"Although this wine is a wondrous thing, it is easy to lose one's nature. It is not advisable to drink too much."
In the evening, on the road to Ming Garden, the four of them walked together. Ma Guanshan sighed, "Otherwise, it may create an unbearable bitter fruit."
His tone, coupled with his unkempt appearance, made it seem like there was a story behind it.
Luo Gensheng had died in battle. Ye Qing had stayed at home to recuperate, perhaps because her injuries were too severe, or because she was too ashamed to attend the banquet with them.
"Oh?" Lianhai Changjin said with great interest, "Does Brother Ma have something difficult to say?"
Ma Guanshan's face reddened, and for the first time, he became somewhat bashful, "No, nothing. I was just saying."
Yan Li laughed, "Don't tell me you had a drunken promiscuity and defiled some good girl?"
Ma Guanshan's eyes almost popped out, and he blurted out, "How did you know?"
"I didn't expect you to be such a person," Tang Sanghua immediately said with disdain.
Lian Hai Zhangjin exclaimed: "I've only seen this in novels before, but this time I've seen a living example. But with Brother Ma's character, he would never do something like forsaking after starting. I wonder which family's girl is so fortunate?"
This was not a compliment. Ma Guanshan was an upright and principled person. Moreover, at such a young age, he was already a Cheji General who commanded the battlefield. This was a lower third rank general position. Even the capital governor had to lower his head in front of him.
Ma Guanshan sighed, and said, "She's already dead. I'm not afraid to tell you."
"Dead?" Tang Sanghua raised her eyebrows sensitively.
Ma Guanshan gave her a sidelong glance, and said, "What are you thinking? Am I the kind of person who abandons his wife when he becomes rich? She is no stranger to you. She is my former classmate, Zhao Azi. "
"What?" Tang Sanghua covered her mouth and exclaimed. She subconsciously glanced at Yan Li, but there was a trace of rumination in the depths of her eyes.
"She's dead. She died on Mount Kunyuan." Ma Guanshan looked thoughtfully at Yan Li.
Yan Li spread out his hands, and said, "That's a pity. But I've already played with her. I'll just find another one."
"Brother Yan!" Lian Hai Zhangjin smiled bitterly. "Why do you keep saying things like you're trying to be brave? I believe that in your heart, you're definitely not this contemptuous towards love."
Ma Guanshan sneered and said, "I wasn't sure before, but she really did die in your hands."
However, he changed the topic and said, "However, I really have to thank you."
"Why is that?" Lianhai Changjin asked in surprise.
Tang Sanghua sneered and said, "You like the new and get tired of the old. Aren't all men like this?"
Ma Guanshan shook his head and said, "She's actually a political sacrifice, a tool in the hands of the Minister of Public Works to win over some 'useful' people. As soon as I returned to the capital, he invited me to the Sikong Estate … Although I was drunk, I could tell she was no longer a virgin. "
This time, even Yan Li was a little surprised. "You mean?"
Ma Guanshan smiled and said, "You can't tell, can you? In fact, after she had sex with me, she seemed to refuse to marry anyone but me, but secretly hooked up with Xiao Sibai, without any sense of propriety or shame. "
Tang Sanghua raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "Who is this Minister of Public Works? Isn't this forming a clique for personal interests?"
"Silence!" Ma Guanshan frowned and looked warily at the bodyguard leading the way. When he found that the bodyguard did not notice, he whispered, "You are under the protection of the Academy and belong to the Emperor's direct line of descent, so you don't know the fierce internal strife in the imperial court. Now the imperial court is divided into three factions. The first is the neutral faction led by the Minister of Inner Affairs, Yang An. They are relatively low-key, but their power cannot be underestimated. The second is the radical faction led by the Minister of War, Wei Zhen. The third is the conservative faction led by the Minister of War, Li Boyong. The Minister of Public Works, Zhao Xu, is the number two figure in this faction. "
"The Minister of Public Works is actually the number two figure?" Tang Sanghua was a little surprised.
The imperial court appointed three ministers, all of whom were of the first rank. The former Minister of War was Shen Liuyun's biological father, Marquess Shen.
The three ministers controlled the power center of the entire empire — the Secretariat.
The Secretariat had three mansions, namely the Minister of Public Works, the Minister of Public Works, and the Minister of War. So in terms of rank, the Minister of Public Works and the Minister of War were equal.
Ma Guanshan did not seem to want to talk about it further. He only said, "There are some things that you just need to know in your heart. After all, your identities are special. As long as you don't want to, you can stay out of it. You don't need to participate in the struggle of the factions. I just want to remind you …"
As he spoke, they arrived at the Ming Garden.
The Ming Garden was specially used for holding banquets, so the scenery was very pleasant. But it was getting dark, and only the tip of the iceberg could be seen.
The banquet was held in the center of a garden. Not long after walking along the cobblestone path, a fenced garden could be seen. At the front was a chair made of purple bamboo and a low table made of sandalwood. At the head of the table were two rows of tables, on which some vegetables, fruits, dishes, and bejeweled nectar had been placed.
As soon as they entered, they saw that the people of the Grand Military Academy had arrived, and the instructors of the Academy, led by Qu Youfeng, were already seated. The Academy had won the competition, so Qu Youfeng was in a good mood. He was talking with Jiang Changtian and the others about his experience in educating people. Sometimes he laughed out loud, which made the people of the Grand Military Academy angry.
As the losers, they could do nothing.
Seeing this, Yan Li and the others stopped provoking and found their own seats to sit down.
Not long after they sat down, they heard a duck's voice shouting, "The Emperor has arrived."
Everyone got up and bowed in the direction of the fence to welcome the Emperor.
Ji Zhiyuan was escorted by five or six people as she strode over. Under the illumination of the palace lanterns, her exquisite and flawless face carried an unconcealable look of exhaustion. However, the corners of her eyes were slightly raised. It was obvious that she was in a good mood.
"No need for formalities, let's begin."
She walked to the head seat and sat down, waving her hand.
It was Tang Sanghua's first time seeing the real person. Her beautiful eyes were a little bright, and she said playfully, "This is the legendary first beauty in the world. I really feel sorry for her. It is said that although she is the Emperor, she does not care about extravagance at all. It turns out that it is true. I don't know what it is like to be an Emperor. "
Ma Guanshan sat next to her and looked at her coldly. "You really shouldn't hide the respect you deserve. Racking his brains for the country and the people, His Majesty was the greatest Emperor in history. I hope you correct your attitude, otherwise don't blame me for being rude! "
Tang Sanghua just sneered and said nothing.
"I am not good at drinking, so I will use tea instead of wine to toast everyone." Ji Tiansheng raised his cup and gave a toast from afar.
Everyone drank.
"This competition between the two academies has come to a perfect end, and we have to thank the Grand Military Academy who came from afar to present us with a wonderful duel. With all of you here, the Empire will definitely be free of worries, and I am very relieved. Next, it is naturally to reward them according to their contributions … "
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