn't Father scold him as well today? "Lou Wanjun couldn't help but add. "But, he really is quite good-looking."
Lou Yue raised his voice, "But you still can't let that child marry him!"
Lou Wanjun advised, "Father, you're worrying too much. As long as you're alive, it's not a big deal to be humiliated. Moreover, you just don't want to go. How do you know Big Brother Huo doesn't want to go either? "
"Nonsense!"
"I'm not talking nonsense. Who asked Prince Jing to be so good-looking? Big Brother Huo isn't blind. "
— —
When Jiang Suzhou returned to his residence, it was still early in the night, but he felt mentally and physically exhausted.
He had been busy all day, and the banquet that night had caused such a huge commotion. He had used up most of his energy.
Lou Yue was indeed a loyal subject and a good person. However, Jiang Suzhou couldn't help but worry.
According to the history books, Lou Yue was stripped of his military power and was beheaded. He didn't die on the battlefield, but at the hands of his own ruler and his colleagues. It was clear that Pang Shao had wanted to get rid of him for a long time.
Moreover, he was too honest and straightforward. It was as if he wasn't afraid of making enemies for himself.
Jiang Suzhou felt uneasy. He was afraid that Pang Shao would really kill him. He was afraid that Lou Yue wouldn't have a good ending. He was also uneasy.
He felt a headache coming on and drank some wine. By now, he was already half drunk. He sat in his carriage and returned to Anyin Hall. He wanted to rest well and make plans the next day.
However, as soon as he reached the entrance of the courtyard, he saw a tall and slender figure standing there, waiting anxiously.
Jiang Suzhou looked over and saw that it was Wei Kai.
"Why are you here?" He got off the carriage and was greeted by Wei Kai.
Wei Kai smiled and said, "Your Highness, it's our general … our madam. We have something to discuss with you. Please come with us."
Jiang Suzhou acknowledged and followed him to Huo Wujiu's room.
He took a deep breath.
He knew that Huo Wujiu had something to discuss with him. It must have something to do with Lou Yue. If … Huo Wujiu really treated him as a friend, there might be something to do with Lou Wanjun.
Jiang Suzhou told himself that it didn't matter. It was only natural. The only thing he shouldn't have was his own delusions. He needed to overcome them himself.
As soon as he entered, he saw Huo Wujiu sitting at the front of the hall, drinking tea. When he saw him enter, he raised his eyes and looked in his direction.
His dark eyes were extremely deep.
For some reason, the tiredness Jiang Suzhou had accumulated all day suddenly surged up, causing the tip of his nose to sting.
He didn't know where this tiredness came from. He only felt that these emotions were surging up so violently that it was difficult for him to withstand them.
Perhaps it was because he drank too much that he was sensitive and overthinking things.
He sat down on the chair in front of Huo Wujiu. Huo Wujiu raised his hand and waved Wei Kai away.
"Did you drink?"
Huo Wujiu asked as the door closed.
Jiang Suzhou was stunned.
He had been imagining things the entire way, but he never expected that Huo Wujiu's first question would be this.
He opened his mouth, but when he spoke again, his voice was weak.
"… A little," he said.
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