Dingjiangshan

There are two plates of small and delicate snacks between the chief minister of the current cabinet and the young emperor. The plate of sugar cake in front of Ning Yan is sprinkled with a layer of fine powdered sugar, which is steaming and exuding a sweet aroma—just like he has been so far. A little bit of innocence that still remains.

Ning Yan still has the characteristics of a young man - stubborn, stubborn, and some inexplicable persistence.

Logically speaking, such traits should not appear in an emperor anyway. Whether it is sweetness or a "self" like Ning Yan, it more or less represents the immaturity of the emperor.

Sitting on the dragon chair, emperors never sit back and relax. They step on the shoulders of their subjects. Standing farther away, they are also less safe.If he can't step on it firmly, and can't rely on his own ability to make his subjects stand in place, he may step on the ground at any time and fall from the top.

Perhaps it is also because of this that throughout the ages, most emperors have tried their best to force themselves to grow up, and have to change themselves from a living person to a god who does not understand suffering and fireworks.

But looking at it now, Ning Yan seems to be an exception for the time being.

Jiang Xiaohan, as the emperor's teacher, should always remind him of his way of being a king in terms of his duties, but Mr. Shoufu is not used to playing cards according to common sense. Instead of thinking that Ning Yan's disposition is too immature, he admires it very much.

Jiang Xiaohan believed that in the last half month of Ning Zongyuan's life, he must have taught Ning Yan the "way of being a king" behind closed doors for a long time.

Even at the last hour of death, he did not forget to give Ning Yan one last sentence of advice.

From the perspective of being an emperor, Ning Zongyuan is undoubtedly a smart emperor, and he has never fallen in his life.For Ning Yan, who was still young at the time, his opinions and experience were almost a book of tips that could make him perform well according to the scriptures.

But Ning Yan listened to those teachings, but didn't follow them one by one.

This is actually not an easy task, which means that he has to give up the easy success and seek a new path instead.

Many successful adults may not have the courage, let alone a 16-year-old like Ning Yan.

The powdered sugar has almost melted, and a layer of liquid sugar water is spread on the pastry softly.

Ning Yan didn't treat Jiang Xiaohan as an outsider, so he picked up a piece of cake with his chopsticks and ate it.The sugar cake was slightly sticky, and a small piece of Ning Yan's cheeks bulged, and he chewed a little hard.

Mr. Jiang is a smart man. After so many years of ups and downs in the court, he has his own "way of being a minister".He doesn't ask for much, and naturally he doesn't jump up and down like other people in the court, so he will not easily try to influence the emperor's mind, and he will leave three points when getting along with the emperor.

But just for the sake of Ning Yan's innocence, he is willing to give up his bottom line a little bit.

"It's too early for Your Majesty to think about this now." Jiang Xiaohan said sincerely: "Ning Zheng is in his prime, and if His Majesty wants to take his fief rashly, it will inevitably make people say that he is disrespectful to his brother. Besides, besides King Changle, the fief of King Yong'an is still there. In his hands, and the name of his fiefdom is not justified, if you want to take it back, you must first cut the knife on him, but—"

Ning Yan understood Jiang Xiaohan's concerns.

His direct uncle Nine Emperors has been favored since the day he was born. Even if the immediate father is gone, there will still be his own elder brother who will take care of him and give him land and money. Not broken at all.

It stands to reason that when the first emperor died, his fief should be taken back by himself, but Ning Yan was too young at that time, and the land could not be taken back, and it took ten years to delay it.

Therefore, based on emotion and reason, if you want to seal it, you have to start with Ning Zongze first.But this King Yong'an is really not a good person to get along with, he is a tough nut to crack.

"I understand." Ning Yan said: "But difficulties are always in front of us. If there are no problems today, there will be new ones tomorrow. If you do nothing and wait for the sun to set outside, that would be too incompetent. "

Jiang Xiaohan smiled.

Maybe Ning Yan didn't realize it himself. When he said this, he first brought a sense of "no taboo", as if no matter what, as long as he did it, he would definitely be able to do it. He didn't think about it at all. "Failure" also brings incompetence.

However, Jiang Xiaohan didn't think there was anything worth laughing at. When he was 16 years old, he was even more self-important than Ning Yan.

In the final analysis, the stubborn stubbornness of the young man is a precious product that will disappear once the season is over. The Emperor Master thinks that there is really no need to waste everything, so as long as you don't really poke the basket, the rest will be fine.

"During the absence of the minister, did the Empress Dowager provoke His Majesty?" Jiang Xiaohan suddenly asked with a smile.

Ning Yan: "..."

Ning Yan stopped talking immediately, he picked up another piece of candy cake and ate it in embarrassment, and glanced at Jiang Xiaohan's expression quietly.

He has been a little afraid of this teacher since he was a child.

It's not that Jiang Xiaohan is so fierce in his lectures on weekdays. This teacher has a good temper and is not pedantic. He smiles most of the time.The only thing that frightened Ning Yan - he always felt that there were few things in this world that could be hidden from Jiang Xiaohan's eyes.

It seems that as long as you turn around in front of his eyes, and he looks at you with a smile that is not a smile, the little things in your heart will be turned under the sun in an instant and completely wiped out.

Ning Yan put down her chopsticks in embarrassment, and coughed dryly: "The teacher is my own, and I don't hide anything. The queen mother is still the same, and occasionally asks Linglong to ask something, and makes me feel uncomfortable."

——This is not completely telling the truth, Jiang Xiaohan thought.

Jiang Xiaohan also had no intention of exposing him. He has always been "tolerant and generous" and has always been willing to save face for the children.

"In fact, most of the mothers in this world are partial to their parents and children, which is understandable. Seeing that King Changle is getting older, she is even more unhappy. Over the years, the Ruan family has not been able to settle down, presumably Your Majesty has seen it." Jiang Xiaohan said, "Otherwise, Your Majesty probably wouldn't be so impatient."

"Does the teacher think that I am really a child at heart?" Ning Yan sighed, and said, "When I said what I said earlier, it looks like I am seeking revenge on the queen mother, looking for the third brother to be unhappy."

"What are you talking about, Your Majesty?" Jiang Xiaohan pretended to be surprised: "Not only do I not think so, but I also think that Your Majesty is doing the right thing."

He Wenting, who was standing in the corner installing a lamp stand: "..."

Ning Yan, who was about to stuff the third piece of cake into his mouth: "...?"

"Teacher was joking." Ning Yan swallowed a mouthful of sugar cake with difficulty, and said, "From ancient times to the present, didn't every book say that the emperor should stand upright and not be biased?"

"But Your Majesty is an emperor. If someone makes His Majesty unhappy, then His Majesty must find a way to deal with him once and for all. There is nothing wrong with that." Jiang Xiaohan said.

He Wenting almost thought that the emperor teacher in front of him was faked. He raised his head suspiciously, and looked at Jiang Xiaohan carefully by the candlelight in the corner for a while, wanting to see if this was the real one.

Ning Yan didn't take this seriously at all, and said with a smile: "Teacher, don't make fun of me. If you think I'm wrong, just say it."

"I'm joking, but I'm not." Jiang Xiaohan also smiled: "I don't understand what other people think, but since your Majesty asked me, I really think so."

"The admonitions from ancient times to the present do say that the king must stand upright and not be biased—" Jiang Xiaohan changed the subject: "But the book also said that the emperor must distinguish between loyal and evil, and that rewards and punishments are clearly defined."

"Your Majesty knows the empress dowager's heart, and so do the ministers." Jiang Xiaohan said: "From the heart of a loving mother, it is understandable for the empress dowager to want her own children to enjoy this supreme position. But your majesty is an emperor, and she If you sincerely fight against His Majesty, you want to make the court uneasy. If the court is not stable, the country will be in peace, which is a major event that will damage the country. Therefore, it is understandable for Your Majesty to think of a way to deal with it. This is an act for the country and the people, so there is nothing wrong with it.”

Ning Yan has always felt that his teacher has always been eloquent, and he can fight with thousands of scholars.

He smiled wryly and said, "Teacher——"

"About the Empress Dowager—" Jiang Xiaohan said: "The ancients said that those who seek trees must strengthen their roots, and those who want to flow far must dredge their springs. The Empress Dowager is His Majesty's nominal mother. If you have nothing to do with His Majesty, what about the other courtiers and clan members?"

"Your Majesty." Jiang Xiaohan suppressed his smile and said, "I have taught Your Majesty for ten years, and I know that Your Majesty is a good boy."

Ning Yan was slightly taken aback.

Jiang Xiaohan's tone was serious and gentle, and the word "child" came out of his mouth lightly and slowly.

Although Ning Yan has always acted like a child in front of Ning Huaijin, but he knew in his heart that he was no longer related to the word "child".He needs majesty, but also maturity and city power. Putting these two words on him is actually an insult in disguise.

But Jiang Xiaohan was an exception.

In Ning Yan's impression, Master Jiang was different from other people when they were so young that they were not as tall as their thighs.When he was talking to them, he would lower his body halfway, look into their eyes to listen to their opinions, and then discuss the issues with them in a friendly voice.

Sometimes they are persuaded by Jiang Xiaohan, but sometimes Jiang Xiaohan is "persuaded" by them.

So, not only did his words not make Ning Yan feel offended, but also inexplicably made him feel a sense of comfort for no reason.

"Because of this, I don't want to persuade Your Majesty, I believe that Your Majesty has a sense of propriety." Jiang Xiaohan said gently: "Kunlun Mountain is high and the road is far away, and the news is not very smooth. I don't know what happened in the six months before I left Beijing. Let His Majesty become so hesitant."

"However, I am willing to believe that Your Majesty knows it well." Jiang Xiaohan said: "Whether it is about the fiefdom or the Empress Dowager. Since I have already discussed the pros and cons with His Majesty, and His Majesty understands it, this is enough. Your Majesty has his own considerations in mind. It is not necessary to tell the courtiers one by one."

Jiang Xiaohan's words seemed to mean something, but they didn't.

But no matter what, his words were indeed like a needle that stabilized the sea, nailing the little turmoil in Ning Yan's heart to ashes.