Chang'an is good

After a while, he saw a figure of Qian color walking out of the bamboo courtyard leading the female envoy.

The girl had just left the yard, she looked around and soon saw him.

The afternoon sun in autumn is almost transparent golden, and the wind blows from time to time, the ginkgo trees are rustling and swaying, and the light is swaying between the sky and the earth.

The moment her eyes searched for him, a smile appeared on the girl's face, just like the light and color fluttering with the wind in the world at this time, it seemed ordinary and quiet, but it was bright and open.

In an instant, Cui Jing felt a sense of being at a loss like never before in his heart, and his face remained calm, but he subconsciously tightened his grip on the hand that held the white chess behind him.

When he came back to his senses, Chang Suining had come to him, and said clearly: "It turns out that Governor Cui also came here, what a coincidence."

Just now when Cui Lang came back to the banquet, he casually told her that his elder brother was outside, as a friend, she had no reason to avoid seeing her, she would always come out to say hello.

Holding the chess piece, Cui Jing felt inexplicably guilty. To cover up his guilt, he said casually, "I didn't expect you to play chess very well."

"Cui Dadu has just seen it?"

Cui Jing nodded, showing his gaze to the half-open window on the second floor, Chang Suining followed his gaze, and couldn't help but understand.

"What do Governor Cui think?" She asked jokingly, "Not only am I good at chess, but I also have a good demeanor, right?"

While speaking, she sat down at the stone table and raised her hand to signal him to sit with him.

Her movements were very casual, and when Cui Jing came back to her senses, she had already sat down opposite her.

He was not quite right today, but he thought it was probably because...she seemed to have more and more secrets.

As usual, he reminded himself not to spy too much, and just followed her question just now, and continued: "The demeanor is also very good, and I can even be called quite tolerant to the other party."

"I have read his articles." Chang Suining said sincerely: "This person has real talents and real learning. I have always respected capable people, and such a person may come out one day, so be careful with what you do. There is room, isn't it good to form a good relationship?"

Song Xianqi's heart is not bad, although his temper is not pleasing, but not everyone in this world is born to be pleasing, it doesn't matter if there are flaws, as long as the flaws are not concealed.

For capable people, within a reasonable range, she is always willing to tolerate one or two.

Of course, it is also true that she likes to form good relationships with people.

Hearing the three words "make a good relationship", Cui Jing looked at the imposing chessboard again, and asked her a question: "At the beginning, I said that I didn't compare calligraphy and painting with it, was it to give the other party some leeway?"

"This..." Chang Suining looked around and saw no one, so he said to him, "It's to save some face for myself."

Cui Jing looked up at her.

"There's one thing I'm not good at." She smiled and said frankly, "My poetry sucks."

"..." Cui Jing was silent for a while, and said: "So, first of all, you said that you don't compete in calligraphy and painting, riding and shooting, and that you only win in Taoism, but in order to make him give up competing in poetry?"

Chang Suining nodded: "Yes."

In this way, she can also appear to be graceful, which really kills two birds with one stone.

Cui Jing: "...Meeting you is indeed his blessing."

Chang Suining said with emotion: "He should be convinced."

The corner of Cui Jing's mouth smiled faintly.

"It's extremely rare for a boy from a poor family like him to come here at such a young age." Chang Suining looked at the golden crow slanting towards the west, and said, "I hope he can get what he wants in the coming spring."

Cui Jing also looked at the setting sun with her: "Yes."

The sage is very determined to clean up the imperial examinations. In the coming spring, Taifu Chu will preside over them. These humble candidates will have the fairest examination room in history.

"Well... it's best to come back with the number one scholar." The girl went on to say, "Although I don't take the imperial examination, the number one scholar is my defeat, and he may be falsely rumored to be my student—it is better than my own examination." The number one scholar should be even more glorious."

Cui Jing looked at her amusedly: "In this way, you can become famous again."

"That's right." Chang Suining also looked at him, and said with a smile, "I can't play this game of chess with him for nothing."

Cui Jing gave a "hmm" and said seriously: "It's just that this statement is definitely not suitable for that Song Juren to hear—"

"Why?"

Cui Jing said solemnly: "If he finds out that you are planning such a plan, the first thing he will do when he goes back is to burn all the books. He would rather not take the imperial examination than make it easier for you."

Chang Suining let out an "ah" and said seriously: "Yes, this seems like something he can do... Then you have to keep it a secret for me."

"It's easy to say." Cui Jing suggested: "How about a game of chess?"

He also wanted to play a game of chess with her.

Chang Sui Ning nodded kindly: "Okay."

"There is no rush at this time." Cui Jing said: "Today is the social banquet for you Wuer Society, and it will not be too late to fulfill the promise when you have free time."

Unlike him who doesn't have a second friend, she is always busy, and there are always many people to take care of, just like the colorful ropes on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival.

"Then welcome anytime."

Chang Sui Ning said that his eyes fell back to the chessboard, and he suddenly said: "Why is there a chess piece missing here?"

Cui Jing frowned, followed her to look over: "...is there any?"

Chang Suining firmly pointed to the place where the last piece was placed: "It's right here, one white piece is missing."

Cui Jing: "..."

Is it really justified to be so sharp?
He tried his best to make his voice sound natural: "A guy came over just now and wanted to remove the chessboard, it should be rare at that time..."

It's not a lie, he just...has said half of what he said.

But, is a pawn a secret worth keeping?

As early as when Cui Lang uttered his voice, he could have put it back calmly. This is a normal reaction, isn't it?

So, what the hell is he doing?
Cui Jing was puzzled, and from the corner of his eye, he glanced at his subordinate who was standing not far away, and couldn't help thinking—he must have been infected with some strange brain disease by Cui Yuanxiang, right?
Sensing the sight of his own chief inspector, Yuan Xiang was a little puzzled.

Behind the Moon Cave Gate leading to the Bamboo Courtyard, the pink-robed boy hiding there said in a low voice, "Did you see, my master and elder brother are sitting and talking!"

Yihu nodded again and again: "I see, I see..."

So, can Mr. Lang take away the hand that forcibly snapped off his head and stretched his eyes?
"You helped me to see it clearly, remember to tell my mother later!" Cui Lang forced Yihu to look at it again and again, "It's all thanks to me!"

"Yes Yes Yes……"

A look of emotion suddenly appeared on Cui Lang's face: "Don't worry about whether it can be done or not, it's true that I have dedicated my life for Auntie, thinking about how much I have suffered for this family these years, how many eyes I have received... Cui Lang, Cui Lang , this family, without you, I'm afraid it will be broken."

After finishing speaking, he turned around and said in a tone of flicking his clothes: "Okay, let's go."

Chang Suining didn't sit with Cui Jing for a long time, and when he got up, he agreed to play chess together some other day.

Cui Jing watched her go back to the bamboo courtyard, then turned and left the music hall, and asked Yuan Xiang to pay more for the tea before leaving.

When getting on the horse, the young man thoughtfully put the chess piece in his arms and placed it properly.

The young man drove away, and his figure quickly disappeared on the long street.

As the sun went down, someone stood quietly for a long time inside the Dengtai Building, looking up at the famous picture of tigers in the mountains——

The famous four characters used to sound ironic to him, but now...

There are people coming and going around from time to time, there are people who come to view the painting, and there are ordinary diners, but these have nothing to do with him. He only has the painting hanging high in the building in his eyes.

He was very calm on the face, but his heart never calmed down for a moment.

The lights in the building began.

On days when there is a curfew, no business can be done at night, and the guys in the building are already preparing to close.

But the young man who had been standing for half a day was still standing alone in the building looking at the painting, but he probably couldn't stand anymore and sat on the ground instead.

When Meng Lie heard about this, he didn't ask the man to chase him away, but confessed: "Leave a lamp for him tonight."

Although it was only half a day, the news about Song Juren's loss has already spread.

"Speaking of which, this girl in General Chang's mansion..." He suddenly narrowed his eyes and said, "It's really a different person from before."

The shopkeeper who was reconciling the account smiled and said: "The boss hasn't seen this lady often before, has he?"

"It's precisely because I didn't see her often in the past..." Meng Lie looked up at the second floor where the painting was hung, and said in thought, "But now I can hear her almost every day."

In this capital city, there are different new things every day. It is not an easy task to be remembered and mentioned frequently.

"That's because you bought that painting for 4000 taels and hung it in our restaurant." The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Whoever sees that painting is not allowed to mention the artist?"

Meng Lie suddenly felt a pain in his heart.

His 4000 taels!
No, it's His Highness's 4000 taels!
If His Highness is still here, he will be heartbroken when he learns of this incident, and he will definitely accuse him of not keeping the family property well!
Meng Lie scolded that old thief Chang Kuo again in his heart.

Not long after, he returned to the backyard and came to his bedroom.

He has no children, and although he has another residence in Beijing, he still rests here most of the time.

There was only one gauze lamp lit in the bedroom. Meng Lie walked behind the bed, unscrewed the mechanism in the hidden compartment on the wall with his hand, and took out a box hidden inside.

The wooden box was opened, and there was only half a token inside.

Meng Lie picked up the half token, it was cold and heavy.

When His Highness left that year, he left this thing to him, and said that if there is an errand to tell him, he will make people meet with the other half of the token in the future.

Just to give him a thought? ——He never likes to think about this possibility.

"Your Highness, more than ten years have passed..."

He sighed, under the dim light, the lines around the corners of his eyes became clearer every year: "If you don't have any more errands to tell me, my subordinates will get old."

In his lifetime, will he really have a chance to meet the other half of the token?

The night wind blew through the window lattice, and there was no sound.

As the crescent moon gradually waxes, the rich fragrance of sweet-scented osmanthus fills the capital, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is here.

What followed was the long-awaited Mid-Autumn Flower Banquet.

In addition to enjoying chrysanthemums and osmanthus, Mid-Autumn Festival is also a good time to appreciate hibiscus.

The place where the flower banquet is held this time is in the Furong Garden in the suburbs of Beijing.

The flower banquet started on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival and was held for three days. Anyone who received the invitation to the flower festival had to bring their girls of the right age to attend the banquet in the Furong Garden.

It was already afternoon when Chang Suining and his father and brother arrived at Furong Garden.

Autumn is crisp, the scenery is pleasant, and the hibiscus is in full bloom. It is really a good place to enjoy the scenery.

But everyone knows that no one who enters this garden comes to enjoy the scenery.

Over the years, the sages would entertain the officials during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Today's dinner is for the officials, and the female relatives are just companions. Tomorrow's flower show is the time for the girls to express themselves.

Therefore, the women's seats dispersed earlier, and they still need to prepare for tomorrow's flower show.

After Chang Suining left the banquet, he left the banquet hall and went down the stone steps. He paused for a moment under his feet, subconsciously looking at the servants guarding the corridor.

"But something?"

Suddenly there was a voice behind him, Chang Suining turned his head and saw Cui Jing walking over.

He was wearing the general's robe of Xuan Ce's mansion, he should have just finished arranging affairs outside, his body seemed to be tainted by the coldness of the night, but the cold air in his eyes when he treated others disappeared at this moment.

"It's nothing." Chang Suining became more and more casual with him, "It's just that I didn't seem to see Yu Changshi today."

She hadn't seen Ah Zeng for a long time, and she hadn't seen him since Yu Xie learned about that incident.

She hadn't deliberately looked for him, he was busy with the affairs of Si Gongtai, and he rarely had the chance to leave the palace.

"Someone needs to stay behind in the palace, and Yu Changshi did not accompany him this time." Cui Jing told her.

Chang Sui Ning understood.

It turned out that he didn't come.

"If you have something to do, you can also ask someone to find me." Cui Jing said.

Chang Suining looked at him, he thought she needed Yu Zeng's help for something.

She smiled: "It's all right now."

At this time, Ming Luo, who was wearing a female officer's official uniform, came out of the hall. Seeing this scene, he paused for a moment before walking over calmly.

Her eyes did not rest on Chang Suining, she only looked at Cui Jing, saluted, and said: "The sage summoned Cui Dadu to discuss matters after the banquet."

Cui Jing nodded and looked at Chang Suining: "I'll go there first."

Chang Suining nodded.

When Ming Luo turned around with Cui Jing, his eyebrows frowned almost imperceptibly.

Just as Chang Sui Ning was about to leave, he saw a group of brightly dressed girls walking out of the banquet hall.

"Sister Chang!"

Yao Xia walked towards her quickly, and held her arm affectionately as usual.

Chang Suining's gaze was attracted by a girl in green clothes surrounded by everyone: "Is that... the lady of the eldest grandson's family?"

Yao Xia nodded, and whispered: "That's right, that's the youngest daughter-in-law of Mr. Zuo Xiang's family, Sun Xuan, the eldest son of Seventh Lady."

Chang Suining nodded.

Sure enough.

This eldest grandson Seventh lady was born very much like her eldest aunt——the former empress of her father's emperor, the eldest grandson empress.

There were two empresses in the eldest grandson's family, and there was more than one son in the family, Princess Shangguo. The eldest grandson's seventh lady's father, Changsun Yuan, is the current prime minister of the left, Wei Shuyi's highest peak—although he is with the Cui family who is not married to the royal family. The style is different, but the Changsun family was born in the Guanlongmen Clan, and they are also a real noble family.

On the matter of opposing the Empress Dowager Ming Dynasty, the position of the Changsun family is highly consistent with that of other gentry families.

Even putting aside this matter, the festival between the eldest grandson's family and the Empress Ming will be longer.

When Sun Yuan's eldest sister, Empress Sun, died of illness, only the Empress Ming replaced her as the lord of the harem.

And the third prince who was beaten up by her for bullying Ah Xiao, was raised under the eldest grandson's empress since he was a child, and he is the object that the eldest grandson's family wants to support——

When she was Li Xiao, she was involved in those open and secret battles about the crown prince's position, and she had also experienced those methods from the Changsun family.

"I've heard people say in private... this eldest grandson seventh lady is the best candidate for the crown princess." Yao Xia whispered.

Chang Suining was noncommittal.

It should be said that Changsun Xuan is the best candidate for the crown princess in the eyes of those noble officials.

But in Empress Ming's eyes, it was just the opposite.

It's just, which girl will the empress plan to push to compete with it?

Goodnight everybody