It was late for dinner, and when Duan Xue came out of the courtyard where Zhu Gaoxu lived, night had completely fallen.

Two nights ago, Duan Xuege lived in a courtyard with the Mongolian Khan concubine Ashali, so that she could walk with her every day. Now that the errand given to her by the emperor has been completed, Duan Xue Hate does not need to continue to pay attention to Concubine Khan. She went straight back to another place, ready to rest.

Along the brightly lit village dirt road, Duan Xue hated to open a simple courtyard gate nearby. Most of the houses on both sides are earthen walls resting on the top of the mountain, and the eaves are very narrow, which is very different from the houses in Beijing and Yunnan. Duan Xue hated a glance at the small window of the room on the east side, and saw that the light was still on inside, so he guessed that Chen Xianzhen, a native of Annan, had not yet gone to bed.

Duan Xue took the initiative to arrange Chen Xianzhen's residence next to him. Because when people were still in Fengyang, the central capital, before Chen Xianzhen met with the saint, the person in charge of searching his body was Duan Xue Hat. Duan Xue hated that the saint didn't seem to trust this Annan man very much, so he kept an eye on her silently.

At this moment, Chen Xianzhen's door opened. Chen Xianzhen stood at the door, looked over here and beckoned, "Concubine De is back." ”

Duan Xue also stood up and responded: "Mrs. Chen hasn't gone to bed yet?" ”

Chen Xianzhen said: "It's still early. Why haven't you seen De Concubine in the past two days? It's boring for me to live here alone. ”

Duan Xue said casually: "I'm on the side of the Mongolian Khan Concubine." ”

Chen Xianzhen said again: "Come in and sit for a while, there is hot water for washing in my room." ”

Duan Xue hated not refused, turned around and walked to the east side.

Because of the mention of the Mongolian Asari just now, Chen Xianzhen naturally followed this topic and talked to Duan Xueh. Duan Xue Hate also told Chen Xianzhen about the story between Ashali and Ben Yari's sweating.

Unexpectedly, Chen Xianzhen was inexplicably very angry and said, "I hate that kind of person the most. ”

"Who?" Duan Xue Ha blurted out in confusion for a moment.

Chen Xianzhen said: "That Benjari lost sweat. ”

Duan Xue hated no response.

Chen Xianzhen said to himself: "Tie up others at every turn, let people owe him a lot of personal favors, and the ninth generation can't pay it off." What's more, he couldn't run away in the first place, and he was dying to take care of his posthumous son, why did he say it so touching? ”

Duan Xue was stunned for a moment and said, "I don't think Concubine Khan thinks so, she appreciates it." ”

Chen Xianzhen sneered: "That's because Benjari is a king, and he looks good, how about changing someone she doesn't like?" Concubine De may not understand, but I know this kind of woman too well, she has been used to being held since she was a child, and what she wants is for everyone to surround her. If the illustrious man turned her upside down, she was naturally glad in her heart, as if to tell everyone how much she was loved. In her eyes, high-ranking men are fools. ”

Duan Xue felt that Chen Xianzhen's words were a little paranoid, but she couldn't refute them. But why did Chen Xianzhen say this, Duan Xue hated and quickly thought of something.

The past between Chen Xianzhen and Ruan Jingyi, Duan Xue has also heard of it. Probably when Annan was in chaos, a certain queen mother wanted to eradicate Chen Xianzhen, Ruan Jingyi was a palace guard general, and in order to save Chen Xianzhen, he killed his own father. The next two things are quite ugly. Instead of doing a good thing, he became an enemy. Chen Xianzhen may be very resistant to being bound by others and forced.

However, compared with the two sides, Ruan Jingyi seems to be much more persistent than Benjari. And Chen Xianzhen is also a woman with a completely different temperament from Asari.

"Concubine Khan cares about how capable she is, not about the Great Khan." Chen Xianzhen's words woke up Duan Xuehat, who was suddenly a little distracted by his memories. So Duan Xue hated to continue to listen to her talk there.

The more Chen Xianzhen spoke, the more angry he became, and his tone became more and more sarcastic, "That Great Khan is really stupid, he didn't prepare anything, so he came to provoke the Ming Dynasty, and was beaten by the Ming Emperor to flee in a panic and choose a way, and he had a virtue with the Hu clan of Annan Kingdom." and stupidly believed in the enemy within his own house, and was once again deceived into being besieged, with no way to heaven and no way to enter the earth. What can be done is only the love of children. Wouldn't it be too miserable for such a king and his people? ”

Duan Xue hated to listen silently, and when she saw Chen Xian's really cynical appearance, she suddenly remembered her adoptive mother, Duan Yang. Duan Yang and Chen Xian really had different experiences, but there were faint similarities. Duan Xue hated a complicated mood, and seemed to have returned to the past.

And the current night also reminded her of the days when the day was up and down in the past.

Chen Xianzhen said again: "Compared to those people, I think the Ming Emperor is not so disgusting. Although the emperor is a little arrogant and looks down on people, he never makes anyone feel that he owes him, but often feels that he owes you; Even if you do something stupid, he still has the heart to forgive you. Last time, I also felt that I was too presumptuous, and I said something about the Ming Dynasty's oppression of Annan. I thought he would be annoyed that I had two hearts, but instead he bothered to give me a gift as a gesture of goodwill, as if he was making amends for it out of guilt. A person can feel guilty, and most of them are not too bad people. ”

What Chen Xianzhen said is also quite reasonable. Duan Xue hated that rainy night when there was nowhere to go, Zhu Gaoxu found her and protected her many times; Zhu Gaoxu has always made her feel that it is because he wants to win over Duan Xue and use it for it. Therefore, Duan Xue hated to accept Zhu Gaoxu's kindness, and later he was also very at ease by his side, and was willing to let him use it, because he felt that he was a valuable person.

But now that she thinks about it, it doesn't seem to be of much use. It's just that Zhu Gaoxu made her feel useful.

"Those civil and military who follow the saint to fight the world are quite loyal to the saint, not without reason." Duan Xue Hate finally spoke, "It's not early, Mrs. Chen should rest early." ”

Duan Xue hated to get up and leave, Chen Xianzhen seemed to be a little unsatisfied, but he had to send her out of the door.

Although Duan Xue is usually taciturn, she is always ignored when there are many people; But she has been in the palace for a long time, and many women like her very much. Unlike some people, they are always secretly wary of each other.

The next morning, Duan Xue hated went to Shengshang's side and met the imperial concubine Mu Zhen. Mu Zhen also smiled at Duan Xue with affection, and that kind of closeness came from the bottom of her heart. When Mu Zhen saw Duan Xue Hate for the first time, she showed a subconscious expression.

Duan Xue hated a little uncomfortable, because Mu Zhen probably treated her like a relative so she would be treated like this. Duan Xue hated that she didn't pay attention, stepped forward and saluted, "The concubine greets the saint, the imperial concubine." ”

Zhu Gaoxu's eyes moved away from the file on the table, looked up at her, and said in a casual tone: "There is no need to stay in Shandong for the time being, let's leave tomorrow, I have asked the Chinese army to issue a military order." ”

Duan Xue hated: "Yes." ”

Zhu Gaoxu said again: "By the way, I asked Zhang Sheng and the captain of the Jinyi Guard who sat in Binzhou Mansion to say hello, pay attention to Tang Sai'er's situation, and report it every one or two years." Let's reduce the forced labor in Shandong and let Tang Sai'er's father come back to farm, maybe she can live a stable life in the future? She is one of the people of the Shandong Political Envoy Division. ”

Duan Xue hated that she didn't say anything, she generally didn't care about Zhu Gaoxu's strategy, and she wouldn't easily compliment him.

Mu Zhen immediately picked up the words and said, "But those who don't know still think that the saint went up to find folk beauties." ”

Zhu Gaoxu smiled and didn't care.

Mu Zhen glanced at the file in front of Zhu Gaoxu again, the eyes on her pretty little face were very bright, and she was a little unhappy: "There are always people who don't know, and they say bad things about the saints." The saint is so diligent in government, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, you should also ask those civil officials to help you say more good things. ”

Zhu Gaoxu glanced at Mu Zhen, revealing a look of embarrassment when he was praised. Duan Xue was silent as usual, but she observed them carefully, and she felt that Zhu Gaoxu occasionally had something that was incompatible with the person of noble birth.

He picked up the teacup on the table and pretended to be sipping the tea slowly.

Mu Zhen was thinking about something, as if she was wondering why the Holy Lord didn't find someone to brag about, and then turned her head to look at Zhu Gaoxu drinking tea.

After a while, Zhu Gaoxu finally spoke: "Sometimes it's good to be disappointed, so you don't have to be constrained." Otherwise, if you are a saint and gentleman praised by everyone, you have to care about other people's opinions every day, and you are tired and panicked. ”

Mu Zhen listened, her delicate facial features showed a smile, and she suddenly made people feel like a spring breeze, and she nodded with satisfaction.

Zhu Gaoxu said: "I want to do something myself, not to be praised. The success or failure of the thing itself is the most important, and it really doesn't matter if you comment on merit or demerits. ”

Mu Zhen's tone was a little coquettish: "When I was in the garden of the Shen family in Yunnan, I knew that the saint had the people's livelihood in mind and ambitions. Later, I often advised my father that if he has been favored, he should put the court first in everything. Unexpectedly, my father thought that I was the imperial concubine, and he said that he was official, but he didn't believe that I was sincerely persuading him. ”

Zhu Gaoxu smiled and said, "If the Duke of Qianguo knew that you were speaking for him like this in front of me, he might be dizzy. He suppressed his smile and said casually, "But if I hadn't been forced to a situation where I could only advance and not retreat, I would actually envy King Zhao and Duke Qianguo." ”

Duan Xue hated the words she had talked to the noble concubine Miaojin, who believed in Taoism and often said some mysterious things between birth and accession. Now hearing Zhu Gaoxu's remarks, Duan Xue felt that the emperor seemed to be difficult to get rid of the thoughts between Confucianism and Taoism.

There was nothing to do today, everyone was in the barracks to repair. Only Zhu Gaoxu was busy all day, and he was still reading it at night, and when he heard that the government affairs file of the Beijing division had been sent recently, he had to read it while he was stationed, so that he could know what the ministers of the court and the central government had done.

Early the next morning, the escort brigade pulled out camp as scheduled. According to the recent itinerary, the group had to go to a small port in the northeast to get supplies from the official ships at sea. Then the army will go straight to Beiping to set up the political envoy and will not stop halfway.

And Gao Xianning, the emperor's confidant and adviser, is still in Jinan Mansion and has not yet returned. Who doesn't know what he's doing.