"Oh," Chen Qingxuan turned over again, with one leg on the wall of the carriage. He reached out to stroke his messy hair. He was not a talkative person usually, but once he got drunk, he could not stop talking. "I... I don't have any hobbies. I just like reading. I have liked it since I was a child. I don't have a father or a mother, so... there is only a large cabinet of books. Once I put down the books, I feel so lonely. In fact, I don't like reading that much. I just don't know what else I can do besides reading. I am just a sour scholar. Kong, Kong Wenmin, you are right! I am a sour scholar who can't carry anything! I... I can't even do the work in the fields as well as grandma. I... I am ashamed, and... I am afraid. Afraid... afraid that if grandma is gone in the future, how will I live? I really, really want to meet someone. Can accompany me, let me not be afraid. Let me feel at ease..."
Kong Wenmin felt even more uncomfortable when he heard him talking so intermittently. He felt that Chen Qingxuan was not talking about him, but about him.
Yeah, I'm really talking about him.
He lost his parents when he was young. Wouldn't he be afraid or sad? But he couldn't. No matter how scared or sad he was, he couldn't show it. He had a younger brother. Without his parents, he was his brother's only support. He was his brother's parents. Over the years, through so many hardships, he went from being a poor farmer to a respected and even feared ruthless man. The hardships he had gone through were countless and inexhaustible.
Most of the time, he was lonely. Facing his younger, clearer and more straightforward brother, he felt relieved and lonely. It was a loneliness that Kong Wenjie could understand and relieve for him. Moreover, he never wanted Kong Wenjie to know about his tiredness and vicissitudes. But didn't he have moments of weakness? Didn't he want to find someone to talk to or rely on?
Of course there is, but... I've never met that person.
…
"We're home," the carriage stopped steadily at the door of Chen Qingxuan's house. Kong Wenmin jumped off the carriage and looked inside. He saw Chen Qingxuan sleeping soundly. Perhaps it was too hot. He was sweating all over his face. The sweat made his face extremely white. His slightly dry mouth was slightly open. There were soft snoring sounds coming from it, and a line of crystal saliva flowed out. Kong Wenmin looked at him like this and couldn't help laughing, "I thought scholars were all well-dressed. I didn't expect that they would be like this after drinking too much."
Kong Wenmin took out a handkerchief and wiped Chen Qingxuan's face, then went to knock on the door, only to find that the door was locked. Kong Wenmin looked at the lock on the door, then looked back at the person sleeping in the carriage. After a pause, he turned around and got on the carriage again, then drove away slowly.
…
The tenth day of the eighth month in the thirty-third year of Jiasheng.
The capital.
Imperial study.
After the morning court session, Zhong Zhiheng kept the left and right prime ministers together. The imperial kitchen prepared breakfast and served it to them. Zhong Zhiheng allowed the two of them to eat together.
"Your Majesty, this time the Prince of Pingxi returned to the capital, within a few days, something big happened in southern Xinjiang. Moreover, the Prince of Pingxi had made preparations early in the morning and sent an army of 100,000 to wait at the southern end of Qinghai. Your Majesty, is there something fishy here?" The Right Prime Minister Zhao Changrong took a sip of the honey bean and lily porridge in the bowl and asked Zhong Zhiheng cautiously.
"What the Right Prime Minister means is that the Prince of Pingxi returned to the capital this time not for the Queen Mother's birthday, but specifically for Xu Chengjin?" Zhong Zhiheng looked at Zhao Changrong, who was eating ginger fish fillets slowly while wiping his mouth with a handkerchief.
"Yes, I do have this worry," Zhao Changrong said carefully, looking at Zhong Zhiheng's face. "After all, the King of Pingxi is not an ordinary minister. He has 300,000 troops in the northwest. If the King of Pingxi mobilizes an army of 100,000 or even hundreds of thousands for his own selfish interests, wouldn't that be disregarding the safety of the border? Your Majesty, please understand."
"What do you mean by personal gain?" Zhong Zhiheng looked at Zhao Changrong and said calmly, "Is Xu Chengjin wronged? Or did the King of Pingxi force him to swallow up the eleven tribes?"
Zhao Changrong's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he hurriedly stood up, knelt on his knees and said, "Yes, Your Majesty is right, it is my humble servant who has not thought it through."
"It's not entirely your fault. This time, the King of Pingxi is really so enthusiastic about the matter of Southern Xinjiang," Zhong Zhiheng said slowly, and looked at the left prime minister, "Left prime minister, what do you think of the King of Pingxi's actions this time?"
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