Reborn Rongruo

Xuan Ye cleaned up Cheng De in the inn, carried him to the bed, lay down with his clothes on and stood by.His gaze moved across Chengde's cheeks, and every inch of his outline was deeply imprinted in his heart, as if he wanted to travel through time and remember it until his next life.

Chengde's peaceful sleeping face is as beautiful as the white clouds in the summer morning, and the arms hanging by his side like jade, faintly glowing with a layer of warm aura, staying by his side makes Xuanye's heart unprecedentedly peaceful .

So Xuanye watched Chengde and fell asleep unconsciously.It wasn't until Li Dequan saw that it was getting too late and the palace gate would be locked if he didn't go back, so he had to wake Xuan Ye quietly.

When Xuan Ye woke up, Li Dequan quietly retreated.He didn't dare to be troublesome and even wake up Chengde together, otherwise the emperor would be angry, then he couldn't bear to walk around, and the emperor would punish him if he failed.

Xuan Ye stood up on his side, he was very light in fear of disturbing Cheng De.Chengde was still sleeping, this time he was really exhausted.Xuanye looked at the sky outside, the new moon was rising high, the voices of people on the street were no longer as noisy as in the daytime, it was indeed a bit late.He also understood that the reason Li Dequan woke him up at this time was that it was time to return to the palace.

Xuan Ye kissed Cheng De's face, and called him softly: "Rong Ruo, wake up! We should go back, shall we continue to sleep after we go back?"

He patted Chengde's side cheek lightly, and when he saw Chengde frowning, he kissed his twitching upper eyelids, Chengde finally woke up from Xuan Ye's torture.

"Where is this?" Cheng De asked as he stood up.

Xuan Ye put on the outer robe for him and said: "At the inn, I will take you back to your residence in a while."

Cheng De nodded, knowing that he was not in Nan Huairen's Tiangong Pavilion, he breathed a sigh of relief, and didn't make any more noise.

After the two packed up properly, Xuan Ye helped Cheng De to get into the carriage slowly. The carriage galloped all the way and soon arrived at Mingzhu Mansion. Xuan Ye originally wanted to send Cheng De into the mansion, but Cheng De refused.

Before getting out of the car, Cheng De met Xuan Ye's gloomy eyes, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, you should go back to the palace quickly. If you go back late, the Empress Dowager and her old man will pursue her, and I will become that eternal sinner again." I can't bear this crime!"

After finishing speaking, he didn't give Xuan Ye a chance to ask questions, and got out of the carriage directly, even when Xuan Ye called his name, he didn't look back, and went straight into the gate of the mansion.

Xuan Ye didn't chase him out, he knew that he had done a little too much today, and Cheng De was angry with him, but he couldn't ignore the look in Cheng De's eyes when he said the title Empress Dowager with a smile. Flashing sarcasm, it seems that the incident in Tianjin caused far more serious damage to Cheng De than it appeared on the surface.This is not an explanation in one or two sentences at all, and it can be eliminated with one or two gentle touches.

Xuanye ordered Li Dequan to go back to the palace with a sullen face, thinking about Chengde's words and how to resolve the knot between the two of them all the way.Although he has confirmed Chengde's feelings for him now, if the emperor's grandmother always intervenes between the two of them from time to time, then no matter how strong their relationship is, it will inevitably lead to grievances in the long run.

Xuan Ye can always easily show his strong skills in government affairs, but he is much more passive when it comes to dealing with emotional issues. Besides, he has no other means.

In the days that followed, Xuan Ye did not think of any tricks to resolve the Empress Dowager's sense of existence between the two, but time flew by, and soon it was the day of the imperial examination.

On March [-]th, nearly [-] students who passed the general examination held a palace examination in the Hall of Preserving Harmony in the Imperial Palace of the Forbidden City.The scene is extremely grand.Before the palace examination, Emperor Kangxi visited the Hall of Preserving Harmony in person and delivered a speech of encouragement to all the students.A group of students were inspired by seeing Tianyan, and naturally they all wrote hard during the exam, just waiting to show their ambitions.

The palace examination is different from the previous provincial and general examinations. It only examines current affairs and policies. After the examination is completed on the same day, the papers will be graded in the East Nuan Pavilion of Baohe Palace the next day, and the yellow list will be released every day to see the world.

This palace examination can be said to have produced a large number of talents, and the number one candidate alone has sparked controversy.

The current affairs policy topic of this year is "On the Great Unification of the Country" personally drawn up by Emperor Kangxi.Most of the students believed that this was the first time that Emperor Kangxi had publicly solicited opinions from students all over the country regarding Sanfan. Such an approach inspired all the students in the audience. Datong asked for their opinions on the third question, but thought that this question was too general, and it was a little difficult to figure it out.

Cheng De is one of the few cautious people.Based on the memories of his two lifetimes, the emperor really decided to withdraw and took practical actions in the winter of the 12th year of Kangxi. Now it is the beginning of the [-]th year of Kangxi, and it has only been nearly two years.Based on Chengde's understanding of Xuan Ye, Xuan Ye's deployment should be stricter at this time, and his character should be someone who is unwilling to reveal his purpose so early, so the rule of this country is by no means Only referring to the matter of withdrawal, I am afraid that it is the right way to govern the country and control the border.

Therefore, Chengde's article focuses more on the analysis of the overall situation of the Qing Dynasty, starting from the people's livelihood, focusing on the current situation and existing problems in various aspects of the Qing Dynasty's agriculture, animal husbandry, handicrafts, etc., and giving himself one by one Starting from the population, he talked about the issue of national defense and territory in terms of the current military strength and combat power of the Qing Dynasty, as well as the situation of the dependent countries and the Zheng family of Taiwan, and even gave the unity and differences of the nomadic peoples in the northern grasslands. He made a very appropriate comment, and he even put forward the argument that Monan Mongolia is also the Great Wall of the Northern Xinjiang of the Qing Dynasty, which makes his policy theory even more unconventional.

In terms of economic development, Chengde cites classics to explain the situation that the national treasury was filled due to the liberation of the sea ban in the previous Ming Dynasty, and put forward his own point of view. The Qing Dynasty should increase the taxation of maritime trade, and the country should establish a unified trading system. Different taxes are levied differently.Even in education, Chengde also proposed that the whole country should implement a unified school, so that more children from poor families can get better enlightenment education and so on.

Chengde's entire article did not mention a single word of trouble, but it firmly grasped the argument of the great unification of the country.And the writing is smooth, the thinking is rigorous, and the logic is clear, which makes him easily stand out among the many withdrawn test papers, and makes the eyes of the president and officials who are marking the papers shine.

What is similar to Chengde's article is the current affairs policy of a student. Unlike Chengde, this student did not mention three things in a single sentence. The deficiencies in various aspects of the Qing Dynasty were sorted out one by one.Among them, like Chengde, he even put forward the idea of ​​unified taxation and unified station.

The literary talents of the two essays are outstanding, and the words and sentences are rigorous and impeccable, which caused the officials who checked the papers to argue a lot.Because the examination papers are all pasted with names and re-copied by special officials, it is impossible to tell whose paper it is from the handwriting.

The examiners couldn't argue over who would be the champion in the end, so they had to be appointed by the emperor.

Two examination papers were presented to Emperor Kangxi.It has to be said that Chengde knew Emperor Kangxi well.Under the circumstances that the number one scholar volume will be published for circulation by students all over the world, there is no mention of withdrawal and the mention of the Sanfan Rebellion. Naturally, Cheng De won the victory without mentioning the Sanfan Rebellion.Emperor Kangxi already had the intention of withdrawing and was already deploying, how could he allow someone to speak out his thoughts, let alone announce it to the world.

So in this palace examination, all the students who mentioned the third rank were extremely low, and almost all the first and second grades were taken by those students who wrote carefully.The champion of this subject is undoubtedly Chengde, the example is the 51-year-old gentleman named Cai Qizun, who is not inferior to Chengde in literary talent, Tanhua is Sun Zaifeng, a ten-year-old Zhejiang Deqing man who pretended to be Chengde, and the second-class candidate It is the bachelors such as Wang Kuan, Li Guangdi, Geng Yuanlu, etc. who were among the best in the examination.

On the day when the list was released, Mingzhu just got off the court and went out of the Xihua Gate and just entered the Qianzhai Hutong when he was startled by a deafening sound of firecrackers. He hurriedly raised the curtain of the sedan chair and asked the boy who was following him, "Whose house is releasing this?" firecracker?"

The servant looked forward, bowed and replied: "Master, it looks a little far away, why don't you go ahead and inquire about it?"

"You go, if there is a funeral or funeral, we will take a detour! Today is a big day for Donglang's gold list, don't let anyone bump into it again!" About Chengde High School, Mingzhu had heard it beforehand. Hearing the news, he stopped the sedan chair without thinking too much and waited for the servant to return.

In the first month of the first month, he went to northern Mongolia with Chen Tingjing for disaster relief, but he received an urgent letter from Emperor Kangxi on the way, ordering him to part ways with Chen Tingjing, and each of them bought half of the grain and grass. He went to Shengjing, and Chen Tingjing went to Mongolia.Presumably, the emperor suddenly received some secret report, and there were some changes in Mongolia.And when he arrived in Shengjing, he handed over the grain and grass to the local officials. It seemed that he had also received a secret order to deploy troops to deploy defenses, and it seemed that there was going to be a war.Apart from worrying about Chen Tingjing, he had nothing else to do, and hurriedly returned to Beijing to return to his orders after handing over the supplies.

But now he has been back for more than a month, but Chen Tingjing is still in Mongolia, and the war has not yet arrived, but the return date has not been seen for a long time.

Not long after, the servant ran back like a gust of wind, with an unconcealable ecstasy on his face. When he reached the Pearl sedan chair, he knelt down with a plop, and replied, "My lord, I am so happy! The eldest son is the number one scholar in high school, and he just came from the palace." Well, it is said that the emperor personally bestowed a lot of rewards to the eldest son! This is a great honor!"

When Mingzhu heard this, she couldn't hide her joy, and hurriedly said to the bearers: "Hurry up and get up, the people in the palace should still be at the mansion at this moment, and the old man should also thank the emperor for his kindness!"

The bearers didn't dare to neglect, and hurried back to the mansion like the wind blowing on their feet.Mingzhu didn't have time to change her clothes, so she straightened her court clothes and strode directly into the front hall.

At this time in the hall, Aixinjueluo and Chengde were drinking tea with the eunuch who came to proclaim the decree.The eunuch who came to declare the decree was none other than Li Dequan, Eunuch Li, who is now a celebrity by the emperor's side.The fact that the emperor was able to send him here shows that he also attaches great importance to Chengde's winning the first prize this time, or it should be said that Chengde's winning the first prize is also an unexpected surprise for the emperor.Since it was joy, he naturally wanted to celebrate Chengde without hesitation.

The decree has not been read yet, and they are waiting for Mingzhu to receive the decree together.At this time, everyone saw Mingzhu entering the hall in court clothes, Li Dequan quickly got up and smiled and congratulated Mingzhu: "Congratulations to Mingzhu, the eldest son has been named on the gold list, and the emperor sent a villain to congratulate him. Please accept the order!"

Mingzhu led all the family papers to kneel down to receive the order, and Li Dequan began to read it.In the imperial decree, Xuanye not only praised Chengde's talents and learning, but also praised Mingzhu's ability to teach his children. He rewarded a lot of things, and ordered Chengde to give Qionglin Banquet in Wenyuan Pavilion three days later.

Mingzhu and Chengde led the decree to thank him, Aixinjueluo was overjoyed, and busy people sealed a hundred taels of silver to Li Dequan as a thank you gift, and each sealed 20 taels of silver to come with Li Dequan to deliver the decree The two little father-in-laws.

Li Dequan didn't stay long, drank a cup of tea and quickly returned to the palace on the grounds that the emperor was waiting for his return.Cheng De sent him out of the door, and before leaving, Cheng De called Li Dequan to stop, put an envelope into Li Dequan's hand, and entrusted him: "Please trouble your father-in-law, be sure to hand over this letter to the emperor!"

Li Dequan responded with a smile, turned around and got into the carriage without stopping.

Aixinjue Luo looked at the rewards in the room and laughed from ear to ear. Now she looked at her son, she was really satisfied with how she saw it. For the emperor who valued her son so much, all she could think of at this moment was Chengde Having lived in the palace for a while, the emperor is a nostalgic person.

And Mingzhu obviously thinks more than Aixinjueluo.Looking at the rewards in the room, he frowned slightly, and called Chengde to the study.

Mingzhu changed her court clothes and sat down in the main seat. Chengde offered a cup of hot tea to Ahma and sat down beside him. Without waiting for Mingzhu to ask, he said, "Ama, my son doesn't want to enter the Imperial Academy."

Mingzhu was startled, and shouted without thinking, "Nonsense!"

Chengde was unmoved, looking at Mingzhu with his quiet eyes, and said: "Ama, the Imperial Academy is naturally the best place to go for official promotion, but my son took the imperial examination because he wanted to do something practical for the country and the people. I want to show those false names. My son has already written this wish into a letter and asked Eunuch Li to bring it to the emperor. No matter if it is far away or nearby, as long as it is really lacking, the son has already asked the emperor to arrange for his son. Believe in the emperor Thinking about the old relationship, you should think about it."

"You——ah! You let me tell you what you are good for!" Mingzhu sighed. At this time, he had calmed down, and after thinking about it, he probably understood his son's intentions, so he asked again: "A few days ago—— ——Before the imperial examination, you and the emperor met in private?"

Chengde was silent for a long time before he said: "How did Ama know?" He didn't intend to hide it from Mingzhu.

Mingzhu sighed again, that night, after Chengde returned home, Mingzhu saw his strange walking posture.Although he couldn't understand the relationship between Cheng De and Xuan Ye, he also understood that under the strong intervention of the Empress Dowager, Cheng De and Xuan Ye couldn't break it off completely. It doesn't work either.It's just that her well-behaved son was given by the emperor just like that—thinking of the word 'spoiled', Mingzhu became depressed again.

He looked at the delicate face of his 17-year-old son, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond except to sigh.After a long time, he said: "Didn't the emperor say that he would bestow marriages on Jinshi of Jinke? Thinking about your request, he will not easily agree to it."

Cheng De frowned slightly, thinking of Xuan Ye's guarantee to him in Tiangong Pavilion, he was not really worried about this matter, but he didn't know why Ama would link this matter with his own demand.So he asked Mingzhu what he thought.

Mingzhu glared at Chengde angrily, thinking, he even has control over your marriage, how could it be possible for you to leave him far away? There are no Jinshi who have just entered the officialdom like Chengde.Even if he intends to work for his son, it depends on whether the person above agrees or not.

And the answer Mingzhu is not so optimistic.

Seeing that his Ama had been silent for a long time, Cheng De thought about it, and understood Ama's unspeakable secret.But he still didn't think that Xuan Ye would be confused between business affairs and private affairs at this time, until Li Dequan came to Mingzhu's mansion again the next day with the imperial decree.

After the imperial decree was read out, Chengde was still in a daze after receiving the imperial decree. He didn't understand that he had already explained it so clearly to Xuan Ye in the letter, so why did Xuan Ye arrange such a position for him?According to Cheng De's request, Xuan Ye did not arrange for Cheng De to enter the Hanlin Academy, but he did not arrange any official position that was really lacking for him, but directly gave him the official title of a third-class imperial guard.This third-class bodyguard in front of the imperial court is an official position of the fifth rank. If you go to the Hanlin Academy, even if you become the number one scholar, you have to start from the compilation, and the Hanlin Academy is only from the sixth rank.

It seems that Xuanye has a preference for Chengde, even a little too much.But Cheng De was not happy because it was not his ambition.

After Cheng De received the order, he thanked Li Dequan, and sent him out as usual. When he got outside, Cheng De frowned, and asked Li Dequan, "Eunuch Li, I don't know the letter I sent to the emperor yesterday, your majesty Did you see it?"

Li Dequan smiled, thinking that the emperor really knew Mr. Nalan, so he replied: "Young master's letter, the emperor has naturally read it. The emperor also said, son, don't be confused. Since the son is dedicated to serving the country and the people, the emperor has many important things to do." I will leave it to you! So no matter what the official position is, you can just take it, and the rest of the emperor will make his own arrangements!"

Cheng De still wanted to ask, but Li Dequan didn't want to say more, because the emperor only gave him this set of excuses, and he didn't dare to say anything else, so he bowed his hands and left.

Cheng De was worried and turned to enter the mansion. At this time, Ming Zhu also asked him to go to the study to talk.Cheng De turned around and headed towards the study.

Aixinjueluo is not as careful as Chengde and Mingzhu.She heard that her son was named a fifth-rank official when he first entered the officialdom, and she was both proud and proud.Thinking of following the emperor's momentum of attaching so much importance to Cheng De, it would not be too bad to give Cheng De a marriage at that time.

In the study room, Mingzhu's expression was solemn, and Chengde's expression was also suspicious.

Mingzhu said: "Ama has already heard that when you go to court today, the emperor only gave you a reward after the announcement of the list yesterday. Ama was already uneasy in her heart. Today, the emperor made an exception and gave you a regular award." Rank five guard, Ah Ma is really worried about you."

"Just now I asked Eunuch Li, it seems that the emperor is going to entrust his son with something to do! Has Ama heard of any major events in the court recently?" Cheng De also didn't think that Xuan Ye promoted him in such a way because of the two The unspeakable private affair between them.

Mingzhu stroked her beard and thought for a while, but she couldn't think of a reason, so she said, "If there's something wrong, it's probably that Mongolia's recent movements are wrong, but the emperor has sent Chen Tingjing to deal with it, but it's beyond your power... "

The father and son discussed for a long time, but there was no serious result.

However, it soon arrived at the Qionglin Banquet for Xinke Scholars.On this day, the top three champions, the second place, and Tanhualang had to be paraded through the streets before being admitted to the palace for a banquet.

Therefore, Chengde, Cai Qizun, and Sun Zaifeng wore bright red robes, hung red silk flowers on their chests, and rode tall horses on behalf of the Xinke Scholars to tour Beijing for a week to receive the admiration and celebration of ordinary people.

This celebration held every three years is one of the favorite ceremonies of the common people in Beijing.This is not only because promising scholars and students can feast their eyes, but more importantly, this is almost the only celebration in the imperial court that they can also participate in.No one will refuse this sense of being recognized as a citizen of the Qing Dynasty.

In this street parade, Chengde almost became the focus of everyone, not only because he was the son of a university scholar, but also because he had already gained a reputation in the capital city and country examinations at a young age, and the most important thing was It's because he looks good.

Chengde is really good-looking, with exquisite eyebrows, tall and straight figure, and that magnificent demeanor. Sitting on a tall horse, he has become the focus of people's attention and the center of public opinion overnight.

Although 51-year-old Cai Qizun and 27-year-old Sun Zaifeng are also good-looking, but walking with Chengde, they cannot get more attention in terms of age or appearance.Because ordinary people don't know what is good or bad about learning, they come to Kaka to feast their eyes on the excitement.

So, along the way, many bold girls kept throwing all kinds of fresh flowers at Chengde's body. Later, some people even squeezed through the defense line of the imperial guards directly to send purses to Chengde. De throws away the handkerchief, making Chengde quite embarrassed.

Afterwards, Sun Zaifeng even patted Chengde on the shoulder unkindly and teased him, saying that he would probably become the heart of many girls after this day.

Cheng De shook his head helplessly, and stuffed the purse and other things he had received into Sun Zaifeng's arms, pretending to let him take it home and send it to his wife.Sun Zaifeng's face immediately turned bad, and when he wanted to return it, Cheng De had already walked away as if the wind was blowing under his feet.

Sun Zaifeng was married long ago, and now has a daughter under his knees. He himself revealed that he married a fierce wife, so Cheng De would say that.Nowadays, most of the Jinshi scholars like Sun Zaifeng actually occupy the majority, so there are actually only a few dozen young people of the right age who need the emperor's marriage, and some of these dozens are betrothed by their families. And there are only a dozen who are willing to let the emperor worry about their marriage.

And even for these dozen or so people, if the marriage is really settled, it will depend on them taking the official selection examination and finally confirming their official positions. The emperor will give them marriages under the premise of a balance of power.And this matter was basically drafted by the Ministry of Rites, and the emperor just reviewed it and signed it in the end.What the emperor really had to worry about was Chengde's marriage.

Chengde naturally knew about this matter, but Xuanye had already assured him before, so Chengde didn't want to think too much about it.Because since Xuan Ye said it, he naturally has his arrangements.

After the three of them paraded through the streets, they would naturally go to Wenyuan Pavilion to participate in the Qionglin Banquet.When they went, most of the Scholars had already arrived. Seeing the three people who stole the limelight, everyone couldn't help but gather around to ask and say hello.Chengde naturally still attracts attention, but he is always peaceful and knowledgeable, and his demeanor and demeanor are not inappropriate at all. After getting in touch with him, everyone admires him and is more willing to get close to him.

Chengde glanced around and saw Ma Qi standing in the corner of the hall talking with someone.Ma Qi seemed to have sensed Chengde's gaze, and when he looked over, he smiled at Chengde, and Chengde naturally took the initiative to greet him.

"Brother Ma Qi, congratulations to senior high school. I should have personally visited the door to congratulate you these few days, but I am so impolite because of the family affairs!" Cheng De said modestly.

But Ma Qi patted Chengde on the shoulder and said with a smile: "If you say that, wouldn't I feel even more ashamed, your high school champion, my elder brother should have invited you to drink to celebrate, isn't it because I have been so busy these days?" Won't you leave? Well, why should we be so polite?"

Cheng De also laughed and said: "It's no wonder Brother Ma Qi has such a heart, we must not get drunk or go home someday!"

While the two were talking, they heard the singing eunuch shout loudly, 'The emperor is here'!

Everyone hurriedly lined up and knelt down, ready to pick them up.When the eunuchs sang the third song, there were sonorous and powerful footsteps in the quiet hall. Everyone knew that it was the emperor who came, so they shouted long live long live long live!

The emperor sat down on the main seat, let everyone sit flat, and then said some words of encouragement, followed by the banquet.

Because Cheng De was the number one scholar, he was sitting very close to the emperor, at the first table to the left of the emperor. Whenever Xuan Ye's eyes swept over, Cheng De would look up at him tacitly, Both of them can see the repressed feelings in each other's eyes. It has been more than 20 days since they met last time. In fact, compared with the three years they separated, this is not a long time, but for the two people who love each other Said, this is enough for them to suffer.

But on such an occasion, they could only suppress it.

However, Xuan Ye seemed to be prepared.After singing and dancing, Xuan Ye asked Li Dequan to read out a job arrangement.Of course, not everyone can have a job arrangement after the exam, this is the privilege of dozens of people with the top rankings.Most of the Jinshi still have to take the six exams to see their ability before they are arranged.

This is customary and there is no question of objection.But when Li Dequan finally read that Nalan Chengde led the third-class bodyguard in the fifth rank, there was still a burst of surprise in the hall.

The emperor sat firmly on the dragon chair without any explanation, as if it was only right and proper, he wanted to dote on Chengde so blatantly, in fact, he wished to give Chengde better, but Chengde just entered the officialdom, he couldn't bear it It just caused criticism for him.

For Cheng De to win the first prize this time, Xuan Ye is very honored. Their family Rong Ruo is so good, and he loves him so deeply. Naturally, in his heart, Rong Ruo's starting point is to be a lot higher than everyone else. It's right, this officialdom, although the water is deep and dirty, but as long as he is there, he will protect him from the beginning to the end, and besides, the next thing he will entrust to Rong Ruo is not a small Imperial Academy. Six-rank civil servants are qualified to do it.

After Li Dequan finished reading, everyone knelt down to thank him.At this point, the banquet is basically over.But when the emperor left, he named Chengde and took him to Qianqing Palace.

Afterwards, the emperor directly handed over matters such as offering sacrifices to the Confucian Temple to Prime Minister Wei Yijie, a university scholar, for arrangement.

On the way to Qianqing Palace, Xuanye suddenly understood why Tuanhe Chengde left him at that time.He saw Cheng De, who was sitting at the head of the Qionglin Banquet today, and thought that he had finally returned to his side, and walked into his sight openly, so from then on, he would no longer need to be surreptitious about his love for him. This personal feeling is bathed in sunshine for the first time.Chengde no longer needs to be that little eunuch in Qianqing Palace, and his identity is no longer that child molestation existence that he hid in Qianqing Palace. This feeling is really good!

Xuan Ye's mood felt like it was going to fly.He couldn't wait to return to the Qianqing Palace, and couldn't wait to dismiss all the palace people, and then at the moment Li Dequan closed the door, he hugged Chengde, his uncontrollable emotion made his voice tremble slightly , he said: "Rong Ruo, I'm really happy! I'm really happy today!"

Cheng De also hugged Xuan Ye tightly, but he was so choked up that he couldn't make a sound.

Only to hear Xuan Ye say again: "Today, I finally understand why you insisted on leaving me at that time! I don't blame you anymore, can you forgive me for keeping you in prison regardless of your feelings? In the palace? At that time, I was too young and self-willed to care about you! But today, when I see you sitting among those students, you are so dazzling, do you know how happy I am? I was Thinking, this person is already mine, such an excellent person is already mine!"

Xuanye babbled, Chengde listened silently.Cheng De was both happy and gratified that Xuan Ye finally understood his good intentions for leaving at that time.He closed his eyes reassuringly, leaned quietly on Xuan Ye's shoulder, and suddenly felt a feeling called happiness slowly filled his heart at this moment.

The two hugged quietly for a long time like this, so long that even the fiery body temperature was entangled together, and they couldn't tell each other apart.Xuan Ye stopped talking afterwards, quietly feeling the satisfaction in his heart at this moment.

I don't know how long it took, Cheng De gently pushed Xuan Ye away, and asked the doubts in his heart all the time, "Did you read the letter I wrote to you a few days ago? Why did you think of making me a bodyguard?" ?”

Xuan Ye smiled, with a hint of distress in his smile, and he said: "The situation in various Mongolian ministries has changed. Although Chen Tingjing is dealing with it, he has lost contact with Shengjing recently. I am worried that there will be a war. At this time, it is It is absolutely impossible to start a war. In the past few years, Wu Sangui has been recharging his energy and energy in Yunnan. Attacking from both sides, there is bound to be a loss. The current plan is to make Mongolia too busy to take care of itself. It is best to force them to come to us for support. In this way, the imperial court will send troops to suppress in the name of support, and regain control of Mongolia at that time is the best result. "

Cheng De listened quietly, without interrupting Xuan Ye, Xuan Ye continued: "Yesterday I got a map from Nan Huairen, which marked the detailed location of each country in the northwest of Mongolia. According to Nan Huairen , one of the countries called Solong has always held resentment towards the tribes of the Mongolian grassland. They were originally descendants of the Tuhut tribe in the Mongolian grassland, but were later expelled by the Jungar tribe and the Durbert tribe to move westward to the Volga River basin. Mongolia's homeland was annexed, and I always wanted to return to Mongolia. This is what he happened to pass by on his way to the Qing Dynasty many years ago. Their Khan once said to Nan Huairen. I also found someone to verify this. Instigate Dragon This country attacks every part of the Mongolian grassland every year, but the time is not fixed and irregular. Now that Mongolia is suffering from snowstorms, it must be the best time to attack them at this time, but it is not convenient for the imperial court to send troops. If someone can inform Jilong of this news, and Invite them to send troops to attack Mongolia, and the Qing Dynasty will be able to reap the benefits this time. It's just that the Aolong people have lived in the West for nearly a hundred years, and their language is inevitable. Although Nan Huairen is willing to go with his envoy, I don't worry, you I have learned that Western language from him, so I actually want you to go with me this time. Since the guard is a military post, you can dispatch the army escorting the envoy."

For this mission, Xuan Ye planned to dispatch [-] elite soldiers from the Imperial Forest Army to escort them. Since they are elite soldiers, the combat effectiveness of this team should not be underestimated.Of course, such a team can only be assured if it is handed over to the person he trusts the most.

Xuan Ye said again: "It's just that this trip is extremely dangerous. After all, whether the abettors will believe us is another matter." After finishing speaking, he frowned and began to think.Xuanye actually didn't want Chengde to take risks in his heart, but now there are only some missionaries left in the court besides Chengde, and there is no second person who is proficient in Western languages!If Cheng De didn't follow, those missionaries would plot something along the way, and it would be impossible to control them.Xuanye needs to think of a complete solution, the most important thing is to ensure that the mission team can return safely.

"Actually, it's very simple." After hearing this, Cheng De smiled reassuringly at Xuan Ye.

Hearing what he said, Xuan Ye's eyes sparkled instantly, and he asked, "Have you thought of any good solution?"

Cheng Dedao: "I remember that when Shizu was here, he signed an alliance with various Mongolian ministries to divide the Eerlut Grassland into six Zasak banners. We only need to make a copy of this alliance and dedicate it to Instigate the Dragon King and sign a treaty with him to return the territory of the original Tuhu Te tribe to them, so why worry about them not marching into Mongolia? Now Zhungeer, the overlord of Errut, will certainly not recognize such an arrangement At that time, they will inevitably meet with each other. By the time they fight, I am afraid that we have already escaped and returned to Beijing. Even if we do not escape, as long as we enter the black world, we will be considered very safe. However, having said that, this matter still needs to be resolved. We plan carefully."

Hearing what Chengde said, Xuan Ye stared at Chengde's eyes like stars, he smiled and said: "Deqing is like this, what more can you ask for! Rong Ruo, you can always bring me different surprises."

After the two discussed the general goal of this matter, the rest is the details.

Today, the situation in Mongolia is changing, and Chen Tingjing's life and death are uncertain. At this moment, the arrangements of all parties are urgent.Before deploying the instigating dragon, Xuanye had already issued an order to Shengjing City guard Lebei, ordering him to join forces with the Mongolian capital Bili Ketu to do everything possible to rescue Chen Tingjing.

Here, Xuan Ye and Cheng De compared the map provided by Nan Huairen to the existing Qing territory to study the route of the envoy and return.The two initially estimated that it would take about one and a half months to reach Solong.Of course, this is an ideal state that needs to be accelerated without any changes.Moreover, this mission needs to be kept secret, and it is not appropriate to make a big fanfare.Xuan Ye thought over and over again about the candidates for the envoys, and finally decided to use Lin Zhengang, the Shaoqing of Lifan Academy, as the main envoy, Gong Angci, the Minister of Rites, as the deputy envoy, and Nan Huairen as the interpreter, and Chengde as the commander of the military power. This is the prototype of the envoy team. has been preliminarily formed.

The two discussed from the afternoon until the lights came on, and before they knew it, it was already past the closing time of the palace gate.Chengde was still contemplating, but Xuan Ye noticed that it was getting late outside, so he asked Chengde to stay in the palace for one night, and ordered Li Dequan to have dinner.

Xuanye sent someone to report to Mingzhu's residence, and here he had dinner with Chengde, and the two continued to discuss.Later, Chengde simply took a pen to record some points worthy of scrutiny, so that Xuanye can discuss with the important officials after the court tomorrow morning.

On a busy day, time always flies by very fast.The two stayed up late, so Xuan Ye directly took the map from Chengde's hand and said, "Let's discuss it tomorrow! I see that your eyes are red. If you are tired and sick before departure, I will feel sorry for you." It's too late!"

Chengde smiled, and added a "remake alliance letter" at the end on the recording paper, then put down his pen, and let Xuanye pull himself up, wash and change clothes.

The two of them were lying on the same bed, this kind of justifiable feeling was very strange to both of them.

Xuan Ye was sleeping outside, turned over to face Chengde, seeing that Chengde seemed to be fast asleep with his eyes closed, he couldn't help but leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek.don't want to be