Entering the Ramadan month, the New Year is approaching, but the atmosphere in the capital is not as good as before.

A gust of cold wind blew, and a few snowflakes fell. The pedestrians on the street immediately quickened their pace.

Ning Yunzhao put on his hood and stretched out his hand to gently block the passerby who was walking quickly with his head down and about to bump into him.

Behind him, Ning Yan's face was hidden in his hood, obscuring his expression.

They did not go home, but entered a teahouse with thick straw curtains on all sides. A large pot of tea was boiling on the stove, filling the simple teahouse with steam.

There were not many customers. When the owner of the teahouse saw Ning Yunzhao coming, he hurriedly cleaned up the area facing the river.

"Lord Xiaoning, still the old rules?" he asked in a low voice.

In the past, people who came here were all addressed as Young Master Ning. The title of Young Master Ning has only been used for a few months, but neither the person addressing the person nor the person being addressed feels uncomfortable with it.

Ning Yunzhao nodded with a smile.

After hot tea and a basket of steamed dumplings were brought over, the boss stepped away and continued to boil the tea while looking around vigilantly.

"Uncle, have a drink of hot water." Ning Yunzhao handed the tea to Ning Yan.

Ning Yan took off his hat, revealing a somewhat haggard face. He took the drink and took a sip, and his stiff face relaxed a little.

"No bad news is good news," he said. "The northern defense line is stable, and Your Majesty can have a peaceful year."

Ning Yunzhao put a steamed dumpling into his mouth and chewed it slowly.

"That's not necessarily true," he said. "Good news and bad news are all decided by people."

Ning Yan glanced at him.

"I know what you mean. People can confuse right and wrong with just one breath, but the world is clear in the daytime. Victory or defeat, traitor or loyalty. In addition to listening and speaking, there are also eyes to see." He said, "Kaide Mansion closed After regaining stability, the Jin soldiers were unable to break through the city again. We won several battles. Huang Cheng and others had to think carefully even if they spoke. "

When talking about Kaide Prefecture, Ning Yunzhao smiled.

"Uncle, who do you think did it?" he asked in a low voice.

Ning Yan glared at him.

"Don't say what you should say, and don't say what you shouldn't say," he said.

Ning Yunzhao smiled, picked up the tea and stopped talking.

Nowadays, there are constant disputes in the court because of the war, but Ning Yunzhao, as the nephew of Ning Yan, has never said a word. He has not even sought lobbying from other officials in private. He only attends court during grand court meetings, and at other times he honestly copies documents and organizes files in his office.

Fathers and sons go to the battlefield to fight tigers, and brothers are like brothers. Many officials privately ridiculed Ning Yunzhao's behavior. Ning Yunzhao did not want to leave the capital.

He was smart. If a new number one scholar dared to jump around, he would be sent out of the capital first to learn his lesson. The officials on Huang Cheng's side spoke out without reservation.

Ning Yan didn't mind what Ning Yunzhao did. If Ning Yunzhao really wanted to help, he would try to dissuade him.

After all, he had just entered officialdom and knew nothing, but if he joined in the debate, he would not only fail to convince the public but would also be easily accused of being frivolous.

However, Ning Yunzhao never expressed this meaning from beginning to end, and Ning Yan was a little puzzled. He thought Ning Yunzhao would at least ask.

Of course, I don’t think that my nephew is cold-hearted. He has had his own ideas since he was young, but I just don’t know what he thinks.

"I didn't think about anything." Ning Yunzhao said, "It's just that we don't agree on anything."

Ning Yan's brows furrowed.

If we don't agree, whose opportunity is it? The emperor's?

"Ridiculous." He shouted in a low voice, "Is this what a minister should say? Forget about being a minister. What is the purpose of reading the books of sages? Is it to understand the truth and distinguish right from wrong and enlighten the people? If the words don't agree, shouldn't we just say what we should say?"

Ning Yunzhao hurriedly replied yes.

"So I am not as good as my uncle," he added.

He had admitted it so confidently, what else could he say? Ning Yan glared at him, stuffed a steamed dumpling into his mouth, and chewed it twice when an attendant hurriedly lifted the curtain and came in. He didn't even bother to greet Ning Yunzhao and whispered a few words in Ning Yan's ear.

Ning Yan looked surprised.

"Really?" he asked.

The follower nodded.

Ning Yan put down his bowl and chopsticks and stood up.

"I'm going to the government office." He said, and after a moment's hesitation, he didn't tell Ning Yunzhao what it was about. "Tell your aunt that I won't be going back tonight."

Ning Yunzhao stood up and said yes, without asking what it was. He watched Ning Yan leave in a hurry.

As night fell, the snow fell heavier, and the snow fluttered around the two dim lanterns in the teahouse.

"Seeing the joy in uncle's eyes, it must be good news." Xiao Ding said in a low voice.

Ning Yunzhao sat down and looked at the snowflakes dancing on the river and smiled.

"There can't be any good news," he whispered.

…

“Good news.”

The shopkeeper of Qingyuan Deshengchang, who was wearing a thick hat and covering his ears, looked at Miss Jun and her group who walked in and shouted happily.

Miss Jun dismounted from the horse wrapped in a thick shawl and said "oh" as she did so.

"What good news?" she asked.

The shopkeeper was about to speak when his eyes fell behind Miss Jun and he was stunned.

In addition to the dozen or so men in the past, there was a girl behind Miss Jun.

The girl was wrapped in a shawl that covered even her face. She seemed very fragile and she clutched Miss Jun's sleeve tightly.

Are these also the mountain people from Zhangqing Mountain?

Let her sit in the next room like the men, or...

Miss Jun had already pulled the girl into the house, taking off her shawl.

"Hanqing, would you like some tea?" she asked.

The shopkeeper understood and couldn't help but look at the girl again in surprise. The girl was very sensitive and also looked at him, and seemed to be a little afraid and hid behind Miss Jun.

Miss Jun patted her.

Girls in the country are all shy, so the shopkeeper immediately stopped looking at her and told the waiter to serve tea as if nothing had happened.

"The good news is that the Jin people want to negotiate with us," he said, not minding the presence of a strange girl in the room.

Since Miss Jun brought this girl in, it means there is no need to keep it a secret from her.

Peace talks?

"Really?" Miss Jun asked.

The shopkeeper nodded with a smile on his face.

"It's absolutely true, the latest news from the north." He said, stretching out his hand to twist his beard with a bit of pride, "I have already said that I can't get any favors from Duke Cheng. In the end, I didn't surrender in despair, so why bother? Woolen cloth."

If it's really about seeking peace and admitting defeat, that's not bad.

Miss Jun was silent for a moment.

"Then everyone can have a good New Year," she said.

"Yes, yes." The shopkeeper said, looking at the accumulated snow outside, "Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest. Let it settle down early so as not to delay spring ploughing."

It sounds good, but thinking back to the time from the beginning of the war until now, I always feel that this is a bit of a joke.

"This is the power of Duke Cheng." The shopkeeper said, "They can't get any advantage at all, and they can't stand it anymore, so they have to negotiate and surrender."

"We know that Duke Cheng is powerful. How could they not know about this, as they have fought with Duke Cheng many times?" Miss Jun said, "He beat me up as soon as he said he would, and then he said he would not beat me up right away. This is really a bit ridiculous."

"Who knows what they are thinking?" said the shopkeeper.

"I don't think it's that simple." Miss Jun said, "You guys should pay attention to this matter."

The shopkeeper replied yes.

…

After the snow, the ground was covered with white.

"It turns out that Qingyuan Prefecture is so big." Zhao Hanqing said as he rode back from the front.

"Qingyuan Mansion is not that big." Miss Jun said with a smile, "There are bigger places. I will take you to see them when the time comes."

Zhao Hanqing's eyes were crescent-shaped with a smile.

"Hey, where are those bandits you were talking about?" she asked.

Lei Zhonglian, who was walking beside him, smiled.

"Miss Zhao, whether you can encounter bandits depends on your luck." He said, "Bandits are almost extinct in Qingyuan Prefecture."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a scream from the front, accompanied by a scream and the neighing of horses.

"Kill!"

There were also shouts of killing.

Kill! Kill? !

Miss Jun looked at Zhao Hanqing and smiled.

"You're lucky," she said.