Dingjiangshan

It is rare to have such a quiet moment in the hall where people come and go.

The red candle on the candlestick in the corner of the hall was half-burned, and then went out because the wick was too long. Long traces of wax oil flowed down the golden candlestick, winding into a line on the table, and solidified in place after a while.In the past, the eunuchs and maids who had come and gone to clean it had gone somewhere, and the wax stains were lying there alone, adding a bit of depression to this resplendent and magnificent hall for no reason.

Without the servant who was guarding the corner, the curtain in front of the hall was blown away by the cold wind, and the cold wind scrambled to rush in, carrying fine snowflakes, falling on the clean ground, and melting into a ground in a short while. water stains.

The earth dragon in the hall also stopped at some point, and the huge Qinzheng Hall was so cold that it almost turned into ice.

Reclining on the tall golden seat was a young man with gentle eyebrows. His golden dragon robe was buried in the shadows, and his color seemed to be a bit dull.The young man rested his head on his hands, his face was cold and indifferent, and he raised his eyebrows to cover up the occasional tiredness that leaked from his brows and eyes. This kind of concealment was unconscious, and it was a joy that had been deeply rooted in people's hearts for many years. Anger is invisible.

The young man's eyes fell on the memorial folded at the corner of the table, and the cup of Junshan silver needles on the corner of the table had already been completely cold. The young man had been sitting here for a long time, until the steaming cup of tea became so hot that there was no trace of heat. , finally let out a long sigh.

His voice was very soft, as if he had finally unloaded some burden, with a little imperceptible sense of relief.

A silver light flashed across the large shadows in the lower hall, and a slender figure stepped forward and walked out of the shadows.

The man was wearing a thick black cloak. On the cloak was embroidered with silver thread a crane with its neck raised and screaming. It was half hidden in the embroidered clouds and smoke, and the crane feathers shone with his movements. .

The man stepped forward and went straight to the steps of the golden seat, then raised his hand and took off the wide hood of his cloak, revealing a beautiful and delicate face.

"Your Majesty." Jing Zhan raised his head and slightly raised the corners of his lips: "Your power is over."

The young emperor on the golden seat seemed to have just seen him, his eyes flickered, and he turned his head slightly to look at Jing Zhan.

Ning Yan seemed to have not heard his rebellious words at all, and was not angry, but smiled lightly.There was still a childish look on his face that hadn't completely faded away, only a pair of eyebrows and eyes were transformed, and the beautiful outline was drawn by the years, showing a little maturity and fortitude from the youthful look.

With his right index finger leaning on the dragon chair, he lightly tapped on the dragon's head, and instead told him "homely routine".

"So many years have passed in a flash." Ning Yan said, "It's been ten years."

He was smiling very sincerely at this time, Jing Zhan was standing under the stage, and he could still see the dimple on his right cheek clearly.

Ning Yan didn't go to answer Jing Zhan's words, but recalled something else: "I still remember the first time we met back then, and I said I wanted to marry you."

A trace of anger flashed quickly on Jing Zhan's delicate face, but Ning Yan still refused to let go. He turned his face to the side, met Jing Zhan's eyes, and smiled crookedly.

"I still remember that Qing was dressed in white at that time, pink and cute..." Ning Yan swallowed the second half of the sentence under Jing Zhan's warning gaze, and hastily said with emotion: "It's true that life is just like seeing you first."

Jing Zhan was not offended by what he said in a few words. He held an exquisite heater in his hand, his fingers were slender and white, and he gathered them casually outside the copper stove, which was indescribably beautiful.

"Your Majesty doesn't play the emotional card well." Jing Zhan swept his eyes, and with a half-true smile on his face, he said, "If I were a girl, I would be moved by Your Majesty and weep bitterly." , bent over and knelt down, and immediately conceded defeat."

"Why is this?" Ning Yan could clearly hear the persistence in his words, so he could only sigh, and slowly sat up straight. He lowered his head, stroked the beads on his left wrist with his right hand, and sighed: "How come?" You are so stubborn, you and I have known each other for more than ten years, some things don’t need to be so clear. In the end, no matter who wins, it will hurt the relationship.”

"As Your Majesty said, when something begins, it must end." Jing Zhan said: "...Fang said that there is a beginning and an end."

Jing Zhan stroked the stove in his hand, raised his head and looked straight at the boy on the dragon seat without any hesitation.As Ning Yan said, they have known each other for more than ten years. He watched the young emperor change from a white and tender little glutinous rice dumpling to his current appearance. The scene when Ning Yan ascended the throne was still vivid In front of him, he followed his master, standing on a high altar, watching the master put the dragon crown on the young prince.

In the blink of an eye, Ning Yan also sat on this supreme platform for ten years.The two of them met when they were young, and they have been monarchs and ministers for a full ten years until today.

Ning Yan turned his head and looked at the heavy snow outside the window. This snow has been falling since morning, and now it has already accumulated a thick layer on the ground. The inner courtyard of the palace is white and pure.Ning Yan's eyes softened, as if he saw something nearby through the snow scene.

"I have played chess with you for ten years. Among them, there are wins and losses, and most draws." Ning Yan turned his gaze back and said, "How did you know this time, you will win."

"Your Majesty is both wise and resourceful, and I'm not 100% sure." Jing Zhan didn't answer directly, but put the warm stove in his palm again, and said, "It's just that I watched the stars last night. I think today is a good day."

"Really." Ning Yan smiled indifferently: "Then it seems that Ah Zhan has made up his mind."

Jing Zhan raised his head and looked directly at Ning Yan.The courtiers can't look directly at Jun Yan for a long time, otherwise they will be suspected of assassinating the king, but both Ning Yan and Jing Zhan seem to have forgotten this rule. The two of them looked at each other impartially. The meaning of giving in.

"Your Majesty." Jing Zhan said slowly: "For the sake of many years of love, I should leave you a way out."

The cold wind swept past outside the house, and the whimpering sound of the cold wind could be heard through the thick cotton curtain. The air vent at the corner of the curtain was slightly enlarged by the wind, and the cool wind poured into the hall, blowing Jing Zhan's ankle It was icy cold.

However, Jing Zhan still has a big cloak that can still keep out the cold, and the dragon robe on Ning Yan is just a flower shelf. It is gorgeous, but its ability to keep out the cold is really not flattering.

The two of them confronted each other tensely for a while, and Ning Yan was blown by the cold wind and shivered unconsciously, and the imperial aura that had been on the verge of a sword before was dissipated in an instant.

Jing Zhan: "..."

Ning Yan: "..."

Jing Zhan sighed indistinctly, looking rather helpless.

Ning Yan didn't pretend at all, he slowly exerted force on the hand on the dragon chair, leaned forward along the force, and stared straight into Jing Zhan's eyes.There was still a three-point smile on the corners of his lips, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked like a sly boy next door.

Jing Zhan didn't take a step back, just stared at him calmly.

"It's really unfeeling." Ning Yan was silent for a while, and suddenly his whole body relaxed, and he fell back, lazily leaning on the soft pillow behind him, and pulled out a thin slip from his cuff: "Come, come, I see that you will not cry until you see the coffin."

"Your Majesty is so confident now, what if you lose." Jing Zhan asked with a smile: "I remember, Your Majesty has carried that mutton fat white jade unicorn peike for seven or eight years."

"What do you lose?" Ning Yan said that he didn't suffer a loss: "If Aiqing loses that Aiqin to me today, don't write to the teacher again to ask for mercy."

"Okay, good, winning or losing, it doesn't matter for now, it's just that my hand stove is cold." Jing Zhan held the lanyard on the hand stove cover in disgust, and lifted it up and shook it: "Whether you win or lose in a bet, your majesty will not be so stingy." Let’s save carbon too.”

Ning Yan was lowering his head and tossing the paper as thin as a cicada's wing in his hand. Hearing this, he didn't raise his head, and waved his hand casually in mid-air.In the originally dark hall, a few ever-burning lamps were suddenly lit up, and two rows of palace attendants filed out along the apse. The palace attendants were very agile in their hands and feet, and cleaned the hall after only two back and forth. The wax oil on the candlesticks was removed. After cleaning, the wick was cut short, and the candle was flickered and lit up again, illuminating the dark hall again.

A middle-aged man wearing an embroidered uniform appeared at the first place under the dragon chair. He walked up to the stage with a low eyebrow and a tray, and knelt at Ning Yan's feet.

Ning Yan stretched out his hand to pick up the hand stove on the tray, held the stove in his arms under the cover of the imperial table, then pinched the piece of paper, twisted his index finger and thumb, and unfolded the letter paper, revealing the delicate handwriting inside.

"Well, look." Ning Yan flicked the piece of paper with his finger: "You don't know if you don't read it, it's all a surprise."

"Hush——" Jing Zhan raised his index finger, made a silent gesture on his lips, and said with a smile: "The stage is all set up, your majesty, don't you want to sing this play more lively?"

Ning Yan looked at him, smiled suddenly, raised his hand and waved lightly.

Immediately afterwards, the curtains in front of the hall suddenly opened to both sides, and the sunlight from outside poured in in a large area, covering the entire floor.Ning Yan raised his head, as if his eyes were dazzled by Xue Guang, so he raised his hand a little and covered it with his wrist.

There was a crisp metal rubbing sound outside the door, and footsteps gradually approaching in the distance could be faintly heard, uniformly.

——It’s time to go to court.

The courtiers who were waiting outside the door were dressed in official robes, stood on both sides with their hands down and their eyebrows lowered, walked slowly and neatly into the hall, brushed off their sleeves and knelt down.

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

The voice was deafening, Jing Zhan suddenly turned around and looked in the direction of the officials, his figure was bathed in the sun and snow shadow, half of his face exposed from the shadow was white and delicate, his eyes were bright and smiling .The silver crane on the cloak was brought to life by the sunlight, as if it was about to spread its wings and take flight at any time.

"Pingshen." Ning Yan said with a smile: "I will also show the seat to the national teacher."

Seeing Jing Zhan here, Shu Qinghui, the chief censor Zhongcheng, couldn't help being stunned for a moment, then quickly raised his head to look at Ning Yan who was sitting on the dragon seat.

Although Jing Zhan has the title of a national teacher, these "outsider experts" have a bit of a temper, and rarely get along with them as colleagues, and seldom communicate with them. There are only a handful of them, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they are lonely ministers.

When Ning Yan raised his eyes, he found that not only Shu Qinghui, but also the eyes of several adults could not stop moving between him and Jing Zhan, and they seemed to be a little surprised.

"It's very cold in the palace, the national teacher's hand stove must be cold." The man in the embroidered official uniform beside Ning Yan came up, smiled and bent over Jing Zhan, and waved behind him. He came forward with a sandalwood tray at his waist, and on it was a small gold silk hand stove: "Your Majesty knows that you like to use silver silk charcoal, and it has been burning for a long time. Now is the time to warm up."

"Thank you." Jing Zhan whispered, he gathered his cloak, sat in the armchair brought up by the palace man, then shook his wide sleeves, and took out two memorials from it.

Jing Zhan's two books are much more delicate than the paper in Ning Yan's hand. They were sealed with silk cloth and covered with silk cloth, and they were glued neatly.

Behind him, someone from the palace brought a tea table for Jing Zhan, with a cup of tea and two plates of snacks on it, right next to his hand.Jing Zhan slightly rolled up his sleeves, then picked up a book, and slowly untied the knot tied with the silk cloth on it.

"In front of all your lords, I'm here to order a game with Your Majesty, to see if I'm convinced to lose, or Your Majesty is convinced to lose."