Song Yi military camp.

In the dead of night, the lights were flickering, Shao An sat down at the desk and wrote until he wrote the last word, Fang put down the wolf's hair, as if his strength was exhausted, leaned on the back of the chair and closed his eyes to recuperate.

Ni Hongyu stood on the side of the desk, leaned slightly, carefully read the ink on the table that had not dried, and only hesitated after a while: "This matter is Xiou's obstruction, and the Turks are negligent in taking precautions, why should Shao Xiang bear all the responsibility?" ”

"It is indeed the fault of the official that he patronized the negotiations with the Turks, but neglected the detained mission. If I had asked for someone earlier, I wouldn't have made such a fuss. Shao An rubbed his eyebrows, his sin is not only this, there is a deeper layer, but it is not easy to declare.

"It's just written like this, and the lower officials are afraid that the saint will be angry." Ni Hongyu is really wholeheartedly thinking about Shao An.

"This official is not afraid of Long Yan's anger, the only thing he is worried about the discussion between the DPRK and China, and the gap between the two governments will deepen."

Ni Hongyu was silent when he heard this. This is obvious, the messenger was killed, no matter who did it, Shao An could not escape the blame. Even if the peace negotiation is successful now, others will think that it was Jiang Jiamin's life in exchange, not Shao An's credit.

As for the generals, it's even more troublesome. Gao Wei fought bloodily on the front line, made many achievements, and bargained for Shao Anbo. But because of Shao An's carelessness, Xiou had a chance to take advantage of it, and almost ruined the peace discussion. Now Gao Wei grabbed the handle, civil and military battles were inevitable, and even civil officials would accuse Shao An of doing things unfavorably.

At this time, all the spearheads were pointed at Shao An, and Ni Hongyu could sadly predict that this time he returned to the dynasty, the prime minister would be more auspicious and less auspicious.

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The war in the northwest also came to an end, Gao Wei recovered all the lost territory, and after fighting near Nanshan, he prepared for the return of the class to the court in accordance with the holy decree. Although the emperor also wanted to take advantage of the victory to pursue, the "Huangquan Road" in the Nanshan Mountain has always been a hidden tumor, and he did not dare to move forward without a precise grasp. Otherwise, victory is a big victory, and defeat is a complete defeat. The emperor did not dare to make such a big bet, after all, the national strength was empty, and no one could afford to gamble.

As for the Turks, at this moment, the army led by Jie Kosli is retreating northward, the Jingzhou crisis has been resolved, Song Yi and Li Hongyi will no longer stay, and will soon go north to join Gao Wei. Shao An, on his side, plans to wait for the mission to be repaired before leaving for Beijing.

Before Li Hongyi left, he went to see Shao An again. At this moment, Shao An was sitting alone by the Jingshui River, looking at the magnificent river, not knowing what he was thinking.

Li Hongyi walked to his side, and did not know what to say, so he sat down with him by the Jingshui River.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the rolling river, shining with a golden light, adding a touch of brilliant color to the river. Shao An saw that it was Li Hongyi, and smiled faintly, "You're here." Is the injury healed? ”

"Much better." Li Hongyi looked sideways into Shao An's inky eyes, looking like he wanted to speak and stopped.

Shao An knew what he wanted to ask, so he preemptively said, "That horse whistle, where did you learn it?" ”

"I ...... I have amnesia. I hear you blowing, and suddenly it will be. ”

"Oh." Shao An calmly looked at the river in front of him, under the rendering of the setting sun, the sparkling water waves, as gorgeous as the colorful glow in the sky, "I have a ...... Brother Yiyi, he used to teach me to blow. Perhaps, you are fellow countrymen. ”

"Your brother? Who is he and where is his home? ”

He ...... It's an orphan. Shao An said half-truthfully, "I haven't been in touch for a long time......"

Although Shao An couldn't speak clearly, and Li Hongyi was confused, he had a sense of enlightenment, and he instantly understood. He guessed that Shao An and this eldest brother must have an unusual story.

Li Hongyi didn't want to expose people's scars, so he didn't ask about the story of the "big brother" again, and Shao An wouldn't mention it again. After the passage of time, Shao An often thinks of this moment, if his brother really asks one more question, will he say it?

The next day, Shao An and Li Hongyi left the camp at the same time, one going south and the other north.

※※※※※

After Shao An returned to Beijing, he first dispersed the envoys and guards. And he himself didn't have time to go back to the house to rest for a while, so he went straight to the palace to face the saint.

In the hall, the emperor was sitting in front of the wide table, looking intently at the concert, and when he heard Gonggong Chen's report that Shao Xiang asked to see him, he didn't look up, but just said lightly: "Let him in." ”

Shao An entered the hall and saw that the emperor exuded a cold aura, his heart sank slightly, and then he knelt on the ground and bowed respectfully.

The emperor glanced up at Shao An, and waved his hand to let the eunuchs and palace maids around him all withdraw from the hall. Then he didn't let Shao An calm down, and put his eyes back on the fold in his hand.

Shao An knew that the emperor was deliberately hanging him, after all, if such a thing happened, he, as the chief envoy, was responsible. The wrath of the saint was also expected by him. So he held his breath and knelt on the ground, waiting for the coming storm.

The bluestone bricks of the water mill are recognizable, but they are cold and abnormal. The knee was pressed against it for a long time, and the pain was unbearable. But Shao An knelt on the ground and didn't dare to move, just bit his chapped lower lip, silently endured, endured the cold that pierced the bone marrow, and rushed through the crack of his knee little by little.

His knees are not good, it is an old problem, and he always has a dull pain when it rains on cloudy days. Speaking of which, the root of this disease still fell during exile, and the officers of Qianzhou did not treat prisoners as human beings, regardless of right or wrong, and punished them wantonly. He was often punished to kneel on gravel for hours at a time. After kneeling for a long time, my legs went from stinging to slowly numbing. After the penalty, it often takes a long time for the swelling to go away.

Shao An knelt, the emperor reviewed the folds, and the hall was quiet all of a sudden, only the occasional paper flipping, and the light sound of the pen tip wandering, time passed in the silence for a long time. Shao An frowned lightly, and his two slender eyebrows were twisted together, not knowing whether to endure the pain or worry about Jiang Jiamin's affairs.

Two hours passed, and my knee rested on the ground for a long time, with a pinprick pain. With the experience of torture in the past, Shao An secretly encouraged that as long as he endured the first three hours, his legs changed from pain to numbness, and then from numbness to unconsciousness.

This kneeling knelt until the sunset, and the soft sunlight passed through the window of the Heart Cultivation Hall and fell on Shao An's body, slightly warm. The emperor finally finished reading all the movements, looked up at Shao An on the ground in a complicated manner, and after being silent for a while, he ordered, "Get up first." ”

Shao An heard that he didn't know what he said, so he secretly raised his eyes to observe the words, but he couldn't see any suspicion, so he had to slowly support his thighs and get up slowly.

When I stood up, it was a heart-piercing pain, and my legs were so numb that I lost my senses, and I was as stiff as a stick, and I didn't obey the call. Shao An gritted his teeth and endured the stinging pain of ten thousand needles, pretending to be casual as much as possible, and finally staggered.

The emperor saw everything, but did not get up to help him, or even say a word of comfort. After all, every man should bear all the hardships alone, become strong and forbearant under the persecution of life, and finally grow up alone and hold up a piece of the sky.

When the emperor saw that he was standing firm, he said: "Now there is another heel, what is the reason, you are like a mirror in your own heart, you don't need to say it." ”

Shao An knew that the emperor was a reasonable person, and the attack on the mission was an unexpected incident, which no one could predict, and the emperor would not count Xiou's account on his head, at most blame him for negligence.

"Minister...... Momentary negligence, unclear recognition, resulting in the use of non-people. ”

The emperor was angry, "I don't know anyone? Do you know that Jiang Jiamin is cowardly and the best person to be the mastermind, but you still let him lead the group? You're not ignorant, you're suspicious. ”

The emperor has said this suspicious problem many times, but he can't get rid of it. Therefore, Shao Anning is willing to choose someone who knows the roots, rather than an unpredictable person. What's more, Dong Qiming and Dong Ji are relatives, and Dong Ji is a member of the Jin Dynasty, so do you know if Dong Qiming was pulled into the water?

Shao An sometimes thinks helplessly, it is really difficult for him to let down all his guard and believe in someone wholeheartedly. Maybe his suspicious temperament is from his bones, deep-rooted and cannot be changed. Maybe Li Hongyi was an exception, the only person he was willing to open his heart and even trust his life with peace of mind. However, such a person who can enter the depths of his heart has now become "once".

The Emperor continued to admonish, "I like you to be smart, but I sometimes wish you to be as honest as your brother, so that you will not be mistaken by your cleverness. Back then, you were arrogant, you couldn't listen to the advice of others, and you made a big mistake. Two years of exile, haven't you figured it out? ”

Shao An lowered his head guiltily and did not say anything. During his exile, he looked back many times and thought that if he did it all over again, he would probably be so stubborn, even if he knew it was wrong, he would want to go on.

The emperor also knew that Shao An had read so many books, he didn't understand any reason, and it was useless to say too much. So he didn't say anything more, sighed, and said, "You caused this incident, how do you plan to deal with the aftermath?" ”

Shao An heard the emperor's sigh, lowered his head, and said guiltily: "Minister, please resign." ”

The emperor stared at Shao An quietly for a while before he said, "You resign, who will clean up this mess?" ”

"It is a dereliction of duty and should be severely punished. Your Majesty, you also need to give an explanation to the subjects of the world. ”

The confession must be explained, but the emperor does not want to lose his right-hand man, so he can only mourn solemnly, and he is extremely glorious. The emperor said: "Add the title of Prince Jiang Jiamin, and give him the title of prince, and allow his son and nephew to enter the country to study." ”

This is Enyin (1), the so-called one person enters the office, then the descendants and relatives can all get officials. However, this move will prevent the children of the Han family from entering the ranks and being promoted, so only the heroes and important ministers of this dynasty can be shaded. An official rank and prestige like Jiang Jiamin are not enough to make up for it. But now the emperor is willing to make an exception for him and give his family such a generous gift, I am afraid that it is not only to comfort his survival, but also to exonerate Shao An.

Of course, Shao An understood the emperor's intentions, and felt even more guilty in his heart, and wrote down the things he ordered one by one. I heard the emperor say again: "Not only should the deceased be buried heavily, but all those who were attacked this time must be compensated." ”

"Yes." Shao An asked, "Dong Qiming, the left attendant of the Ministry of Rites, is not afraid of danger and takes the overall situation into account. This time, he was able to resolve the misunderstanding between the Turks and our DPRK, all thanks to the evidence provided by him. Do you want him to replace the Ministry of Rites? ”

When the emperor heard this, he finally showed his first smile of the day, "You are interested." ”

※※※※※

Beijing, Chiang's Mansion.

The cars in front of the house are like gathering, and the white lights in the house are hanging. Due to Jiang Jiamin's martyrdom, the emperor crowned him with the title of prince and prince and gave him the title Wenzhong. Therefore, many officials came to mourn and mourn before the spirits, whether true or false, as a sign of mourning.

But Shao An's arrival still alarmed everyone in the Jiang Mansion. After all, he is a dignified Zaifu, and his identity is embarrassing. So when the doorkeeper saw the prime minister's frame, he opened his mouth wide and rubbed his eyes vigorously, and after making sure that he was not mistaken, he reported to the back room in a panic.

Jiang Jiamin's eldest son hurriedly came out to greet him and led Shao An to the mourning shed to offer condolences. Shao An walked all the way, looking at the white cloth hanging high in the house, a piece of vegetarian, and his heart was bitter. Jiang Jiamin could have spent a stable Sangyu year in the Ministry of Rites, but because of the peace negotiation, he took his life. Is this bad luck or ill-fated fate?

Shao An finished his incense, turned his head to look at several people kneeling in the mourning hall wearing linen and filial piety, he clearly saw the sad look on the faces of the deceased's families, but he couldn't comfort them anything, he could only say according to the ceremony, "Festival mourning......"

The eldest son held back the sadness in his heart, silently thanked Shao An and did not say a word. Shao An hoped that if they scolded themselves, they would feel better. The two stood opposite each other, and the mourning hall was silent.

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(1) Grace shade: It can also be called Renzi, door shade, shade, and world reward. It refers to the treatment given to the junior because of the merit of the senior.