snowstorm

The Luming Banquet was naturally placed in the palace, and there happened to be a peach grove in full bloom in the palace, so the emperor simply placed the banquet in the middle of the peach grove. The banquet was surrounded by layers of pink peach blossoms, which was somewhat elegant .

Yan Ying was sitting on his seat. Next to him was a peach blossom tree with low-hanging branches. The smell of the flowers was so sweet that he frowned slightly, and then swept around without any trace. He held a small wine cup in his hand, but he didn't drink it.

"Lord Li is here!" At this moment, an eunuch passed the message in, and saw a tall and tall man walking in from outside the peach blossom forest.He was dressed in a red court dress, his face was like a crown of jade, and he clearly had a pair of sparkling peach blossom eyes, but his pupils were like cold stars, suppressing the frivolity.

In fact, Li Mingbei had a good appearance, and some of the new Jinshi at the banquet couldn't help but secretly looked at him curiously.However, he squinted his eyes and glanced at the people who looked at him leisurely, and those people immediately felt like they were on their backs, and they were forced to look away by the aura of the superior.

The moment he saw him come in, Yan Ying squeezed the cup tightly.

Li Mingbei came in and saluted the emperor first, the emperor nodded to him, then Li Mingbei took his seat, sitting at the head of the emperor.

Wang Tanhua leaned over to chat with Yan Ying.

"Hey, Brother Yan, do you know who that person was just now?"

"Brother Wang knows?" Yan Ying put down the cup and looked at him.

Seeing that Yan Ying was interested, the talkative Tanhua Lang could finally say something happily: "Of course I know! To be able to sit at the head of His Majesty, and his surname is Li, naturally he is the famous Li Ming and Mi Li in Jinling."

Wang Tanhua drank the wine in his hand, and said again: "It is rumored that the man is ruthless, but he relies on crooked ways and a relationship to win His Majesty's love. When I saw him today, he really lived up to his reputation."

"He is really a well-known courtier." Wang Tanhua finally sighed.

Wang Tanhua sighed and saw no one answering the words. When he turned around, he saw Yan Zhuangyuan looking straight at him. Although his face was still calm, it made people feel a bit cold for no reason.

"Brother Wang, speak carefully."

After Yan Ying finished speaking, he ignored him, and Wang Tanhua got a bad nose, so he also became depressed and stopped talking.

Yan Ying only felt that he was extremely irritable in his heart. Although he didn't show it on the surface, he started to drink one cup after another, and a thin blush finally appeared on his face. The irritability in his heart not only did not decrease, but increased a little.He was not good at drinking, so he was a little drunk at this time.The people next to him either secretly raised their eyes to look at the emperor above him curiously, or stared straight at the dancing girls in the middle of the banquet. Only Yan Ying was drinking one glass after another.

The ministers in the audience and the newly recruited scholars pushed their cups, and the eyes of those newly recruited scholars had sparkling expectations. They are the talents of this country. Starting from today's banquet, they will embark on a completely different journey, black or white. path of.

The emperor sat on the high platform, squinting his eyes and looked at their faces one by one, as if he wanted to see through their skins and see what kind of heart they had.

Yang Su stepped forward and whispered something to the emperor, the emperor frowned, he looked at Li Mingbei, Li Mingbei nodded to him, and the emperor left the scene in peace.

Li Ming swallowed his wine sadly, squinting his eyes, and scanned the faces of the new scholars one by one, seeing Yan Ying's place, and saw Yan Ying looking straight into his eyes. Written clearly with grievances and accusations, and other deeper things, Li Mingbei paused the hand holding the wine glass, then moved it away from Yan Ying's face, and swept it to the next one.

In the afternoon, the banquet was naturally over.Li Mingbei went into the emperor's imperial study.

He bowed to the emperor and said: "Your Majesty, there are quite a few new recruits available this year."

Xie Zheng nodded, looked at him again, and said, "I don't know. It's very rare this year. There is actually a three-yuan winner who is only 19 years old. His name is Yan Ying?" He frowned slightly and said : "The one you sent to Yangzhou? How are you going to arrange him?"

Li Mingbei narrowed his peach blossom eyes and smiled, and said: "He is very good at calculating accounts, so he is naturally suitable for the household department. However, I plan to arrange him to be a small official in charge of files in Dali Temple first." There, it is The most direct place to see people's hearts.

Xie Zheng naturally nodded when he heard the word "first".Li Mingpei looked at the worry in the eyes of the emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, just now, there was news from Beiliang?" In fact, it is more accurate to say that the news of Xie Fu, if it was only from Beiliang, the emperor's eyebrows and eyes would be terrified. There will be no worries.

The Son of Heaven has an upright heart and has always acted decisively and neatly. There is no one else who can make him show such an expression except Xie Fu.

Xie Zheng sighed softly when he heard the words, he looked at Li Mingbei, and said: "I just found out who Beiliang will send as envoys to Dasheng."

A light flashed across Li Mingbei's eyes, and he said: "Dan Qi." After a pause, he pointed it out directly: "Thank you for helping." They didn't find any direct evidence, but in fact, it's just a certainty, whether it's the emperor, that Whether it's the little prince, he should always face this cruel fact.

Xie Zheng closed his eyes: "Ever since I found out about his existence, I have always wanted to take him back. When I saw the jade plaque, I never thought that he would be in Beiliang, let alone that he would be with Ju It's related to Jin Que—" He opened his eyes, his eyes were cold, he gritted his teeth and said: "Ju Qu Jin Que is a mother-killing bastard, I don't know how he will treat Gu Que after so many years. younger brother."

His younger brother is in the harem of King Beiliang.No matter how many twists and turns there are, just this fact is enough to make him blame himself day and night.

"Your Majesty, this is not your fault."

Xie Zheng looked at him, and said word by word: "No, this is Gu's fault."

Li Mingbei looked at the Son of Heaven's appearance and couldn't bear it, but he still said: "Your Majesty, he is not only your younger brother, but also an envoy of Beiliang." He came to Dasheng to represent Beiliang.That being the case, the emperor of a country should not be affected by personal feelings.It's cruel, but since you're in a high position with so many connections, you have to face it head on.

Xie Zheng clenched his fist tightly, and said word by word: "This, Gu also knows." His fist trembled, and he said in a hoarse voice: "Qiao Er, I also know."

……

night.

The banquet was held from the palace to the homes of some ministers, and a small number of new scholars continued to be greedy for joy, looking for the way to the future in pushing cups and cups.

Many dignitaries and ministers hosted banquets, but the family of the powerful minister Li did not.

Yan Ying pushed those invitations cleanly. At this time, he had already taken off his red brocade robe and was only wearing a light white robe. He was standing with his hands behind his back at the door of the unbelievably deserted Li Mansion, and the doorman at the door stopped him. He looked embarrassed: "Young master, our adults have ordered you not to enter this door at the beginning of the test. Look... don't embarrass me." My son can't change his mouth, and if he can't change his mouth, he has to stop people.The corner of his mouth twitched at the thought of this boy.

Yan Ying glanced at him, and the boy was in a cold sweat, so he turned and left.

The boy finally breathed a sigh of relief - his grandma's job is not a human job!

Yan Ying didn't actually leave, he just turned into an alley next to Li's mansion, turned a few turns, and finally found a big tree.The tree was very tall, naturally higher than the walls of Li Mansion.

Yan Ying looked at the tree, pursed her lips again, and then walked forward...

The moonlight is like water, and the big pagoda tree in Pixia Garden, which cannot be embraced by several people, still has perverted branches. Floating up, it looks very beautiful under the moonlight.There was a bamboo recliner under the tree, and Li Mingbei lay on it, wearing a black coat, looking at the moon in the sky through the layers of locust tree leaves.

This is what Yan Ying saw when he finally climbed up the wall.Li Mingbei seldom has people serve him, and he also likes to be clean, so now he is the only one in the whole courtyard.The moonlight seemed to fill the entire yard, and Li Mingbei seemed to be sinking in the thin and distant water, stubbornly and hopelessly waiting for someone to come and pull him out of his loneliness.

Yan Ying's heart suddenly ached.

"Bang!" A tile fell to the ground.

Li Mingbei was stunned when he heard the voice, but he still got up. He took a few steps and looked up. Under the moonlight, Yan Sanyuan, who was praised by everyone today, was squatting on the wall of his house, completely embarrassed, The white robe was dusty, and even his face was stained with dust.

He looked at the person on the wall, expressionless, and said, "Go back."

Yan Ying pursed her lips and said hoarsely, "No."

Li Ming said sadly: "The envoys from Beiliang are coming soon. The king of Beiliang is an ambitious man. It won't be too long before the two countries go to war. Yanying, if your thoughts haven't changed, you won't do it again in the future." Come back here, and never come near me again."

Food and grass are one of the most important factors in the war between the two countries. Such an important thing naturally needs capable people to take care of it. Yan Ying was able to memorize so many account books at such a young age before, so he was naturally capable.But if he wants to go on in this official career smoothly, not be hindered by others, and his reputation not be tarnished by others, then he can't have anything to do with this courtier who everyone fears and hates.

"I don't." Yan Ying frowned fiercely, he stood up and walked a few steps forward, the tiles rustled.The wall is narrow, so naturally it is easy to step on the air.

"You—" Li Mingbei's pupils shrank, and his body moved involuntarily.

"boom!"

Li Mingbei lay on the ground and looked straight at the bleak moon in the sky. The ground was cold under him, but there was a warm person in his arms.

"Yan Ying, you are really getting more and more outrageous." After a long while, he could only say this sentence.

……

A few months passed in the blink of an eye, and the remnants of the lotus hadn't been exhausted, and Jinling City was filled with bright yellow osmanthus and its sweet fragrance.

The golden wind and jade dew, the sky is high and the clouds are light.

It was the fifteenth day of the eighth month, and the news that the Beiliang envoys were coming spread all over the streets and alleys of Jinling City. People were discussing anxiously or excitedly, but it was full of excitement——Jinling City has always been a lively place. The city, not to mention the lively autumn.

The emperor held a banquet above the main hall to receive the Beiliang envoys, and all the ministers would naturally be present.

Lu House.

About to go out, Xie Qiao had a rare hesitation on his face, and Lu Jue's eyes showed some softness. He reached out to caress Xie Qiao's face, and said, "Qiaoer, you can see him today, no matter what the situation is. , you have to face it.”

Xie Qiao lowered her brows and eyes: "I know. It's just..." There is a word called closeness to hometown, which is appropriate to use here.

Moment.

Xie Qiao's eyes gradually became firmer, and he looked at Lu Jue: "Brother Huaiyu, let's go."

Lu Jue moved his hand to the back of Xie Qiao's neck, exerting strength, their foreheads touched each other, and the tips of their noses touched. He said, "Qiao Er, no matter what happens, I will be here." Then he backed away With one step, he pulled Xie Qiao's wrist and walked out.

……

Royal Palace.

The main hall is tall and broad.

The emperor sits high on the top, and the bottom is full of clothes.

"The envoy from Beiliang is here!"

After a eunuch passed the word, a group of people went to the hall.The person walking in the front was dressed in brocade clothes, with a straight figure, but a silver mask on his face.

Xie Qiao sat aside, seeing the man's pupils shrank.

He walked to the middle of the main hall, half-kneeled down towards the high-ranking emperor, and said, "Dan Qi, envoy of Beiliang, pays homage to His Majesty." The voice was low and strange, with a strange accent.

Xie Zheng sat on the high platform, stared at him closely, clenched his hands into fists, but didn't show it on his face. After a long while, he said, "Be flat."

The envoy was about to get up when he saw a minister step forward and said: "I have something to say." Before Xie Zheng could speak, he turned to look at the young man and said: "You are an envoy, It is disrespectful to come to meet me, Emperor Dasheng, but wearing a mask."

Xie Qiao's face turned dark when he saw that person. That person was none other than Lu Zhao who had been following him in his last life and forcing him to marry a concubine and become a queen.

Xie Zheng, who was sitting at the top, also turned dark. He was about to say something when he heard a chuckle from under the young man's mask. The young man looked at Lu Zhao and said, "This, my lord, do you want me to take it off?" mask?"

"Naturally." Lu Zhao stroked his beard.

"it is good."

After finishing speaking, the young man stretched out his hand, and neatly removed the silver mask that completely covered his face.

The moment he saw that face, the emperor sitting at the head suddenly stood up.

"Snapped!"

This was the sound of the table being overturned. Standing beside the overturned table, Xie Qiao stared blankly at the young man standing in the hall, his lowered hand trembling slightly.Lu Jue on the side looked at the hand, but he didn't hold it after all, but there was endless worry in his eyes.

The ministers opened their eyes wide, breathing in one after another.Countless eyes glanced at Xie Qiao openly and secretly.

After that, the room was silent.