With the sound of boiling water, a pot of hot water was ready.
Xiao Xiu wrapped the hot copper handle with a towel and carefully poured some tea into the red clay pot.
This was a three-bay house with only a narrow living room. On the left was a small kitchen covered by a blue cloth curtain. On the right was a thin door with a half-closed bedroom.
He repeatedly wiped the table three or four times before bringing the tea tray over. In addition to the freshly brewed tea, there were two plates of nuts and desserts.
"Mo, Handsome Mo, please have some tea."
This time, the way he addressed Mo Xi was normal. Previously in the alley, Xiao Xiu must have been really scared out of his wits. Otherwise, he wouldn't have called Mo Xi "stepfather."
"And this …" He timidly raised his eyes and looked at Gu Mang in fear and trepidation. "Uh …"
How should he address her?
Stepmother? Stepmother?
This person was covered by a mask so he couldn't see her face. Therefore, Xiao Xiu wasn't very sure how he should address her. But just now in the alley, he felt that he didn't see wrongly. Their cold and indifferent Handsome Mo, Lord Xi He, must have wanted to kiss her face.
Although Mo Xi later coughed softly and explained to him that sand got into his friend's eyes and he was helping him blow it away. But who would believe him?
Xiao Xiu couldn't help but be frightened and nervous. He was curious and scared. God, he actually bumped into Lord Xi He's adultery on his way home from grocery shopping!
What should he do? Would Lord Xi He kill him? What kind of fairy-like appearance does this stepmother have? How long have they been together? Was Princess Meng Ze kept in the dark?
Mo Que, who sat in front of the table with a cold expression, did not know that his subordinate, who seemed to be respectful, had his mind filled with bubbles, and each bubble contained an extremely dangerous problem.
Mo Xi took a sip of tea. Xiao Xiu stared at his pale and thin lips, and a few more bubbles appeared in his mind.
It was said that men with thin lips were fickle. He used to think that Lord Xi He was an exception, but he didn't expect that he was the same. Alas, Princess Meng Ze was really a pitiful person. She waited for so many years, but was abandoned just like that. How pitiful!
But on second thought, this "stepmother" had not spoken since they first met. He did not know her voice, nor did he know her appearance. Furthermore, the robe she wore was very loose, and it was difficult to determine her figure. Perhaps she was Princess Mengze? The princess wanted to travel with Lord Xi. She was afraid of being seen by others, so it was normal for her to wear a veil.
It was probably because his heart was fluctuating too much that it unconsciously showed on his face. Moxie looked at him speechlessly and put down the teacup. "What are you thinking about?"
........... . I wasn't thinking of anything! I'm just a piece of wood with no thoughts! "
Mo Xi was speechless.
Xiao Xiu covered his face. After a while, he looked out through the gaps between his fingers and said in a muffled voice, "General Mo, your … uh, friend … what does she drink?"
"It's fine if she drinks the same as me. We're just here to deliver some Duanyang Dragon Zongzi on behalf of Elder Qing Xu. We won't be here for too long. You don't have to be busy anymore. "
As he spoke, he took out some sweet and savory zongzi from his Qiankun Bag, which he had made in Jiang Yexue's courtyard.
Mo Xi didn't know how many zongzi he should keep, so he asked, "How many people are there in your family?"
Xiao Xiu scratched his head. "Just me."
Gu Mang heard this and couldn't help but whisper, "Hmm?"
Xiao Xiu suddenly turned his head and looked at him in bewilderment.
No wonder Xiao Xiu was frightened. Although his voice was soft, it was obvious that his voice was hoarse. He wasn't a girl.
Gu Mang couldn't help but feel bad. Just as he was feeling awkward, he suddenly heard Mo Xi say lightly, "He caught a cold last night. His voice is a bit hoarse and he can't speak very well … Can I trouble you to make a pot of hot ginger tea for him?"
"Oh, oh, oh … So his voice is hoarse …" Xiao Xiu muttered and exhaled. "Of course."
It wasn't easy to get over this. The two drank tea, left some zongzi for Xiao Xiu, and chatted for a while before leaving.
On the way, Mo Xi asked, "Why were you so surprised when you heard him speak?"
Gu Mang said, "Ay, it's a long story. That child, he used to be my subordinate. "
"… I know."
"You know? Back then, my thirty thousand remaining troops all joined your Northern Frontier Army. I thought you couldn't tell which were my original brothers and which were recruited by you. "
Mo Xi said, "It's quite easy to recognize."
"How?"
"The cultivators you brought with you all call me stepfather."
"…"
Black leather military boots embedded with iron plates made a crisp sound as he walked on the green brick path. Mo Xi said lightly, "They think I don't know, but I know. Just now, that person called me stepfather when he was nervous in the alley. I can tell he's one of your men. "
Gu Mang rubbed his nose awkwardly. After a while, he said, "That group of unreasonable brats, how could they give you random nicknames?"
"It's nothing. It's quite good." Mo Xi said, "Compared to me, you're closer to them. After so many years, you can still remember Xiao Xiu's appearance. But I don't have much of an impression of them. I'm not good at remembering things. I'm also not that close to the soldiers. "
Gu Mang said with a smile, "Your brain is used to memorize magic scrolls and border reports. It's true that you can't remember people."
"…"
If they continued talking, they might have to talk about the reorganization of the Northern Frontier Army. Mo Xi didn't want to continue talking about this — he didn't want Gu Mang to know about the Oath of Divine Tribulation.
In fact, his style of governing the army was just like his personality. He was stiff and cold, and it was easy to misunderstand that he didn't take the soldiers seriously. He didn't know how to use words to inspire people, and he didn't know how to use tenderness to win over soldiers.
So after he took over the Northern Frontier Army for so long, his cultivators still respected him, feared him, and didn't love him.
Other than Jun Shang, it was obvious that there were people who knew that he had sacrificed ten years of his lifespan to vouch for an army. The soldiers of the Northern Region Army also didn't know what their so-called "stepfather" had done for them.
Now it seemed that the Oath of Divine Tribulation wasn't important. Gu Mang had already vouched for them once. Mo Xi's oath was only used by Jun Shang for the second time. Even if he hadn't made this oath at that time, Jun Shang wouldn't have let down these thirty thousand hot-blooded soldiers. But so what?
When you're in the situation, no one knows what the truth is.
Their "stepfather" was very boring and didn't like to say good things. People weren't gods, and they couldn't see what secrets were hidden under the surface. He might not be good enough in this way, but he was already using his life to protect those who he thought were going to suffer.
Even so, he only received a "stepfather" in fear and trepidation.
"Marshal Mo is an aristocrat after all. He won't be of the same mind as us."
Who said that the discrimination between clans was only between the top and the bottom? A commander of an aristocrat clan who was involved in the dirt had already been unintentionally discriminated against to the bone by his soldiers.
Mo Xi said, "Let's talk about that Xiao Xiu. Why were you so surprised when you heard that he was the only one in his family?"
"Oh, it's like this." Gu Mang said, "Don't look at that child's young age. He joined the army when he was sixteen years old. At that time, he was the youngest batch of soldiers under my command. At that time, I asked him why he joined the army. He told me that he had three older brothers. Each of them came, and he couldn't stay idle. He didn't want to be left alone at home. "
Gu Mang's eyes dimmed when he said this. "His three older brothers were all very outstanding and decent. If I remember correctly, the year I left Chong Hua, the three of them should still be alive. I didn't expect … "
Mo Xi was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Swords have always been merciless. Don't think too deeply. No one can protect everyone. If you do what you should do, you will have a clear conscience. "
Gu Mang didn't say anything. After a while, he suddenly said, "That family's eldest brother said that as long as he had money and could buy a house, he would want to marry a wife and live a stable life."
"…"
After a long silence, Gu Mang sighed. "… If the war could end quickly, that would be good."
The war couldn't end quickly. On the contrary, the Day of Extinguishment ended quickly.
Not long after Duanyang, an urgent report came from the north. It said that Liao Country had betrayed them and broke the agreement of two years of truce. They suddenly attacked Shituo Pass, which was the weakest point on Chong Hua's border. Shituo Pass was in a state of emergency.
When this news came, the Emperor was seriously ill and couldn't even walk. He could only entrust the Murong Meng Ze to take charge of the situation. However, the civil and military officials who didn't know the inside story were very dissatisfied with the Emperor's actions.
"What illness does the Emperor have?"
"If the Emperor is ill, the Third Elder of Shen Nongtai should be the one to check and then inform the important officials in court. Why did he just throw out a sentence and go into seclusion? There has never been such a rule in previous dynasties! "
Mo Xi could clearly feel the atmosphere in court. People didn't know that the Emperor had an incurable illness, but paper couldn't hide the truth. Many people with active minds already had guesses that were very close to the truth. It was just that they couldn't be sure and didn't dare to rashly investigate. There were also some old people who weren't very smart. Although they didn't notice the Emperor's abnormality, Meng Ze's power had undoubtedly pricked their nerves. They didn't dare to go against the Emperor for the time being, but it was more than enough to go against Meng Ze.
Meng Ze's intention was to send Chong Hua's Pegasus Battalion to help, and then transfer some troops from the two nearby strongholds to reinforce the dangerous situation at Shituo Pass. In Mo Xi's opinion, her way of handling things was indeed appropriate and safe, but she didn't expect that it would be rejected by a large group of people.
"The Pegasus Battalion is directly under the Emperor's command. How can they be transferred out of Wangcheng so easily?"
"Transferring troops is a big matter. Even if the Princess wants to transfer troops, she has to hold a military and political meeting first."
These were still reasonable. There were even some who relied on their status as noble elders and directly said to Meng Ze, "Murong Meng Ze, you're just a woman. What right do you have to dictate military orders?"
"If it's the Lord Wangshu, it's fine. But you don't even have a title. We're all relatives of the royal family. Who has a lower status than the other? We follow the Emperor's orders and let you preside over the meeting. But we can't let a little girl like you mobilize troops, right? If something big happens, who can bear the responsibility? "
With this kind of delay and the checks and balances of power, even if Mo Xi and some of the important officials of the Military Council were willing to vouch for Meng Ze, it was still difficult for the military order to be passed down quickly. As a result, Shituo Pass was finally lost. The Black Devil Masters of Liao waved their flags and advanced south. In one fell swoop, they broke through Feng City, Da Ze City, and Di City, the three big border cities. They kidnapped a large number of people and killed tens of thousands of soldiers.
By the time this news came, although the Emperor had recovered and was able to attend court, it was already too late.
He sat on the throne, in front of him were the reports from the border for the past 20 days. His face was terrifyingly cold.
"Before Shituo Pass was in a state of emergency, they sent urgent reports for help 14 times. They held on for 7 days." The Emperor threw the stack of reports on the table. He raised his head from the white fur collar of his fur coat, his eyes cold. "At that time, I had given full authority to Meng Ze. Did you all die or are you all pregnant? Why didn't you mobilize troops?!"
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