Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "When I was young, Xu Xiao would always bring priceless antiques to Wutongin. He didn't understand what was so good about them, and he didn't understand how they could be sold for such a high price just by writing a few words or smearing some ink on them. He could only tell me that they were worth a lot of money, and then he would add how many Beiliang horses and how many Beiliang swords could be bought with them. In these years, I had Administrator Li Gongde, Lingzhou Provincial Governor Xu Beizhi, and Song Dongming help me secretly sell antiques, antiques, and paintings. I watched box after box of things being moved out of Mount Qing Liang. General Ning, do you know what I was thinking? "
Ning Emei shook his head with all his might.
Hsu Fengnian joked, "I just wanted to complain to Xu Xiao that you made a loss back then."
Ning Emei laughed involuntarily.
Hsu Fengnian restrained his smile. "Let's not talk about the distant past. Bai Yu had only been at Mount Qing Liang for a few days, but he was already dissatisfied with Song Dongming. How could I let Zhou Kang and Great Ancestor Gu get along? One was one of the few Beiliang old soldiers who was willing to look up to me. The other was an outsider I invited with great difficulty. One was in the cavalry, the other was in the infantry. Today, it was wrong for me to speak up for either in the discussion hall. Family matters, national matters, and the world matters. Let's talk about family matters. Wang Linquan, who had vaguely become Beiliang's God of Fortune, and Lu Dongjiang, who was depressed and unable to achieve his goals, were two fathers-in-law and two in-laws. Logically speaking, I should help the Lu Family, who was not acclimatized. But can the Lu Family really be supported? Among these, I just didn't want to delve too deeply into Wang Linquan's schemes against the Lu family's descendants. One was too shrewd, the other too stupid. They hit it off immediately. "
Ning Emei sighed, speechless. He didn't dare to say anything, nor did he know what he could say.
Hsu Fengnian looked at Ning Emei and joked, "Do you think it's not easy for me to become the head of the household?"
Ning Emei, whose thoughts had been seen through, nodded. Perhaps he was worried that he would be seen as a bootlicker, so he said in a deep voice, "This general really thinks so!"
Hsu Fengnian said, "I'm just complaining, that's all. I can drink a little wine with you, it's actually very easy. The truly difficult ones are Liu Jinu and the others who carved their names on the stone steles on Mount Qing Liang. "
Hsu Fengnian put down his wine cup. "But the ones who have it even harder are you, Ning Emei, Zhou Kang, and Grand Ancestor Gu. It's all of you."
Hsu Fengnian exhaled heavily and stood up. "Maybe there are places like Beiliang in the whole of Liyang. In this great world where everyone can live, some people are willing to die. But I'm sure there's no other place where so many people are willing to die together. "
Hsu Fengnian turned to look at Ning Emei. "I don't feel the slightest bit of heartache for the things in those chests to be sold to other high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Even if Mount Qing Liang is emptied, and my Xu family is left with nothing, it doesn't matter. "
Hsu Fengnian's mouth twitched. It was unclear whether it was because of the sword qi in his body or because of some other reason, but he seemed to be gnashing his teeth. He said fiercely, "But the real assets that Xu Xiao left to me, such as the three hundred thousand Steel Cavalry, after I succeeded to the position of King of Beiliang, I would feel heartache if even one of them died. Another example is the morale of my Xu family's army. I would feel guilty if even a fraction of it was lost in my hands! "
Ning Emei suddenly thought of a saying.
Those who think too much will tire their hearts; those who think too much will suffer.
Hsu Fengnian suddenly laughed and said softly, "Do you know what the old generals, Wei Tieshan, Liu Yuanji, and Liu Yuanji, were thinking when I passed by the Right Cavalry Commander He Zhonghu's mansion and saw them visiting the sick? Among them, Liu Yuanji told me a few words from the bottom of his heart. The old man said that in a short twenty years, the young Lieutenant Zhong Hongwu, who would always lead the troops in a battle to the death, would become the Huaihua Great General who held great power but only knew how to eliminate dissidents in the army. Liu Yuanji told me that we must cherish the Beiliang cavalry now. In another twenty or thirty years, we might not be able to see them again. Therefore, he and Wei Tieshan wanted to take advantage of the fact that they were still able to ride horses and raise their swords to die a quick death before they could see the Beiliang cavalry again. "
Ning Emei took a sip of wine and murmured softly, "Born in Beiliang and dying in Beiliang, how delightful!"
After muttering to himself, Ning Emei, who paid great attention to details, carefully put down the wine cup in his hand. As if he felt that he had placed it in a wrong position, he even moved it a little. Only then did he stand up and ask, "Your Highness, I've always had a question in my heart, but I didn't dare to ask. Since I've drunk wine today, perhaps the wine has given me courage to ask?"
Hsu Fengnian froze for a moment, then smiled and said, "Ask away."
Ning Emei grinned and asked, "I just want to know, if there comes a day when all three hundred thousand Beiliang cavalry are gone, will you regret it, Your Highness?"
Hsu Fengnian said without hesitation, "Nonsense! I'll definitely regret it to death, to the extent that my intestines turn green! "
Ning Emei scratched his head. There didn't seem to be any disappointment on his face. Instead, he chuckled and said, "As expected. Your Highness is good at doing business, but when it comes to buying people's hearts, you're still a lousy layman. "
Hsu Fengnian laughed loudly.
Ning Emei said seriously, "But I know that even if you know that you'll lose all three hundred thousand cavalry and have to start all over again, Your Highness will still make the same choice."
Hsu Fengnian grunted in agreement. "I can also see that. In the past few years, my ability to buy people's hearts has been so-so, while General Ning's flattery has improved."
Ning Emei smiled calmly and said, "If Old General Liu is right, dying on the spot is perfect!"
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