It was already early morning, but a room on the third floor of Fenglai Building was still brightly lit.
An Zicheng sat quietly on the chair, the tea just brought by the maid on the table was still steaming.
He came in yesterday evening and has been sitting here for a long time.
In front of him, a beautiful woman was playing for him through a bead curtain.
The slender white fingers gently twisted the guzheng, and the long music like flowing water slowly flowed in the room.
However, An Zicheng didn't have the time to enjoy this music, because he had no interest in these string and bamboo orchestras.
Naturally, he came here not to listen to music and drink, but to receive an invitation that he could not refuse.
If invited by ordinary people, he would naturally not come to such a place, nor would he wait until this time.
Even if some powerful people invited him, without telling him what the purpose was, and left him alone here for so long, he would definitely have left long ago.
But this time he is still sitting here waiting.
"Miss Yunyao." An Zicheng called softly.
Yun Yao in the bead curtain stopped playing, raised her face and asked, "What's wrong, Mr. An? But the music doesn't suit your ears? How about I change it for you?"
There was a hint of grievance on Yun Yao's face, and her watery eyes stared straight at An Zicheng, as if even a hard-hearted person would turn into a soft heart under such gaze.
If an ordinary drinker saw this scene, he would probably lose his fortune to coax the delicate girl's dark eyebrows to stretch out.
But An Zicheng's expression didn't seem to change much, he just said coldly, "Isn't the Prime Minister here yet?"
Yun Yao covered her mouth and smiled softly, "The Prime Minister may be busy dealing with government affairs. Lord An, please sit back and wait. Someone, come and refill the tea for Lord An."
I have to say that this maid's technique of pouring tea is really good. The tea on An Zicheng's table was level with the rim of the cup, but the maid poured nearly half a cup of tea into it.
The tea was already higher than the rim of the cup, but not a drop of it spilled out. Instead, a column of water formed.
An Zicheng glanced at the maid coldly, the unconcealed fierceness in his eyes made the maid's hands tremble, and the water in the tea cup overflowed instantly, and the table was immediately filled with scalding tea.
Some of the tea even flowed onto An Zicheng's clothes.
The maid hurriedly took out her handkerchief and wanted to help An Zicheng wipe it.
However, An Zicheng stood up directly and said with an unhappy face, "Miss Yunyao, please tell the Prime Minister that your clothes are disheveled today and it is not convenient to meet with the Prime Minister again. It is better to make an appointment another day."
After saying that, An Zicheng stepped up to go out.
But at this moment, a burst of laughter like silver bells suddenly came from the door.
It turned out to be Yunxiang.
Yun Xiang looked at An Zicheng with a smile and said, "I want to see who made General An so angry that he didn't even wait for the Prime Minister."
The maid was so frightened that she quickly knelt on the ground and sobbed, "Sister Yunxiang, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean this. Please spare me this time."
Yun Xiang walked up to the maid, raised the tearful face of the maid Lihua with one hand, and exhaled Ruolan, "It's useless to beg for mercy from me. General An is very angry now. You have to find a way to keep him. Otherwise..."
Yun Xiang's eyes moved to the maid's hands, "This is the fault of your hands, then these hands will have to suffer a little!"
After saying that, he stepped hard on the maid's right hand.
This kick was so powerful that the maid grimaced in pain and shed tears. However, she did not dare to stretch out her left hand to push Yun Xiang's foot away. She could only keep crying and begging An Zicheng for mercy.
"General An, please be kind and save this slave!"
After all, An Zicheng couldn't bear the disturbance, so he turned back from the door and sat back on the chair.
"She keeps shouting here. She's so annoying. Let her go down quickly." An Zicheng said impatiently, "But you have to tell me exactly when the Prime Minister will come back. I, the Red Dragon Army, still have that much power. There are many things to deal with, so we can’t just sit here all the time.”
Yun Xiang grinned when he heard this, and said to the maid, "Why don't you thank General An for your kindness? If he hadn't spoken, your two dog paws would have been destroyed today."
The maid quickly kowtowed and said, "Thank you General An for your great kindness!"
An Zicheng just frowned and waved her hand to go down.
Yun Xiang then smiled and said, "I thought General An had been on the battlefield for a long time and must be a decisive and ruthless person, but I didn't expect that today I saw the compassionate side of General An. It was really eye-opening."
An Zicheng was speechless, so he closed his eyes and ignored her.
The silence in the room only lasted for a moment, and suddenly a burst of hearty laughter came from outside the door.
"Haha, I didn't expect that our General An would be defended by a weak woman until he had nothing to say."
Wang Daofan strode in and smiled warmly at An Zicheng.
When An Zicheng saw Wang Daofan, he immediately stood up and saluted, "I have met the Prime Minister."
Wang Daofan waved his hand and said, "General An, there is no need to be polite."
After the two sat down, Wang Daofan pushed away Yun Xiang and Yun Yao.
"Speaking of which, I have kept General An waiting for so long. I'm really sorry because I went to Luofengpo to watch a game of chess, which delayed my time." Wang Daofan said apologetically.
An Zicheng's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, and he couldn't help but feel a little panicked, "I wonder how the outcome of that game will be?"
"I left after reading half of it, but the ending has been decided anyway."
The flash of panic on An Zicheng's face was seen by Wang Daofan. Wang Daofan smiled and said, "General An, there is no need to worry about the Red Dragon Army's complicated affairs, because all of your Red Dragon Army have been killed in Luofengpo." .”
Wang Daofan's words were undoubtedly a thunderbolt that hit An Zicheng's head.
"Why can't I understand what the Prime Minister is saying?" An Zicheng asked with a puzzled look on his face.
Wang Daofan was not in a hurry to expose it, and slowly picked up the tea cup and took a sip, "Since you are still unwilling to let go of your guard against me, then I will make it clear. Do you know why I stopped you and refused to let you go? Luofengpo?"
An Zicheng slowly thought about Wang Daofan's words.
Before Jiang Fengqing took Lin Tianyou to Luofengpo, Wang Daofan sent an invitation to meet him at Fenglai Tower.
This resulted in him being unable to personally lead the Red Dragon Army to help Jiang Fengqing.
This is something An Zicheng has always wondered before. Why did Wang Daofan not invite him earlier, but why did he invite him at this time?
So An Zicheng said honestly, "I really don't know. Please let me know, Prime Minister."
"Because I don't want this game to end so soon." Wang Daofan said slowly.
An Zicheng obviously couldn't understand what Wang Daofan said and frowned.
Wang Daofan stood up and said, "According to Jiang Fengqing's temperament, the situation is over. He will definitely not choose to live in an ignoble existence, and Zhou Ruoxiao will not give him a chance to make a comeback. However, Lin Tianyou has always been cautious and will definitely leave a note for himself. There should be a 70-80% chance of escaping Zhou Ruoxiao's pursuit. Once Zhou Ruoxiao takes Jiang Xianfeng into Chang'an, Chang'an will become deserted.
But I like lively and bustling things, so I really can’t stand this desertedness. So, I just want to keep you and see if Lin Tianyou can take you back one day to make Chang'an lively again. What do you think of this reason? "
After saying that, Wang Daofan walked up to An Zicheng and looked down at him.
An Zicheng neither said yes nor no, but stood up and looked at him levelly.
"Do you think this is realistic?" An Zicheng sighed and said.
If Jiang Fengqing dares to lead people to stop Zhou Ruoxiao's team now, it is because the new emperor has not yet ascended the throne and has no power in the world.
But if the Human Emperor ascends the throne and takes control of Chang'an, then it's really unlikely that anyone would dare to lead troops to attack Chang'an.
Just one of Yan Mo's Yan Guard regiment is enough to defeat a hundred thousand cavalry.
An Zicheng knew that Lin Tianyou was a bold man, but he did not think that Lin Tianyou was stupid enough to risk his death.
"But don't people have to have some unrealistic ideas in life?" Wang Daofan sighed, "Be poor and strong, and do not fall into the clouds. Doesn't it mean that if General An loses this game, there will be no hope of making a comeback? ?”
An Zicheng said helplessly, "Have you ever seen any casino that would let people in without any chips?"
"Casinos also allow gamblers to risk their lives at the gaming table!"
Wang Daofan looked directly at An Zicheng with his clear eyes.
After a while, An Zicheng sat back on the chair and said, "Jiang Fengqing told me that you are very different."
Wang Daofan asked curiously, "How does the eldest prince think I am different?"
An Zicheng said, "He said that in general, people in the officialdom can only seek publicity and selfishness. People who seek publicity are conscientious and dedicated, and only think about finding peace and contentment for the people and prosperity and development for the country. People who seek selfishness are like flies and dogs. , only thinking about fine clothing and food, indulging in wealth and enjoyment, and seeking a higher position.
But the Prime Minister is different. You are neither seeking public benefit nor seeking personal gain. "
Wang Daofan narrowed his eyes slightly and said lightly, "Oh, really?"
"Speaking of selfishness, the Prime Minister's residence is so plain and simple. And based on the prestige of the Prime Minister in the court for so many years, as well as his own unfathomable strength, I think that even if I sit on the throne of the Human Emperor, I’m afraid no one would dare to say anything about the location, right?
But if it was to seek justice, then during the fight between the eldest prince and the second prince, the prime minister should not have helped the second prince to expel the eldest prince from Chang'an. "
An Zicheng picked up the teacup and took a sip, "I wonder what the Prime Minister has to say about this?"
Wang Daofan chuckled and said, "I said it was because I was too bored, so I wanted to play chess with others to relieve my boredom. Do you believe me?"
"I wonder who the Prime Minister is playing chess with?"
"I don't know whether he is in a corner of Jiuzhou or whether he has gone to the ethereal world beyond Jiuxiaoyun." A trace of memory flashed in Wang Daofan's eyes, "Of course, it is also possible that he died long ago. I have always been entertaining myself alone."
An Zicheng frowned, he couldn't understand the profound meaning of Wang Daofan's words.
"I don't need you to understand what I'm saying. I'm saving you. I just don't want you, the discarded piece in the chess game, to be eliminated like this."
"But since he has been abandoned, why does the Prime Minister still want to help?" An Zicheng asked. He wanted to find out why the Prime Minister, who had already reached the peak of power, was so deliberate in his plans.
"Perhaps it's also for peace of mind. After all, I have watched this country grow from nothing to today's glory bit by bit. Now that I want to destroy it with my own hands, I really can't bear to do it."
Wang Daofan's slightly emotional words surprised An Zicheng who was standing beside him.
The prime minister of Jiang State actually wants to destroy Jiang State with his own hands!
If this was said out loud, I'm afraid no one would believe it. After all, a large part of the credit for Jiang State's long-term peace and stability was attributed to Prime Minister Wang Daofan.
If anyone wants to see the Jiang Kingdom go to ruin the most, Wang Daofan is probably one of them.
But these words came out of his mouth, and An Zicheng heard them very clearly.
Before An Zicheng could be surprised for too long, Wang Daofan's expression calmed down again and he said calmly, "It's getting late, you should go."
An Zicheng was stunned, bowed, and then stood up to walk out.
When his feet were about to cross the threshold, he suddenly stopped.
Let's go, where can we go?
Listening to Wang Daofan's words, he should be able to guess that Jiang Fengqing must have lost completely. Presumably by this time Zhou Ruoxiao had already brought Jiang Xianfeng to Chang'an to ascend the throne.
He sent the Red Dragon Army to ambush Zhou Ruoxiao, and Zhou Ruoxiao would definitely not let him go.
But where can he go?
After spending half his life on horseback, he didn't know where to go for the first time.
"I see that you are a loyal person, but you should also think clearly about whether everything you have done is right or wrong. Now you have lost everything and don't know where to go. Go on in confusion. Maybe the wind will take you back. To my hometown.”
Wang Daofan's voice came faintly from behind, and An Zicheng's confused eyes glowed with life. He took one step and walked out of the door.
Wang Daofan walked to the window, stood with his hands behind his hands, and murmured to himself, "This country is about to usher in a storm. After this storm, there will be endless ruins. Wild flowers and grass will emerge from every corner of the earth. I will also I don’t know whether it will usher in new life or destruction.”
