Among the brothers in the past, the second oldest, Ding Youliang, always took good care of Ding Youtian. Whenever Ding Youtian had unfinished work in the fields after everyone else had gone home, the second oldest, Ding Youliang, would silently pick up a hoe and help him finish the work, and then go home with him in the twilight.
Ding Youtian always kept this affection in his heart.
He thought it would be better to open another winery in Danyang and let the second brother and Fang run it. However, as soon as this idea flashed through his mind, he rejected it.
That's all! The winery in Dingxian Village has been handed over to the clan, and Fang is also working in the winery. Under the leadership of the village head and the clan leader, the villagers' lives will get better and better, and there will be no trouble. If their family comes and starts to make a name for themselves, his parents will definitely come from afar, so it's better to give up this idea as soon as possible.
After dinner, when Ding Youtian and the others came over, Jian Ning asked Tong Bajin and Erlangzi to move the dining table to the yard. She brewed a pot of tea and set up a chessboard for them.
Zhuo Qingmu and Duan Xinping both knew how to play Liubo, and so did Tong Bajin and Erlangzi. They and Huo Jincheng took turns challenging Ding Youtian, and bursts of joyful laughter broke out in the yard from time to time.
Late at night, Zhuo Qingmu and the others washed up and went back to their rooms to rest. Ding Youtian and Huo Jincheng were still in high spirits and neither of them felt sleepy for the time being. Ding Youtian asked Jian Ning to cook some side dishes as he wanted to have a few more drinks with Huo Jincheng.
Back in the days in the capital, they often drank wine together at night and talked about history. Jian Ning finished cooking and said to them with a stern face, "I have to make it clear in advance that you two can drink and chat, but don't do it like before, banging the table and arguing until your faces are red and your necks are thick. If you disturb our rest, don't blame me for not speaking to you in advance."
"No, no." Ding Youtian said with a smile, "Jincheng is a guest from afar. I will definitely give in to him and won't argue with him. Madam, just go and rest without worry."
"Who's giving in?" Huo Jincheng found his words irritating. "When haven't you ever argued with me and I gave in?"
Jian Ning sneered: "You two are the same, eldest brother, don't talk about second brother, you are the same kind of people."
After she left, Huo Jincheng raised an eyebrow and looked at Ding Youtian, "What does that woman mean? Is she treating us like commodities?"
"That's your sister-in-law, my wife! Watch your words, or don't blame me for being angry." Ding Youtian grabbed the chopsticks and tapped them on the table, glaring at him.
"I know she's your wife, so stop talking about her all day long." Huo Jincheng also picked up the chopsticks and paused, his clacking louder than his own.
If it weren't for him, what would be the point of having Ding and Tian today?
He glared at Ding Youtian unhappily, but in a moment, the two of them started talking about the development of Danyang. As they were talking, someone mentioned Blind Liu first, and the topic turned to Pei Xiyuan, the seventh prince of Yue Kingdom.
The Yue Kingdom has a history of more than a thousand years since it annexed other barbarian tribes and developed to the present day. The country's name and the internal political power of the royal family have undergone several changes, and the Central Plains has also experienced several changes of dynasties.
But no matter how the regime changes, there will always be contradictions and inseparability between the two powerful countries in this time and space.
For thousands of years, the two countries have been fighting each other on and off, while trading and marrying each other and sending spies to each other. No matter what the other side does, the other side will pay great attention to it, especially the change of imperial power.
"That Pei Xiyuan grew up in a military camp. He's a ruthless, cold-hearted individual. He's also quite knowledgeable in military tactics, and he's surrounded by a group of fierce generals." Huo Jincheng looked at Ding Youtian with a stern gaze. "His mother was originally a princess of the Qing Kingdom. I'm afraid some of the former Qing generals will lead their descendants to join him. Just wait and see. In less than ten years, when he's strong and powerful, he'll definitely launch an attack!"
Ding Youtian raised his eyebrows, "Are you blaming my master for not helping him?"
"Not at all!" Huo Jincheng put down his wine glass, picked up the wine jar, and filled his own. He then stood up and filled the empty glass in front of Ding Youtian. He put down the wine jar and said, "No matter who inherits the throne of the Yue Kingdom, it is only a matter of time before they launch an invasion. Even if the eldest prince ascends the throne and becomes the Yue Emperor, he will definitely be appointed as the vanguard officer in the future."
"That's it. Even if it wasn't the eldest prince and the seventh prince who like to advocate war, if it was replaced by other princes who love to enjoy comfort, at most the war would be postponed for a few decades." Ding Youtian thought to himself that instead of postponing the war to Dabao's generation, it would be better to resolve it in their generation.
He twirled the wine glass in his hand, pondered for a moment, and drank the wine in one gulp. Then he picked up a piece of dried rabbit meat with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth. While chewing leisurely, he asked casually, "Is the emperor in good health now?"
Emperor Yongping has been taking the elixirs made by Feng Qingzi over the years. Although Jian Ning doesn't know the ingredients of those elixirs, she told Ding Youtian that throughout history, all the elixirs that sorcerers made to help others win favor or to gain favor themselves and present to the emperor mostly contain drugs that activate the human immune system. Long-term use will produce a strong dependence, and once the drugs are stopped, the body will easily collapse.
He only dared to ask this in front of Huo Jincheng. If someone else asked the emperor about his health for no reason, they might be considered to have evil intentions and to curse the king!
Huo Jincheng naturally didn't think of him that way, and he knew there must be something behind his question. He looked at him, and even though there was no one around, he lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, you are in good health. There is nothing serious."
There is no need to say anything explicitly, just give the point.
Ding Youtian understood what he was saying. These were the elixirs and food supplies he had refined earlier. He curled his lips and changed the subject, "Our Crown Prince is no ordinary man either. What do you think if we defeat them once and for all, and instead of forcing them to submit, we accept them as subjects of the Great Yan Dynasty, and merge our two countries into one, eliminating future troubles forever?"
Huo Jincheng's face turned stern when he heard this, because what he said was too big, so big that it was beyond his expectations. How could it be easy for two big countries to deal with each other?
For a moment he didn't know how to respond to him, so he looked at him intently and saw that he was calm and composed, and his whole body seemed to be emitting a dazzling glow. He secretly admired him. After all, he was the disciple of Nan Xiang. For the first time in his life, he was somewhat impressed by his momentum and courage.
On the second day, Huo Jincheng slept until 1:15 PM before getting up. After getting up, he stretched his muscles in the yard and saw through the window that wool was piled up in two rooms. Ding Youtian planned to distribute the wool after they left.
"Where did you get those high-quality wools?" He walked to the front yard yamen and asked Ding Youtian.
Ding Youtian smiled slightly and said, "Don't ask. If you ask, it must be a gift from an immortal."
He was about to ask Jian Ning again when Ding Youtian stopped him and said, "My wife prepared some for you this morning. It's quite substantial, enough for your family to sew winter clothes, including for Bao'er and my eldest sister. Of course, there's also some for my eldest daughter, Man'er."
"Have some shame. What does my daughter have to do with you?" Huo Jincheng turned around, took a few steps, and then turned back to ask him, "Aren't you and Captain Ma's family relatives? Why don't you bring some for them as well?"
"Brother Ma runs an escort agency, are you worried that he can't get these?"
Because there was so much wool, Jian Ning stuffed it tightly in a sack and put it in the armory. Ma Fuquan had already received it. Jian Ning could also receive the wine brewed by Tian when he moved it into the armory. There was no need for Huo Jincheng to bring it back for their family.
After lunch, Huo Jincheng said goodbye to Duan Xinping and his wife with the cavalry. Before leaving, he bowed to Xu Dali, feeling a little regretful because Lei Jiang had disappeared since Xu Dali left.
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