Young Master Liu looked at Liu Zhi'an's aggrieved expression, then picked up the wine glass and handed it over with a strange expression.
"Old man, to be honest, you should feel lucky that you guys have occupied the righteousness.
Otherwise, I estimate, young master, that this farce cannot be solved by spending 200,000 taels of silver on decoction and medicine. "
Liu Zhi'an reached out and took the wine glass handed over by Mr. Liu, chuckled and shook his head.
"You're right, I should feel lucky that I am on the right side.
There is no way, the situation is not up to anyone!
Who makes me have the honorable status of the current prince and successor, while I am just a student from a merchant family? "
"Later, I felt that the matter between you and my father-in-law should be more than just a competition for a brothel oiran, right?"
Liu Zhi'an gently turned the wine glass in his hand, and remained silent for a long time with complicated eyes. He turned to look at Young Master Liu and nodded silently.
"Because of Ouyang Xiyue's incident, I have some kind of friendship with your father-in-law Li Zheng, which is not a friendship at all."
"Friendship that's not considered friendship?"
"Yes, it's not a friendship.
Boy, you have to know that there are many things in this world that cannot be separated from money.
Your father-in-law Li Zheng was the prince of the dynasty at the time. He also needed a lot of money if he wanted to completely secure that position.
Therefore, under certain circumstances, there was a fight between me and your father-in-law Li Zheng...
No, there were several scenes of friendship between power and money.
Of course, it’s not an exaggeration to say it’s a transaction. "
Young Master Liu looked at Liu Zhi'an's melancholy expression and remained silent for a long time with a complex expression.
"Then you, the old man, what will happen between you and your father-in-law?"
“It’s just using each other and giving each other away.
However, the few friendships between the two of us were all very harmonious.
Later, after he truly ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor and became the king of our country, the relationship between the two of us gradually became estranged.
They gradually became estranged from each other tacitly.
After all, as an emperor, there can be no stain on him. "
Liu Zhi'an drank all the wine in the glass, smiled lightly and picked up the pot to refill himself and Young Master Liu.
"Later, I got married to your mother, and a year later, you, bastard, was born.
Your son was born, and both my husband and your mother were very excited.
However, who would have thought that you, the boy, would come to this world with the Seven Stars on your feet.
Do you know how uneasy your mother and I felt when we saw your boy walking on the seven stars?
Stepping on seven stars, stepping on seven stars, that is the legendary destiny of an emperor.
Once this kind of thing spreads, not only will you die, but our whole family will die without a burial place.
In fact, anyone who has anything to do with our family will die without a burial place. "
Liu Mingzhi looked at Liu Zhi'an's expression full of emotion, picked up the drink on the low table with a heavy palm, and brought it to his mouth with a slight trembling.
After drinking a glass of wine, Mr. Liu sighed with a complicated expression.
"Oh, old man, I'm sorry, I have made you two elders worried."
Liu Zhi'an casually placed the wine glass on the low table, chuckled and breathed hot air into his palms.
"Pour the wine."
"good."
"I can tell you clearly, kid, that I was indeed very afraid of your father-in-law, Li Zheng.
After all, his identity is there.
However, although I am afraid of him, I am not really afraid of him.
Do you know why, kid? "
Young Master Liu frowned and thought for a moment, then with a clear look in his eyes, he picked up the pot and refilled a glass of wine for himself.
"If it's not what I expected, it's because, old man, you have in your hands the stain on my father-in-law, the king of a country."
Liu Zhi'an reached out and picked up the wine glass, looking at Young Master Liu and nodding happily.
"As expected of you, boy, you hit the nail on the head.
The reason why I am afraid of him, but not afraid of him, is indeed because of this.
To be honest, at the beginning, I was worried all the time, worried that your father-in-law Li Zheng would kill me and silence me in order to maintain his reputation.
Facts have proved that I am indeed judging a gentleman's heart with a villain's heart.
As I said just now, Li Zheng is indeed a hero.
In the next ten years or so, we had several encounters, but he never once mentioned the friendship between the two of us.
It was as if, as if there had never been any friendship between us.
From then on, I knew what to do. "
Liu Mingzhi turned his head and glanced in the direction of the imperial mausoleum on the outskirts of Beijing, smiled lightly and took a sip of his drink.
"It's the easiest thing to deal with between two smart people."
"Hehehe, yes, dealing with smart people is indeed the easiest thing.
However, the birth of you, a bastard with seven stars on his feet, has made me, a smart man who dares to compete with your father-in-law Li Zheng, completely panicked.
In order to conceal your kid's identity, I, your mother, and I have racked our brains and taken great pains.
So, a game of money and power.
Quietly, it started again. "
Liu Mingzhi retracted his gaze from looking at the imperial mausoleum, and offered Liu Zhi'an a glass of wine with a sad expression.
"Old man, do you know? There is something that I didn't discover until today."
"Oh? What's the matter?"
Young Master Liu picked up a peanut and threw it into his mouth, laughing happily.
"You have a tough life."
Hearing this, Liu Zhi'an raised his eyebrows slightly and relit a pot of dry smoke with a smile.
"Yes, you are absolutely right, my life is indeed very tough.
Being able to survive the hands of that old guy, your father-in-law Li Zheng, and then being able to witness with your own eyes how your boy has reached this point today.
If my fate were even the slightest difference, I would have gone to heaven to accompany the ancestors of our Liu family. "
Liu Mingzhi was silent for a moment, then raised his hand to pick up the fishing rod and lifted it hard.
With only half of the bait left on the fishing rod, he put on another piece of bait with a smile, and threw the hook into the water.
"What happened to the courtesan named Ouyang Xiyue who is still alive?"
Liu Zhi'an gently took a puff of the dry cigarette and picked up his wine glass with a look full of vicissitudes of life.
"Oh, beauties have been so miserable since ancient times."
"Ah? What happened to her?"
"The symptoms of Qi disease will disappear without a trace in twenty-nine years."
Liu Mingzhi looked at Liu Zhi'an's expression full of emotion, smiled bitterly and nodded.
"It's a pity, that's how miserable the fate of beauties has been since ancient times!"
"Alas, nature is unpredictable, and things in the world play tricks on people. That's all."
Young Master Liu stretched out his hand and flicked the melon seed shell on the hem of his clothes, then looked curiously at Liu Zhian.
"It is really a pity that I have no chance to meet such a beautiful young master.
By the way, does my mother know about your romantic affair back then, old man? "
Liu Zhi'an took a sip of the wine and gave Young Master Liu a disdainful look.
"You bastard, why don't you go back and ask your mother now if she knows about this past incident."
Seeing Liu Zhi'an's reaction, Young Master Liu suddenly became disappointed.
My old man is so confident. It is obvious that my mother knows about this past event.
In this case, the idea of using this matter to make some fuss and extort some money from the old man's pocket is probably not realistic.
After Master Liu figured this out, he looked at Liu Zhi'an angrily, smiled and waved his hand.
"Oh, old man, what are you thinking about? I'm just a little curious, young master. I'm just a little curious."
"Oh, is it so?"
Young Master Liu immediately came over with an apologetic smile on his face: "Hey, hey, it's necessary. Don't you know what I am like as an old man?"
Liu Zhi'an sneered a few times and directly said what Young Master Liu had said before: "Hehehe, I don't believe it."
Young Master Liu's face froze, and the corners of his mouth trembled a few times. He didn't know what to say for a while.
"Uh! Uh! Uh!"
Seeing the awkward expression on his eldest son's face, Liu Zhi'an casually shook the wine bottle in his hand and looked at Liu Yuan, who was sitting next to him, with a faint smile.
"Liu Yuan."
"master?"
"Brother, here's the wine."
"Yes, I understand."
Liu Yuan immediately stood up, took out two bottles of wine from the food box, and happily placed them on the low table.
"Master, young master, please use it slowly."
“Brother, you don’t have to just watch me drink with this bastard, you should also drink more glasses yourself.
The weather is so cold, drink some wine to warm yourself up. "
Liu Yuan nodded happily and pointed to the wine bottle next to his small bamboo chair and the plate containing peanuts on the low table.
"Master, you are drinking, you are drinking."
Liu Zhi'an chuckled and nodded, then picked up a wine bottle and placed it next to Young Master Liu.
"You bastard, the topics we and I talked about just now are just old stories that can be said or left unsaid.
The topic we should continue talking about now is still about your knot. "
Liu Zi picked up a piece of pastry and took a bite. He chewed it slowly and turned to look at Liu Zhi'an.
"After all, isn't it still the case?"
"Hehehe, why do you think so?"
Young Master Liu's face was slightly startled, and his eyes instantly became confused.
"me……"
When Liu Zhi'an saw Young Master Liu looking like this, he poured a glass of wine from the pot and put the glass into his mouth with a half-smile.
"You bastard, I'm going to ask you this question again.
Based on your understanding of the old guy Li Zheng, do you think he is satisfied with his achievements in this life? "
Hearing Liu Zhi'an mention this issue again, Mr. Liu's face tightened slightly, and he stuffed the remaining half of the pastry into his mouth with trembling arms.
"Judging from my father's reaction before his death, we can see the contribution he made to me in this life.
Not very, not very satisfied. "
"Not very satisfied?"
"Yes, judging from my understanding of his character, I am not very satisfied."
"However, from the perspective of the people of the world and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, they are all full of praise for your father-in-law's achievements in his life.
Including your kid, don’t you think so too? "
Liu Zhian held a wine glass in one hand and a tobacco bag in the other, leaning forward to take a look at the float on the water.
"You little bastard, I'm asking you, during your reign, how many years have you not visited our Dalong country? How long have you not visited the common people?"
Young Master Liu's face was stunned, and he was silent for a long time with a slight frown on his brows. He picked up the wine glass and took a sip of the wine.
“Over the years, the imperial court has been busy with government affairs, and has been entangled in all kinds of trivial matters.
Except for some special things, I have a lot of time to leave the capital and go to other places to see and wander around.
Therefore, it has been many years since I went around the world to see what happened among the people, as I did before.
Old man, as I told you just now, I have always been quite leisurely and elegant.
But, I really can’t leave! "
Seeing Young Master Liu's sad and helpless expression, Liu Zhi'an smiled and nodded.
"Bastard, you don't need to explain anything.
Regarding the situation on your side, I understand. I understand everything.
In his position, he should seek his own government! "
After hearing Liu Zhi'an's comforting words, Young Master Liu took a few sips of wine with his wine flask and sighed softly with a sad look on his face.
"Oh, life is so difficult!"
"Hahaha, who in this life has it easy?
You bastard, I have a question for you. "
Young Master Liu stopped eating melon seeds and looked at Liu Zhi'an in surprise.
"Well, what's the problem?"
"I want to ask you, what year is it today?"
Hearing Liu Zhian's question, Young Master Liu suddenly looked stunned. He didn't know why he would ask such a question.
Although he didn't understand Liu Zhi'an's intention, Young Master Liu still smiled and replied: "Old man, it's just the New Year.
Today is the seventh year of peace! "
"Seven years of peace!"
"Yes, seven years of peace!"
"Hehehe, seven years of peace, seven years of peace.
Do you know how the people of Dalong today evaluate the Year of Peace? "
Hearing this, Liu Mingzhi shook his head subconsciously.
"I don't know, how do you evaluate it?"
Liu Zhi'an stared at Mr. Liu in silence for a long time, then raised his glass cheerfully to signal.
"You little bastard, come on, let's have a drink."
"Old man, I respect you."
Liu Zhi'an happily raised the drink in his hand and drank it down, then put the glass on the low table with a laugh.
"Hahaha, hahaha, I will tell you now how the people of the world evaluate the Year of Peace."
"Um?"
"The years of Taiping under the rule of Emperor Taiping are called the age of peace and prosperity.
Hahaha, hahaha, it’s called a peaceful and prosperous age! "
Young Master Liu immediately trembled, and his lips trembled slightly as he looked towards Young Master Liu.
"Old man, you say it again...you say it again."
"Peace and prosperity, peace and prosperity!"
Listening to Liu Zhi'an's admiring tone, Young Master Liu felt his eyes sore, and his heart couldn't help but twitch.
He took a deep breath and looked at Liu Zhian with disbelief.
"really?"
Seeing the eldest son's unwilling expression, Liu Zhi'an opened the wine bottle and took a sip, then nodded vigorously.
“It’s worthy of the name, worthy of the name.
Bastard, now you should know why I say you are becoming less and less confident, right? "
(End of chapter)
