When that old fox Zhang Bingwen was still alive, he severely suppressed military officers, which was an important reason why the court had no generals to use for so many years.

Song Ting didn't care about the court's situation. As long as no one could shake his position, whether Dayan had capable soldiers or was forced to cede several cities to the Turks, none of that mattered to him.

But the young emperor was ambitious. With Zhang Bingzhi dead, he was freed from constraints and immediately entrusted Gu Yi with important responsibilities.

The latter was once a close friend of Chu Huaiyun. Both were talented in both literature and martial arts, but one chose to follow his father and brother to lead troops into battle, while the other aspired to serve in the imperial court, leading to two completely different outcomes.

After Chu Huaiyun's death, Gu Yi, as a close friend, inevitably suffered greatly. He was heartbroken and resigned from his official post to travel the world.

It was the young emperor who sent people to bring him back. Years have passed, and Gu Yi still retains a strong scholarly air, but he has put down his pen and picked up a spear.

Because of Chu Huaiyun's relationship with him, Song Ting also treated him differently. In the court, he was the only one who treated Gu Yi with some politeness.

But that doesn't mean Song Ting can tolerate the gaze that falls on Huai Xu. Even though he knows these gazes have nothing to do with Huai Xu.

However, Commander Song's jealousy problem has persisted for many years and has even shown a tendency to worsen.

Chu Huaixu himself, however, seemed completely unaware, and was earnestly eating pastries and listening to the opera on stage.

"Sir, where did you find this treasure? May I feast my eyes on it?" After a while, Dong Maolin also joined in the fun. His gaze shifted and he caught sight of the scroll in Song Ting's hand.

Since it was something related to the Second Young Master, even if it was a fake, Song Ting originally didn't want anyone else to touch it.

But after a moment's thought, he ultimately handed the painting over. Dong Maolin carefully unrolled the scroll and squinted as he admired it closely.

Upon glancing at the signature on the painting, I couldn't help but exclaim, "So that's it..."

He didn't say the name aloud, but everyone present knew it. Gu Yi's expression changed drastically, and he carefully took the painting from Dong Maolin's hands.

"Red plum blossoms against the snow, a peerless gentleman." Gu Yi's hands trembled so much that she could barely hold the painting, and her eyes instantly turned bright red. "It's Huai...it's his painting."

Chu Huaixu had been quietly eating pastries until he heard the others mention his elder brother, at which point he put the pastry he had just picked up back onto the plate.

But my eyes were still fixed on the plate of pastries. The pastries must have been newly made by the chef. I had never tasted them before. The outer glutinous rice skin was soft and chewy. When you took a bite, you could pull out long strands that stuck between your lips and teeth, but I didn’t find them unpleasant.

I don't know what the filling is made of, but it's icy cold, melts in your mouth, and isn't too sweet or greasy.

It suited his taste perfectly. He ate most of the plate without even realizing it.

The pastries were coated with a layer of powder residue, and some inevitably got stuck to my fingertips after eating them, leaving a sticky and uncomfortable feeling. He didn't really hear what the others were saying; he just silently rubbed his fingers together.

Over the years, he had frequented the Drunken Spring Pavilion and seen countless customers. When those people got drunk, they lost all sense of propriety and dared to say anything.

Those scholars who were frustrated in their careers especially loved to discuss matters concerning the imperial family. A couple of years ago, the rebellion that occurred back then was often on people's lips.

They imagined how Prince Duan planned to commit treason, how Chu Huaiqing colluded with the Turks, fell into their trap, and ultimately met his own demise...

Regardless of the various theories, there always comes a conclusion that says the Duan Prince's family deserved their fate, and that the Duan Prince and his son were sinners against the Dayan Dynasty...

At first, Chu Huaixu was always affected. He was not a deep person and was used to wearing his emotions on his sleeve. How could he hold back after hearing those words?

After learning from his mistakes, he became more cunning. He even managed to chime in with a few words after listening to people cursing the Chu family father and son for being disloyal, unjust, and deserving of death.

But he silently memorized every face, then turned and ordered Zhou Tong to pull out the tongues of the people.

Song Ting seemed to have noticed Chu Huaixu's little action, and took out a brocade handkerchief to wipe his hands.

He wiped very carefully, one finger at a time, from the fingertip to the base of the finger, and then to the palm, using just the right amount of force, as if he were handling some precious treasure.

This made Chu Huaixu feel inexplicably awkward. He struggled, but couldn't break free.

Song Ting lowered her eyes and said, "Don't move."

His tone was gentle, but his posture left no room for refusal. Dong Maolin took in the other party's attitude, narrowed his eyes, and quickly met Chu Huaixu's gaze before they both looked away.

"Life is truly unpredictable. Back then, what a reputation that young master had! Which of the people of Dayan did not respect him, and how many people admired him?"

"But what happened? On the day of the accident, the body was left in a mass grave, and no one dared to collect it..." He sighed regretfully as he said this.

If Chu Huaixu could remain unmoved by his previous words, Dong Maolin's words exposed the facade he had been trying so hard to conceal.

Those emotions that had been suppressed in his heart for years surged violently, like a river bursting its banks, and were unstoppable.

His father and brothers were such heroes, devoting themselves to the Dayan cause, yet after their deaths they not only failed to receive the honors and respect they deserved, but were not even worthy of a coffin.

How could Chu Huaixu accept this? How could he not hate it?

He sat there blankly, his face seemingly expressionless, but his heart was in turmoil.

For a moment, Chu Huaixu felt like a venomous snake thrown into the icy snow, aiming at its prey and wanting to pierce its skin with its venomous fangs, wanting to perish together with it.

But the remaining rationality told me not to act impulsively, so I had to carefully hide that bit of malice.

"Lord Dong." Song Ting had already cracked open half a plate of melon seeds, and the plump kernels were piled up on the other side of the porcelain plate, forming a heap.

He pushed the plate to Chu Huaixu's side, looked up at Dong Maolin, and said, "You're probably a little drunk today."

Dong Maolin's expression changed slightly.

He hadn't touched a drop of alcohol, so how could he be drunk? This was clearly Song Ting warning him not to say anything he shouldn't.

Having spent over thirty years in the imperial court, Dong Maolin was well aware of the implied meaning and immediately fell silent.

"Lord Gu, this is just a fake," Song Ting reminded Gu Yi again.

Gu Yi's chest heaved violently. He closed his eyes tightly, carefully put the scroll away, and couldn't bear to look at it anymore.

"I know." He lowered his eyes and smiled, his eyes filled with nostalgia and regret. "Although the imitation is very similar, I can still recognize it. I have been very rude today and have made a fool of myself in front of you all."

Song Ting nodded and said it was alright. It was the old fox Dong Maolin who readily offered a few words of comfort to Gu Yi.