The night is as cool as water and everything is silent.
In the Taiwei's mansion, even the servants who had patrolled had already fallen asleep.
Cui Shaogong was drunk at this time, dragging a jar of wine unsteadily to the back garden.
There is a big osmanthus tree there, which is in full bloom in August.
He threw the wine jar under the tree, and then he fell down and leaned on a large raised rock under the tree. He held the green ring in front of his eyes, and the bright moonlight shone through the ring. His dazed eyes.
"I believe that Lieutenant Cui has never belonged to any of these three categories of people."
"Dasheng is devastated in just one thought of yours, and the peaceful and prosperous era is also in just one thought of yours."
"Are you really willing to watch?"
Am I...really willing to just watch...
At that time, the petite figure in court uniform and men's clothing seemed to appear in front of his eyes, pointing at his heart and questioning him word by word.
Before he went to the frontier, his father was already seriously ill, and at that time he was already in charge of the entire Taiwei Mansion.
At that time, the border wars were raging, and there was no peace in the court. The young Imperial Master, who was similar to him, hurried to the Taiwei Mansion, saying that he wanted to see his father, but it was him who came to the appointment in the end.
He only chatted with Pei Qi for a few words before he understood what Pei Qi meant. To put it bluntly, he came to seek help from the Taiwei Mansion and use his military power.
But in order to keep the Cui family away from the disputes between the DPRK and China, he rejected Pei Qi without thinking.
She angrily pointed at his heart and reprimanded: "You are a generation of military ministers who are full of heroic spirit. They kill enemies everywhere on the battlefield. Even if they are surrounded by enemies, they show no sign of timidity. However, they are reluctant to share this courage with the court." .”
"Even if your Cui family has not been involved in the court for several generations, if one day Dasheng is ruined by rebellious ministers and traitors, and even destroys himself, no matter how high-minded your Cui family is, who will look at it?"
"Forget it, Yanque...how do you know Honghao's ambition!"
Honghao’s ambition?
But you, Pei Qi, have been struggling in this officialdom for so long. What has changed?
In the end, the Pei family was at the forefront of the storm, and you were known as a guilty minister. Even the common people and subjects you had to protect even if you risked your life, ended up scolding you bloody.
But……
He clearly protected the Cui family very well and never failed to live up to his father's expectations, but he always felt that something had not yet been realized.
what is it then……
"father……"
Cui Shaogong stared at a certain star in the sky, reaching out to grab it, but he couldn't reach it.
After a long time, his hand dropped, and he raised the wine jar on the side, high above his head, and poured it into his mouth in large gulps.
The wine soaked his clothes, making him feel a little chilly in the cold autumn wind.
When the wine in the jar was dry and could no longer be poured out, he threw the jar far away, lay on his side on the stone and closed his eyes gently.
What on earth is he going to do...
"Little Lieutenant Cui, the weather is cold. Aren't you afraid of getting cold if you sleep here?"
Just as he was drifting off to sleep, a clear and casual voice came to his ears. He opened his eyes and saw a graceful figure in white next to him.
He moved, turned over, and said in a slurred voice: "Today... my Taiwei's mansion is... hiccup... it's really lively, even His Highness is here..."
Jiang Lingfeng sat lazily beside him, stretched out a hand and put it on his shoulder, got a jar of wine from somewhere, opened his mouth and took a sip.
He patted Cui Shaogong on the shoulder: "Little Captain Cui seems to have something on his mind."
"Asking even though you know it." Cui Shaogong took off the hand on his shoulder, turned around and lay on the stone again: "You came to me, didn't you also come to me because of Jiang Fengchuan's matter..."
Jiang Lingfeng was obviously a little embarrassed when he mercilessly revealed his purpose on the spot.
This guy really can't take a joke.
"Since you have already guessed it, I won't let it go." Jiang Lingfeng stretched his legs and adjusted to a relatively comfortable position: "Looking at you drinking alone here, I know that you must still be feeling sad in your heart. I'm struggling. How about I tell you Pei Qi's story."
"Pei Qi...?" Cui Shaogong laughed disdainfully: "What kind of story can she have? It's just that she is full of the nobility of the people. Do you want to compare me with her and then belittle me?"
"Hmph...no way..."
Jiang Lingfeng laughed dumbly.
Who would have thought that the cold and arrogant Cui Xiao Taiwei would turn out to be a very arrogant person after drinking alcohol?
Jiang Lingfeng tidied up his words, and then began to speak:
"Pei Qi was just like you in the past. When she entered the court, she also had a family mission."
"The friendship between me and her, um... started when I was very young. I didn't like being controlled in the palace, so I would sneak out of the dog hole in the cold palace to play every day. The same goes for Pei Qi."
"I made an appointment with her to come out of the house together every evening, and then go sightseeing and see the scenery of the imperial capital."
"But then one day, she was discovered by Mr. Pei, and after that...she frequently missed appointments, and even heard nothing from her."
"Finally, eight years later, I saw her again in the officialdom. But she was already dressed in court uniform, and there was a kind of meticulousness in her words and deeds that made me confused. She had to think twice before she said a word. It makes me feel that the relationship between us has become very alienated.”
"One day, I was very drunk, just like..." Jiang Lingfeng said, turning to look at Cui Shaogong who was smelling of alcohol, then smiled and continued: "Just like you."
"I found Pei Qi and talked to her a lot while drinking. I can't remember exactly what they were. They were probably words...asking her why she left without saying goodbye and deliberately kept a distance from me. "
"She said that I am a prince and one of the people vying for the throne. As a minister, she has the Pei family behind her. She must be careful when acting in the court. A person with such a noble status as me is naturally a young person. It’s better to make contact.”
"The Pei family sent her to the court so that she can help the Pei family gain a place. Whatever she does, the Pei family must be put first."
"It wasn't until I lost my identity as a prince and left the palace that our relationship gradually returned to what it was before."
"Later, she consolidated her power step by step, making the Pei family invincible, and became the emperor's right-hand man."
"She appeased the rioting refugees, suppressed bandits in Xuanzhou, and even went to the border to become a military advisor. She made countless contributions. Until one time, she came back from a private visit with the emperor incognito. She, who had never drank alcohol, actually became addicted to some alcohol. Drunk."
"I remember very clearly. She said to me in a daze, Jiang Lingfeng, you know, I have never been out of the Imperial Capital. I don't know that people outside the Imperial Capital are in dire straits..."
"Since then, I found that her whole person has changed. She began to think about the unity of the world and the peace of the people. She even openly refuted important ministers in the officialdom and angered Rong Qin."
"At the same time, she also gradually forgot her original purpose of joining the court, which was just for the Pei family and to shine the lintel of the family."
