"I think it's okay."
Ceng Shichun shook his head. "Although Official Chen has some old grudges with Marquis Li, what sort of person is he? Why would he use such a method to take revenge on you?"
"I think so too." Chen Chong nodded and swallowed the entire dumpling.
Ceng Shichun smiled. He picked up a dumpling, a smile on his face. But when he put it into his mouth, his smile froze.
Swallowing with difficulty, Ceng Shichun put down his chopsticks. He looked at Chen Chong and said, "Official Chen, this dumpling — seems a little raw."
A quarter of an hour later, the two returned to their original positions.
Who would have thought that two high officials of the court would personally start a fire and boil water for a few half-cooked dumplings?
"Official Chen, your face …"
"Haha, Assistant Minister Zeng is not much better."
"Let him be, we'll talk after eating."
… …
Ceng Shichun picked up a dumpling, dipped it in vinegar, and asked, "If I remember correctly, today should be Third Young Miss's birthday. Why is Official Chen not at home? Why is he here?"
Chen Chong ate the dumpling and said expressionlessly, "After he was released from office, Official Zeng did not return home. Was he observing the people, or …"
He looked into the room and said in astonishment, "Could it be that Miss Ceng is Sir Ceng's illegitimate daughter who was left behind by the common people? Speaking of which, why do I feel that between Sir Ceng and her, there is actually …"
"Official Chen, if there is nothing important in the future, do not come here."
Ceng Shichun interrupted him. He looked at him and said, "If there is something … Official Chen is the Minister of the Imperial Court and is very busy. Why would he need to come to this small Willow Lane? Don't you think so?"
Chen Chong put down his chopsticks, his eyes narrowing. "Assistant Minister Zeng, what do you mean?"
Ceng Shichun put down his chopsticks and met his gaze. "I … have a personal relationship with the former Assistant Minister of Justice, Zhao Guangyuan."
"The former Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Zhao Guangyuan, accepted bribes for personal gain and is still imprisoned in the imperial prison …" A dangerous light flashed in Chen Chong's eyes as he said in a low voice, "What does this have to do with what Lord Zeng said?"
"It's very normal for Lord Chen to not admit to this matter. After all, even Assistant Minister Zhao of the Ministry of Justice fell from power in a muddle-headed manner. He did not know that the person behind it was actually Lord Chen." Ceng Shichun shook his head and said: "I have no other intentions in saying these words, I just want to tell Lord Chen …"
He looked into the room, and a hint of warmth flashed across his face. When he turned back, his eyes were cold.
"Stay away from Drunk Ink!"
…
Chen Chong's eyes narrowed, and he said word by word, "Ceng Shichun, are you threatening me?"
"I don't dare."
Ceng Shichun's expression had already calmed down. He saluted and said, "Lord Chen has the House of High Dukes behind him. How would I dare to threaten Lord Chen? It's just that Zuimo is the only descendant of my big brother in this world. I can't let anything happen to her. Although the Zeng family is small, if Lord Chen insists, the House of High Dukes will not be happy …"
"Your big brother, Ceng Shijie?" Chen Chong glanced at him and murmured, "I see …"
He picked up his chopsticks again, shook his head, and said, "Back then, I felt that you were more suitable to be an official than your big brother. Back then, the Zeng family was suppressed and ostracized by the former Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Later, they were framed and their salaries were touched. The Zeng family's direct line of descent suffered … No wonder, no wonder. Later, the former Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was found by the Imperial Censorate to have accepted large amounts of bribes and was sentenced to five hundred miles of exile. I'm afraid this road to hell is more than five hundred miles …"
Ceng Shichun shook his head and said, "Only Assistant Minister Fang himself knows this."
Chen Chong ate another dumpling and said casually, "The Intelligence Bureau has not found out about that matter. How did you know?"
Ceng Shichun smiled and did not speak.
"I thought that Lord Zeng had relied on the support of the Cui family and the King of Shu to climb from a small head of the Ministry of Revenue to where he is now … It seems that I have underestimated Lord Zeng." Chen Chong shook his head and picked up his chopsticks. "To express my apology, here, a dumpling to you!"
Ceng Shichun also picked up his chopsticks and nodded. "Thank you, Lord Chen."
The invisible confrontation between the two of them had been resolved by these two dumplings.
For them, there were some things that did not need to be said. They had already reached a consensus on that dumpling.
As Chen Chong ate the dumplings, his gaze would occasionally glance into the room. From here, he could faintly see what was going on in the room. Although he could not clearly hear the contents of the conversation, he could still hear the occasional light laughter of the woman.
Chen Chong's gaze paused on the face of the white-haired woman. She was currently smiling and talking to the woman beside her. This kind of smile … how long had it been since he had seen it on her face?
Even when he held a birthday banquet for her every year that would shake the entire capital in terms of grandeur and grandeur, even Noble Consort Cui's birthday banquet could not compare to it, he had never seen such a smile on her face.
Of course, she often smiled, but that kind of smile made him feel even more sad.
In the next moment, his gaze landed on the only young man in the room.
Ceng Shichun's gaze was also in the room, but it fell on the other woman.
Back then, the little girl who only knew how to follow behind him and call him "Second Uncle", "Second Uncle", had already grown into such a person.
In the past, Big Brother often grumbled at him, complaining that he had spoiled her too much, causing his daughter to treat him, this Second Uncle, more than her father …
However, it had been a whole thirteen years since he had heard her call him "Second Uncle".
Ceng Shichun sighed in his heart, his gaze also turning to that young man.
Both of their gazes were extremely complicated.
At a certain moment, when the two of them retracted their gazes, their gazes met in the air.
"Some things are better left unsaid when there are so many people around." Ceng Shichun finished the last dumpling and put down his chopsticks.
Chen Chong picked up another dumpling. "Assistant Minister Ceng, there is no harm in speaking."
"Lord Chen, what do you think are the chances of the King of Shu succeeding?"
Chen Chong's chopsticks were about to enter his mouth, but his body trembled when he heard this, and he put the dumpling back into the bowl.
As both core members of the King of Shu's faction, it was very normal for the two of them to analyze the current situation and plan for the King of Shu. However, both of them knew that this time was completely different from the past.
Chen Chong said in a low voice, "When the King of Shu was in the capital, his actions had already bitterly disappointed countless supporters in the court. Those who were wavering probably also gave up on that idea."
Ceng Shichun continued, "In the future, the School of Mathematics will definitely be heavily relied upon by the court. Minister Qin has said many times that the Ministry of Revenue should recruit more talents from the School of Mathematics. However, in the School of Mathematics, there is no one from the King of Shu's faction. The person in charge is Prince Jin …"
"After the accounts were checked, the King of Shu and the Cui Clan's power in the court was almost completely wiped out. Their arrangements over the decades were destroyed in a day …"
"The Cui Clan's foundation was almost destroyed by foreign merchants. They could not interfere in the matter of the School of Mathematics, and they have lost the support of the people. Prime Minister Qin's attitude has been ambiguous recently …"
"The most frightening thing is His Majesty's attitude. The Eldest Princess is temporarily in charge of the court, and the King of Shu is not allowed to return to the capital for Noble Consort Cui's birthday …"
"But if the King of Shu is defeated and a new Emperor takes the throne, what will happen to the Chen Clan and the Zeng Clan in the future …"
…
The voices of the two of them became softer and softer, and their expressions became darker and darker.
In the hall, Li Yi brought over a bowl of longevity noodles that he had personally cooked. He smiled and said, "I wish you a happy birthday."
This kind of birthday greeting was extremely hasty, but Third Miss Chen's face was full of smiles. She took the small bowl from his hand and held his hand. She nodded and said, "Good, good …"
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