What does this mean?

The old man in front of him was inconspicuous in the crowd, but Yu Chihai did not dare to underestimate him.

This old man served three emperors. In terms of talent or political affairs, he had no outstanding qualities. However, while many high-ranking officials rose and fell, only he remained standing. His official position became higher and higher, and he gained more and more trust.

This is his greatest skill.

Yu Chihai bowed solemnly.

"I am stupid, please give me some advice, Mr. Huang," he said.

Huang Cheng slowly turned the teacup in his hands.

"Sir Yu, you were originally a runaway from Yan. When you were young, you read books of sages and even passed the examination for the title of scholar. You said that you failed because of the harsh rules set by the supervisor, so you became angry and defected to the Jin people, found relatives as your godparents, changed your name, and became a Jin person," he said.

Although his origins were exposed, which was not glorious at all, Yu Chihai did not feel the slightest bit of shame.

"That's right," he said.

"Have you ever heard a sage's words?" Huang Cheng continued.

"Although I have read several books, I dare not show off my knowledge in front of Lord Huang." Yu Chihai replied respectfully.

Huang Cheng smiled, put down the teacup and leaned forward. The shadow he cast covered the area like a mountain, and Yu Chihai's vision became dim.

"The saints said, don't accept the fragrant ones, but accept the smelly ones," he said.

Yu Chihai was stunned.

What did the saint say?

Huang Cheng had already sat up straight with a smile, and Yu Chihai's vision became clear again.

"You are now actively seeking peace, this is all thanks to Duke Cheng." Huang Cheng said as he poured tea, "Duke Cheng likes to beat the downed dog. You begging for mercy now, doesn't it prove that he is very powerful."

Yu Chihai smiled bitterly.

"He's really good," he said.

Huang Cheng picked up the teacup.

"In that case, there is not only Duke Cheng in the North, but there is only Duke Cheng in the entire Great Zhou," he said.

Yu Chihai understood something and his eyes flickered.

"Then what Lord Huang means is..." he leaned forward and asked.

Huang Cheng turned the teacup.

"So what I mean is that it depends on your sincerity." He said, "Shixian County."

He reached out and knocked on the gift list beside him.

"Gold and silver. These are good, but they are only material possessions. On the other hand, it is very simple to use these material possessions to show your sincerity, and there is nothing to lose."

No loss?

Yu Chihai looked at him.

"Do you dare to fight hard and use the flesh and blood of your Jin soldiers to express your sincerity?" Huang Cheng asked with a smile.

What?

Yu Chihai was stunned.

"Sir, what are you doing..." he asked blurtly, and as soon as the words came out of his mouth, he saw the old Huang Cheng's cloudy eyes turned cold.

Yu Chihai boasted that he had seen the cold eyes of life and death, but when he saw this look at this moment, it was as if a basin of freezing cold water was poured over his head, and he felt cold all over.

"...really?" He said the rest in a hazy voice.

Huang Cheng lowered his eyes. He blew on the teacup and took a sip of tea.

"I am awake in the middle of the night. Am I here just to tell you a joke?" he said.

…

Even when he stood outside the door and looked at the inky black night, Yu Chihai still felt a little chilly.

"Oh, there's one more thing." He stood there for a moment, then suddenly thought of something and turned to the servant who had sent him out and said, "When I came here, I saw Lord Lu from the Imperial Guard on the street."

The servants' expressions could not be seen in the darkness.

"Lord Lu?" he said, his voice very calm. "Don't worry, Lord Lu won't see you."

It seems that Huang Cheng has also greeted this famous Captain Lu.

Although he knew that the other party couldn't see his expression, Yu Chihai still saluted with great respect.

"Thank you, Mr. Lao." he said.

The servant snorted and turned to go in.

Yu Chihai adjusted himself to the darkness before walking outside. When he reached the entrance of the alley, the lights from the street shone on him, allowing him to see the road clearly and also allowing people to see his expression clearly.

There wasn't a trace of humility or flattery on his face, and his body was straight, without the humbleness he had before.

"Reading the books of saints." He said to himself with a hint of sarcasm, "It's also reading the books of saints."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sarcasm disappeared and his expression became gentle again. He walked slowly along the street and soon arrived at the night market. Looking at the streets that were still bustling in the middle of the night in late autumn, one could imagine the grand scene in the daytime.

Yu Chihai stood on the street with envy in his eyes.

People walked past him chatting and laughing, not caring about him at all, at most giving him an understanding smile.

This is the expression on the face of outsiders when they first come to Beijing and see the night market.

This beautiful land is as prosperous as a paradise on earth. Yu Chihai could no longer hide his greed as he followed people walking slowly on the night market street.

…

"How could he meet Lu Yunqi?"

On the other side, Huang Cheng asked his servant.

"I went to ask, and Captain Lu just left the city." The servant replied with his head down.

Huang Cheng frowned.

"What is he doing out of town at this hour of night?" he said. "Don't you know how many people want to eat his flesh and drink his blood?"

At this time, in front of a cemetery in Lujiazhuang outside the city, torches were lit, illuminating the cemetery as if it were daytime, but Lu Yunqi was the only one standing alone in the cemetery.

He looked at the tombstone in front of him and slowly reached out to touch it. He didn't say anything and didn't make any other movements. He just stroked the two words "Jiu Ling" over and over again.

It hurts so much.

It hurts so much.

…

At this time of night, there are many people who have not yet slept. On the streets of Yangcheng, where there is no prosperous night market, a group of people are galloping past. The young man in the lead is shining brightly under the light of the torches, because of a night pearl adorned on his jade crown.

The young man took the lead and galloped along the street. The Fang family's house soon appeared in front of them. Before they got close, the door had been pushed open.

Fang Chengyu rushed in without stopping.

"What are you doing so late at night? It's so dangerous."

Mrs. Fang shouted angrily.

Fang Yunxiu and Fang Yuxiu were also in the hall.

"If my grandmother knew about this, she wouldn't be able to sleep all night," Fang Yunxiu also said.

Fang Chengyu smiled and bowed to them to apologize, then raised the letter in his hand.

"I'm going to get Jiuling's letter." He said with a smile, "I really can't wait until tomorrow."

I knew that this child would just ignore everything when it came to matters related to Jiuling. Mrs. Fang sighed with a helpless look on her face.

"You don't know, something happened to Jiuling." Fang Chengyu shook the opened letter and said solemnly.

Fang Yunxiu was startled.

"What's wrong?" she asked hurriedly.

"She was kidnapped by bandits." Fang Chengyu said.

Fang Yunxiu covered her mouth with her hands, while Mrs. Fang and Fang Yuxiu looked indifferent.

Fang Yuxiu even yawned.

"Okay, okay, everyone's back and everything is fine, let's go." She said, holding Fang Yunxiu's arm.

Disbanded? At this time?

"But Zhenzhen..." Fang Yunxiu said puzzledly.

"Zhenzhen is definitely fine." Fang Yuxiu said, "Sister, instead of worrying about her, you might as well worry about the bandits."

Fang Yunxiu burst out laughing.