50. National Master Dad 1
Autumn is deep, and the ground is covered with withered yellow leaves.
Inside the Anrong Kingdom Palace, a rustling sound came from a dog hole under the back wall of a shabby little courtyard. A small head with messy yellowish hair poked out. It turned out to be a child about five years old.
Xiao Ye was a thin little creature, dressed in a dirty, old dress. His gray face lacked the fat a child should have. After Xiao Ye stood up, he quickly looked down at his tiny shoes. Sure enough, they had snagged a little, leaving tiny hairs on the upper. A look of heartache filled Xiao Ye's face. These were the last pair of shoes his wet nurse had made for him. If they broke, they were gone. Since her wet nurse had passed away two months earlier, there would be no one left to accompany him, care for him, or make shoes and clothes for him.
Thinking of this, Xiao Ye pursed his lips and wanted to cry, but he finally held it back after sniffing. He looked around warily, and when he saw no one noticed him, he ran towards the back of the yard with his short legs.
Soon he arrived at a small bamboo forest. Seeing a bamboo shoot poking out of the ground, the child's eyes lit up. He took a pointed stone from behind a nearby pile of rocks, walked over, squatted down, and expertly dug into the soil. Soon, he had dug out the bamboo shoot.
After returning the stone to its original spot, Xiaoye ran back the same way he had come, holding the bamboo shoots. As he passed a side room, he subconsciously lowered his footsteps, fearing he might startle the people inside.
"My child!" A crazy voice sounded from behind. Xiao Ye was so scared that he ran away.
The sound of footsteps chasing from behind made Xiao Ye extremely panicked. He finally reached the dog hole he had just been in. He struggled to get through and escaped. The crazy woman lay at the entrance of the hole and screamed at him, "My child, give my child back to me!"
Xiaoye didn't dare to stay for a moment and ran back to his residence holding the bamboo shoots.
This was a dilapidated courtyard. Xiao Ye stood by the well, lowered the wooden bucket into the well, and began to draw water. He stood on tiptoe and panted as he lifted the bucket down from the well wall. He staggered in the middle and almost fell into the well.
After finally bringing up the water, Xiaoye first washed his thin, dark hands, then picked up a knife and began to peel the bamboo shoots.
In the empty little kitchen, Xiao Ye sat on a small stool, staring at the steaming pot. After the fire in the stove was burned out, he took the bamboo shoots out of the pot and put them in cold water to cool, then he couldn't wait to pick them up and eat them.
He hadn't eaten for a whole day, and the eunuch didn't bring him any food today.
He was already used to it, the young eunuch often did this, and sometimes he would get hungry and find food for himself.
After eating a few bites of bamboo shoots, Xiaoye felt that his stomach was not so uncomfortable, and he slowed down his eating.
Looking at the half-eaten bamboo shoot in his hand, Xiao Ye thought of his nanny again. Three months ago, she had said she was ill and beyond treatment, and told him to live a good life. She had taught him how to find food and cook it, and told him not to go digging for bamboo shoots over there because the crazy woman next door was dangerous. But he was so hungry today; he had eaten all the vegetables in the field, and the rambutan leaves were not enough to fill him up.
Thinking of this, Xiao Ye put the bamboo shoots in water to soak and save them for tomorrow. If the eunuch didn't bring him food tomorrow, he would eat this.
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Council Hall.
A man in his forties, with a dignified appearance, said with a serious face, "The Manqiu Kingdom is willing to negotiate and send Princess Danxiu to us for marriage... What do you think, Imperial Master?"
The states of Anrong and Manqiu were fighting over the ownership of the Heisha River, and neither side was willing to give in because the river was the main source of drinking water for the three cities.
The fact that Manqiu was offering peace talks during the war was also quite unexpected. Manqiu had been the first to instigate the conflict, and before the fighting had even begun, they had already sent someone to ask for peace.
This person was none other than An Zhenghong, the Emperor of Anrong. An Zhenghong was looking at the young man seated below him, who had remained unwavering from the moment he entered the palace. He thought to himself, "After all these years, the Imperial Preceptor is still this stubborn. If it weren't for my broad-mindedness, magnanimity, love for the people, erudition, vast knowledge, strategic prowess, immense talent, and unparalleled skill in both civil and military matters, I would have already gifted him with a plethora of wives and concubines, and annoyed him to death."
Cheng Jiu raised his eyes nonchalantly, glanced at the emperor who had invited him to nag for such a small matter, and said lightly: "Your Majesty should ask the minister of Shangfansi."
An Zhenghong said very seriously: "Because this matter concerns the National Master, I think it would be safer to discuss it with the National Master first." That's right, ask me what's going on, this is related to you, the National Master.
Cheng Jiu: "What's the relationship?" He still looked indifferent.
An Zhenghong didn't directly answer Cheng Jiu's question. He said, "This Princess Danxiu is the only daughter of the King of Manqiu Kingdom and the most beautiful woman in Manqiu Kingdom. I heard that when she was born, all the flowers in the capital of Manqiu Kingdom bloomed. They said she was the reincarnation of the goddess of Manqiu Kingdom. The countries of Ludao and Xiangchen also expressed their intention to marry into Manqiu Kingdom."
At this point, An Zhenghong glanced at
I looked at Cheng Jiu and saw that he was sitting there quietly, not a single hair of his head moving.
"Although it was Manqiu who proposed peace talks, strictly speaking, both sides are still in a 50-50 situation. Therefore, the conditions for peace talks proposed by Manqiu are, ahem, Princess Danxiu specifically asked to marry the Imperial Preceptor." Hahahaha... I'm dying of laughter. How many times has this happened? This time, it's not limited to girls from their own country, but has extended to princesses from other countries.
This time, Cheng Jiu didn't even raise his eyelids, as if the person An Zhenghong was talking about was not him.
An Zhenghong, who was ignored by the Imperial Master for the thousandth time, coughed angrily to cover up his embarrassment and said seriously, "What do you think, Imperial Master?" Although he knew it was a waste of time to ask, An Zhenghong felt that he should not back down just because the Imperial Master didn't even look at him.
Of course, Cheng Jiu could not answer the question about marriage. He just said lightly: "The Heisha River dries up for at least six months every year. The three cities of Heisha are almost in a food crisis every year. Your Majesty should think about the people in the three cities." The water source is already scarce, and you let half of it go out. Do you want to starve the people in those three cities to death?
An Zhenghong touched his nose and said, "I have consulted the Imperial Master. Does he have any good ideas?" Okay, I won't be disgusted with him anymore.
Cheng Jiu: "The Loutai City opposite the Heisha River has always been the territory of the Manqiu Kingdom. The terrain is unique and easy to defend but difficult to attack. If we take it, we can eliminate future troubles." It is because of this city that the three Heisha cities are often harassed by the Manqiu Kingdom, which is also a headache for An Zhenghong.
Don’t I know? Huh?! I can’t get it now?
An Zhenghong was very angry: "Loutai City is in a dangerous position, and the defenses of the Yao and Han Pass are very strong. Manqiu State is also located on a high and dangerous place, so it is indeed difficult to capture."
Cheng Jiu: "...This year, the northern part of Liang will experience a period of extreme ice and snow that will last for several months. Let General Yu prepare well and we will surely be able to capture Loutai City in one fell swoop."
An Zhenghong's eyes lit up and he said, "Really?" If that was the case, if they were fully prepared, they might be able to capture Loutai City without losing a single soldier.
Cheng Jiu nodded.
An Zhenghong was in a good mood and picked up a pen to write a secret letter to General Yu to tell him about this matter.
Cheng Jiu stood up and said, "If Your Majesty has nothing else to do, I will withdraw. ... By the way, I have caught a cold and it is not suitable for me to participate in celebrations in the near future. I am afraid I will not be able to attend Your Majesty's birthday. I hope Your Majesty can understand." After saying that, he turned and left.
An Zhenghong was stunned: "Huh? Huh? Guo, Guoshi?"
The national teacher left him with an unparalleled graceful back view.
No, wait a minute! Imperial Master, this year is my birthday and you can’t miss it.
Add it, otherwise where will I put my face?
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The guards Xue Chong and Xue Xin following behind Cheng Jiu followed carefully.
The Imperial Preceptor's residence, Wanli Wuyun, was located at the easternmost edge of the Imperial Palace, some distance from the Council Hall. Cheng Jiu, unlike usual, took the carriage back through the exclusive passage, but instead took the direction of the Summer Corridor. Xue Zhong and Xue Xin were startled by this. Was the Imperial Preceptor planning to burn incense for the old Imperial Preceptor?
The old national master is the national master's master, and the national master always goes to burn incense to the old national master several times a year.
The tablet of the old imperial preceptor is placed in the Lianhua Palace in the harem. It is said that this is the old imperial preceptor's last words before his death. Lianhua Palace is the palace where the old imperial preceptor's biological mother, Concubine Yu, lived and where the old imperial preceptor lived as a child.
Every time he went to see the old imperial teacher, Imperial Teacher Cheng Jiu would walk through the summer corridor, because it was only separated from the cold palace by a wall, and it was almost impossible to run into concubines in the harem by walking through here.
The Anrong Kingdom Palace was built along the Fushou River. Legend has it that when the Emperor Longming, who built the palace, was deciding on a site, he had a dream in which he saw the Fushou River transform into a dragon, soaring into the heavens. Therefore, the palace was built along the Fushou River, symbolizing soaring into the sky. Fortunately, the Fushou River is a small stream with almost no flooding season, otherwise the palace would have to bathe once a year.
As the name suggests, the Summer Corridor winds around a series of artificial summer lakes, making it suitable for summer vacation.
There is a clear lake by the roadside, and the calm surface of the lake reflects several lush green willow trees by the lake.
A gentle breeze blew past, and the lake, which had just been as still as a mirror, suddenly began to ripple. The rosy clouds from the horizon were cast onto the lake, gleaming with tiny flashes of red light, making the surface look like it was covered with red agate. The wind passed without a trace, and the lake was merciless. After the breeze passed, the lake returned to its calm state. The lotus leaves on the lake were as green as emerald, adding a touch of elegance to the lake.
Cheng Jiu, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped and looked at a child in front of him who was trying to hook the lotus pods in the lake with a big bamboo pole.
Cheng Jiu walked over slowly and said calmly, "What are you doing?"
Xiao Ye was startled by the sudden sound and fell headfirst into the lake. Cheng Jiu quickly grabbed his collar and lifted him up.
Cheng Jiu was stunned. It was so light.
Xiao Ye stared blankly at the person standing so close to him. This bad guy who scared him was really good-looking. Cheng Jiu put the child on the ground and asked him to stand still.
Cheng Jiu lowered his head to look at the short and fat little guy lying on the ground. The little guy was also looking at him. The two pairs of similar eyes looked at each other. The scene was very strange.
Cheng Jiu paused, looked at him quietly, and said, "Take him back to Wanli Wuyun."
Xue Zhong: “Yes.”
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