How can I bow my head and serve the powerful officials?

It was not yet spring and the nights were still very cool. The breeze from the roof blew away a lot of Xie Chengze's drunkenness.

He sat on the ground with his legs bent, raised his head and glanced at Sheng Shihuai, "So Envoy Sheng also knows martial arts? I have never heard of it before."

"I just know some Qinggong skills." Sheng Shihuai smiled and shook his head, then sat down. Seeing Xie Chengze reaching out to grab Lanqiao Fengyue from his hand, he raised his arm to block him, "Don't worry, Your Highness."

Putting the wine jar in the middle, Sheng Shihuai took out two jade cups of good quality from his sleeves and handed one to Xie Chengze, "Fine wine goes well with fine cups, only then can we enjoy the moon."

Xie Chengze took the jade cup and slowly stroked the cup wall with his fingertips. He felt a delicate and warm feeling. He couldn't help but sigh, "This cup is as clear as ice and has an extraordinary texture. I didn't expect that Envoy Sheng had such a good item hidden in his home."

"My ancestors were prime ministers after all, so my family has some background." Sheng Shihuai smiled faintly, and in a few words, he vaguely explained the origin of the cup. "Your Highness, please."

He raised the wine jar and poured wine into the jade cup in Xie Chengze's hand.

The amber wine fell into the jade cup. The deep red was tinged with translucent orange. A faint floral scent could be smelled when one sniffed it gently. Xie Chengze took a sip and felt his mouth water. The harmonious sour and sweet taste of the wine spread between his teeth and throat, leaving a refreshing and long aftertaste.

"Why is it so sweet?" Xie Chengze said with a bit of disgust, "It's not strong at all, how can it relieve my sorrow?"

Sheng Shihuai laughed, not minding his disdain, and comforted him kindly, "Drinking to drown your sorrows only makes you more sorrowful, and drinking too much is harmful to your health. Instead of indulging in bad wine, Your Highness should find someone to talk to. It is better than being depressed and losing the heroic spirit that I saw when I was in Liaozhou."

I heard that the second prince never indulges in alcohol or women, but now he is so drunk. It seems that he is really disappointed with the royal family.

"Oh, that sounds good, but who can solve my worries?" Xie Chengze sneered, gulped down the wine in the jade cup, and said in annoyance, "Even if I listen to Shen Yuan and weaken the power of the Cao family, what will happen? My power will still be wiped out by the other party. I don't even know what to do next!"

"Huh?" Sheng Shihuai was a little surprised, "Your Highness, this is what you are worried about? Strange..."

Xie Chengze slowly raised his eyelids and glanced at him, "What's so strange?"

"I thought Lord Shen..." Sheng Shihuai hesitated, glanced at Xie Chengze, and then shook his head, "It shouldn't be the case. Everyone in the court knows that Lord Shen is your Highness's man. He shouldn't..."

Sheng Shihuai's evasive and hesitant words immediately made Xie Chengze anxious. He tightly grasped the jade cup and said with an unhappy look, "What do you want to say? What can't Shen Yuan do?"

"Alas, perhaps I just misunderstood." Sheng Shihuai sighed, "Your Highness should know that if you want to have your own power in the court, military power is indispensable. I saw you getting along well with the eldest prince in Liaozhou before, and I thought Lord Shen Yuan had already told you that you should win over the eldest prince before the crown prince takes action."

Xie Chengze frowned and was silent for a long time before saying, "He didn't say."

Sheng Shihuai curled his lips imperceptibly, then raised his hand to touch his lower lip, thinking, "Well, maybe Lord Shen is trapped in prison and hasn't had time to say it yet. But now the prince's power is at its peak. If the other party succeeds first..."

Xie Chengze's face darkened slightly. "Although he is in prison, it is not difficult for him to pass on the message to me. It is impossible that he did not have time to speak."

I'm afraid he didn't say it on purpose.

"Could it be that he has ill intentions towards me?" Xie Chengze frowned even more tightly.

Sheng Shihuai's eyes flashed, he raised his hand and patted Xie Chengze on the shoulder, and said comfortingly, "I am just guessing, Your Highness, please don't let my words cause any rift between you and Lord Shen."

Although he was somewhat afraid that Shen Yuan would block his way in the future and therefore planned to alienate the two of them, it did not prevent him from using Shen Yuan to elevate Xie Chengze to the position first.

It would be too risky for me to approach the eldest prince rashly. Xie Chengze was a good bridge and it was just right for him to serve as a stepping stone.

"But how can I convince my brother to support me?" Xie Chengze frowned, his expression becoming melancholy again, "The prince obviously has the advantage."

"Your Highness, don't worry. The eldest prince will definitely not choose to support the crown prince. After all, the eldest prince's mother was killed by the Cao family." Sheng Shihuai curled his lips and said shockingly.

Xie Chengze raised his head suddenly, "Are you serious?"

"Of course I take it seriously. The eldest prince's mother was just a maid who helped His Majesty to open his mind, but she gave birth to his first prince. How could the Cao family tolerate her existence?" Sheng Shihuai smiled faintly, "If the maid hadn't hanged herself to save the eldest prince, he might not be alive today."

"It's actually like this..." Xie Chengze was very shocked. This was the first time he knew this secret. "If my brother knew about this, he would definitely not choose to support the prince!"

"Yes, Your Highness." Sheng Shihuai poured another glass of wine for Xie Chengze, his eyes becoming more profound and subtle, "With the support of the eldest prince, the Cao family will not be a threat anymore."

Xie Chengze raised his head, swallowed the wine, and nodded, "You are right, what I should do now is to win over my brother!"

"Luckily I have you, Envoy Sheng." Xie Chengze looked at Sheng Shihuai gratefully, as if he regarded him as his backbone, "When I achieve great things, I will definitely not treat you unfairly!"

"It is my duty to relieve His Highness's worries." Sheng Shihuai smiled and raised his glass towards Xie Chengze, "Also, the dumplings His Highness made are really delicious."

Xie Chengze curved his eyebrows to hide the cold smile in his eyes.

Damn, quite tasteful.

-

Xie Shoujun now lives in Wude Hall. He was sent to the border when he was twelve years old, so there is no residence in the palace for him to settle down after he becomes an adult. Wude Hall was only temporarily used as Xie Shoujun's temporary residence.

When Xie Chengze arrived, Xie Shoujun was practicing spear in the yard. He was wearing a simple black uniform, and his slender ink-colored spear with a red tassel was swung by his strong arms, leaving traces in the air and making heavy whistling sounds when it pierced the air. Every movement was very powerful and extremely spectacular.

After finishing the gun practice, Xie Shoujun realized that Xie Chengze had been waiting for a long time. He quickly put down his gun and walked towards the young man, "Why didn't you tell me you were here? Are you cold? Come in quickly."

"No problem, I just felt that my brother was so good at wielding a spear that he could sweep away thousands of troops, and I was fascinated by it." Xie Chengze smiled obediently, "My brother must have suffered a lot to be able to practice such martial arts, right?"

"Well," Xie Shoujun ruffled his hair, his eyes very gentle and doting, "but it's worth the hard work to be praised by you."

"Ahem." This straightforward answer was really beyond Xie Chengze's expectations. He raised his fist and coughed lightly, then followed Xie Shoujun into the house with a blushing face.

There were not many palace servants in the Wude Hall. Emperor Jian had given many rewards when he evaluated merits, but Xie Shoujun declined them politely. He still felt more comfortable being alone, so at this moment, he poured tea for Xie Chengze personally.