Duan Chengsun is Cao Peng of the Mu Mansion, and he is in the Mu Mansion with Song Fang, so it is very convenient to come when he is called.

"You go see Ji Wei again."

Duan Chengsun fell to the ground, raised his head when he heard the words, and quietly looked at Song Fang, just when he met Song Fang's cold gaze, he quickly lowered his head again. The floor was so hard that his knees hurt, so he moved his butt awkwardly, adjusted his kneeling position, and replied respectfully, "Yes." ”

"Know what to say to him? What should I say? ”

"The lower officials are stupid, dare to ask for publicity."

"Last night, Huang Rong went to the guest house of Gong Cao."

"Huang Rong went?"

Song Fang didn't answer his words, and said to himself, "After Huang Rong left, the lights in Ji Wei's room were not extinguished until dawn. …… What do you think Huang Rong will say to him? ”

"The following official guesses are nothing more than threats and temptations."

"Relying on the favor of the Middle Palace, Xin Er, a Tian Shenu, has become more and more disagreeable recently! Rampant and domineering, defying the king's law! Although Ji Wei is only a small county magistrate, he is also a famous minister of the country! He dared to send someone to threaten, daring! Song Fang scolded Xin Er a few words, his eyes became more and more ruthless, staring at Duan Chengsun, and said, "You know what to say to Ji Wei, right?" ”

Song Fang's scolding of Xin Er was completely unfounded, but Song Fang's scolding of Xin Er has become the norm in recent months, and from time to time, in front of Duan Chengsun and other henchmen, he will scold him, it is just out of anger, and there is no need for basis.

Duan Chengsun said in his heart: "You are going around, which is equivalent to saying nothing, so how can I 'know' what to say to Zhaowen?" ”

Zhaowen is Ji Wei's character. Duan Chengsun thought so in his heart, it was nothing more than a complaint that he didn't dare to say.

What did Song Fang want him to say to Ji Wei? Needless to say, he knows it.

Duan Chengsun responded: "Yes, Chengsun knows." ”

Out of the hearing hall, Duan Chengsun walked towards his official office.

The two officials who had come to pay tribute to Song Fang met him, hurriedly avoided him, saluted, and made way for him.

Duan Chengsun only felt that the sun was dazzling, raised his sleeves to cover his brows, ignored the two officials, and passed by them with a heavy heart.

and Ji Wei used to be friends in the end, and the two families have in-laws. Now, although because of the difference in career level, there is less movement between the two times, but people are ruthless, how can Duan Chengsun completely forget the time when he was a teenager with a happy feast and a smile, a horse and a stage, and a building full of red sleeves?

Thinking back to the hearing hall, Song Fang's aggressive and vicious eyes, as well as his understatement, "I heard that Ji Wei is fond of mutton, you and him are also friends, go to see him again, don't empty hands, carry a leg of mutton, bring a short dagger, and leave it with him."

At this moment, the sun is shining again in the afternoon of early summer, and Duan Chengsun, who is walking on the stone slab of the solemn pastoral mansion, is like being in the ice cave.

He muttered, "What does Gong Song mean when he asked me to bring a short dagger to Ji Wei?" I didn't dare to guess deeply, and thought in my heart, "Even if Xin Er overturned the case for Ji Wei, proving that he should not be evaluated by the 'palace', it is just a trivial matter." You can blame the person who is specifically responsible for the examination, and at most you will be 'not observed', and you will be fined a few dollars. That's it, that's it! ”

Last time, he asked himself to threaten Ji Wei with Ji Wei's younger brother Ji Chu, and this time he asked himself to bring a dagger.

Although he has long known Song Fang's personality, the objects involved this time are his old friends and in-laws, not to mention that there is such a relationship, he already feels that Ji Wei is pitiful, if this kind of "threatening old friend" thing spreads, how will he behave in the future?

Duan Chengsun was inevitably full of complaints, but he was extremely resistant to Song Fang's orders and was unwilling to follow them.

He thought, "Duke Song didn't say when he wanted me to see Zhaowen. That's it, if you can delay it for a day, I'll go to visit Ji Chu tonight, and then go to see Zhaowen tomorrow! ”

That night, Duan Chengsun went to Ji's house and met Ji Chu.

Ji Chu was young, only seventeen years old, and had been studying behind closed doors before, with little contact with the outside world, and he was not clear about the dilemma his brother was facing. Not only did he not worry about Ji Wei, but Ji Chu was still very happy. After all, it is a notoriety to get the "palace" in the evaluation, which will greatly affect Ji Wei's future career, if you can take off the hat of "palace", it will be a good thing for Ji Wei and the Ji family.

Ji Chu was polite and courteous, and he was very respectful to Duan Chengsun, an elder.

Under the candlelight in the hall, looking at Ji Chu's still somewhat immature face, Duan Chengsun thought of him and Ji Wei in a trance.

When he intersected with Ji Wei, wasn't he at this age? Ji Chu and Ji Wei looked quite similar, and from his face, Duan Chengsun found a few traces of Ji Wei's brilliance back then.

"In the past, Brother Ru and I, as well as Song Xian and Jia Qin, the four of us saw each other almost every day, played hand in hand, and were like brothers.

"I still remember that once, a high-ranking monk came from the Western Regions to preach the Fa, and I went to listen with Brother Ru and others. Jia Qin went late and couldn't occupy a good seat, so he picked up Brother Ru, threw him out of the door, and snatched Brother Ru's couch. The room was full of laughter. Brother Thou shalt be gentle by nature, but he was not annoyed, he got up calmly, patted the dust, and sat outside the door to listen.

"Brother Ru was the same age as you are now, and his bearing at that time was really not a celebrity!"

Duan Chengsun was immersed in the past, and a smile appeared on his face.

He raised his head, unconsciously lightly buckled the case, and after a while, the smile gradually dissipated, and he said: "Time flies, and all of a sudden, more than ten years have passed. Song Xian is now in a prominent position, Jia Qin died because of Jia Zhen's involvement, Brother Ru has been in other counties for a long time, and I am in the pastoral mansion. Our four friends in the old days, don't say that they are common now, even people, and they can't get together anymore! ”

Ji Chu said respectfully: "When I went to deliver food to my brother today, I heard my brother say that Jun Yu went to the guest house last night and met with my brother. When my brother mentioned Jun, he was smiling, just like Jun is now. The friendship between Jun and his brother is really the envy of Junjin. ”

Duan Chengsun was in a complicated mood, speechless for a long time, and finally said, "Really? ”

"Yes."

"I'm going to visit Brother you again tomorrow, do you have anything for me to convey?"

As soon as Ji Chu said that he would deliver food to Ji Wei today, Duan Chengsun asked him this. It's not that he can't see Ji Wei, so why should he ask Duan Chengsun to talk? Ji Chu felt that Duan Chengsun seemed to be absent-minded, felt strange, and was not good to ask, so he replied: "The food in the Cao Ke Lodge is poor, Chu will send food to his brother every day, and he can see his brother every day, so he doesn't dare to say anything." ”

Duan Chengsun came back to his senses, said "oh", and said, "Yes, yes." He seemed to be talking to himself, and as if he was talking to Ji Chu, he said, "Yes, the food in the guest house is coarse. Brother you like to eat mutton, and you don't have meat for a while. I'll bring him a roast leg of lamb tomorrow! ”

When I left Ji's house, there were no pedestrians on the street shrouded in night.

The Ji and Duan clans are both surnamed Wuwei, and the two families of Ji Wei and Duan Chengsun are in the old city. If you look down from the night sky, you can see that soon after Duan Chengsun's long-eaves car left Ji's house and went to the street, an ox cart drove out of the Xin house in Zhongcheng, went out of the inner gate, turned onto the street, and went straight to the direction of Tang Ai's house without making any pause. On this ox cart, it was Huang Rong who went to see Tang Ai.

Next.

Drag it out until dusk, and there is nothing to delay.

Duan Chengsun went to the guest house of Cao Gong and went to see Ji Wei again.

The golden roasted leg of lamb is placed on the table, and the aroma is fragrant.

Two bottles of wine from the Western Regions and a jar of famous wine from Hebei and from the Wei State were placed on the side of the leg of mutton.

Duan Chengsun removed the crown robe, and invited Ji Wei to take off the crown and robe as well.

The two of them were only dressed in two dangs, with their arms exposed, dividing things, and sitting opposite each other.

I hadn't seen him for a day, and Ji Wei's expression was much haggard.

Duan Chengsun poured the bright red wine into the bowl and said with a smile: "This is the fine wine of the Qiuzi Kingdom, don't drive the Song Gong to reward me." I've always been reluctant to drink. Zhaowen, come, come, you have a taste, is it different from the wine of our Long Real Estate? ”

Ji Weiluo took a sip, put the bowl down, and said with a reluctant smile: "Compared with the local production, it is indeed slightly mellow." ”

"You haven't been to the Western Regions, and neither have I. But we all know that the sun is big and the grapes are good for growing. The wine is better than ours here, and it is a matter of course. If you think it's good, then drink more! Duan Chengsun served the bowl and persuaded him diligently.

Ji Wei had no choice but to take another sip.

Duan Chengsun drank it all, touched the wine stains on his beard, and said with a smile: "Zhaowen, do you know? The people of Qiuzi are as good as life. I heard from the soldiers who returned from the crusade against the Western Regions that after the auxiliary general broke through the city of Qiuci, he ordered the wealthy families in the city to contribute gifts to reward the three armies. Those wealthy families in the country of Qiuzi have hundreds of thousands of stones of wine in their homes, and nearly 10,000 stones of wine alone have been offered! ”

Hearing the words "General Fuguo", Ji Wei's eyelids jumped, and he said, "So what? ”

"Isn't it!"

Duan Chengsun personally cut a few slices of mutton and sent them to Ji Wei's plate, then opened the jar of liquor, poured down two more bowls, and said with a smile: "Zhaowen, this is Zhongshan sake, and the name is 'Thousand Days Wine'." In the past, although this wine was precious, it was probably not very rare. Now Zhongshan is occupied by Wei Dynasty, and I Longzhou, and there is a Qin in the middle, this wine is very rare! Don't drive Song Gong to reward me. I was reluctant to drink it, so I left it to this day, and it just so happened that you and I drank it bitterly! ”

"Thousand days of wine" means that after getting drunk, you should be drunk for a thousand days.

This wine, at the moment, is relatively strong.

Ji Wei's amount of alcohol is average, and he knows that he is full of sorrow now, and he is deeply afraid that the wine will enter the intestines, and he will become more and more drunk, so he doesn't dare to drink more, so he took a sip and put the bowl down. Wine, I can't drink it, and his usual favorite roast mutton, he doesn't know the taste of it, and he hardly moves the dagger.

Duan Chengsun couldn't stop eating and drinking.

A bowl of Western Regions wine on the left, a bowl of Zhongshan Thousand Days wine on the right, with two mouthfuls of mutton in between, in less than half an hour, the two wines were drunk by him, and the leg of mutton was almost eaten clean.

The wine is strong, and if you can't say anything when you're sober, you can say it.

Duan Chengsun held on to the desk, staggered to his feet, and said, "Zhaowen! I went to your house last night and met your brother. He looks like you when you were young! The days of the past cannot be repeated! But Zhaowen, in the future, we can still chase it! Why am I seeing you again tonight? I think you know that! For the sake of you and me, you don't want to reply to me with the words of the last time, this time, you give me a happy word! So I'll go back and do it. How is it? ”

Ji Wei said in his heart: "He went to my house last night to see my brother?" Thinking about Duan Chengsun's threatening words last time, he couldn't help but get nervous, grabbed the edge of the case, looked at Duan Chengsun, and asked, "Have you seen my younger brother?" Did Gong Song let you go? ”

Duan Chengsun said: "I'm going by myself." But when I came to see you again tonight, it was indeed on the orders of Song Gong. He picked up the gilded dagger on the case, which was used to cut meat, and said, "Duke Song not only ordered me to visit you again, but also ordered me to give you this short dagger!" ”

Ji Wei fell on the short dagger, the dagger is not long, and it is not very sharp, but it should be stained with mutton fat, and when the candlelight shines, it is shining and dazzling.

Duan Chengsun threw the leg of mutton shelf on the case to the ground, lowered his body, crossed the table, approached Ji Wei's body, looked at it, lowered his voice, and said, "Zhaowen, I was also ordered to do this, and I had no choice but to do so. ”

His tone was sincere, and he said, "Zhaowen, you have not been in the royal city all the year round, and you don't know the current situation in the court. Since the first Wang Xu, the battle between the Duke of Song and the auxiliary generals has become increasingly fierce. I know it's none of your business, but who made you the county magistrate in Xianmei County? Now that you are involved, the Duke of Song and the auxiliary general, you must choose a side to take refuge!

"Although General Fuguo has been valuable recently, after all, the clan reputation is weak, how can it be compared with the Song family? Zhaowen, which side should you choose? Can't you see it?

"I know that you are very wronged, with your political achievements in Xianmei County, you definitely don't deserve to be evaluated by a royal palace, and it is more than enough to be ranked excellent. But if Duke Song wants to use you to attack the reputation of the auxiliary general, what can you do? Accept your fate, Zhaowen! After admitting this, in a few years, with me in the pastoral mansion, you will not lose your future prospects. If you refuse to admit it, Zhaowen, think about Ji Chu! How old is he? Song Gongru was furious because of this, thunder and storm, can Ji Chuyan resist it? ”

Duan Chengsun put the dagger in front of Ji Wei and said, "Don't talk about Ji Chu. Zhaowen, even if it's you, can you resist it? ”

The doors and windows were closed, and the room was stuffy.

Ji Wei's chest ached, as if his heart had been grabbed by something, and he felt a little out of breath.

He struggled to get up and pushed the door open.

The night breeze in the courtyard blew in, cool as water, and a layer of goosebumps rose on the shirtless arms.

Ji Wei slowly put the robe back on, handed Duan Chengsun's robe to him, and said, "When you go back to Song Gong, just say I know." ”

Duan Chengsun was overjoyed.

After sending Duan Chengsun away, Ji Wei returned to the room and stared blankly at the short dagger on the case for a long time.

He remembered one of his brothers. This brother of his clan is rarely famous, and has been expelled many times, but his brother has not accepted it once. To this day, this brother of his clan is still in the forest. Compared with the wealthy family, his brother's life is indeed poor, but compared with his current situation, his brother at least lives at ease.

Ji Wei thought with annoyance: "Why did I respond to the removal of the county government and embark on the road of becoming a leader? Why don't I learn from this brother of mine? "It's too late to regret it now.

On the way to the Cao Guest House.

Duan Chengsun's car creaked away, and a figure sneaked out of a dark place under the wall of the guest house.