I was tossed like this tonight, dinner was a lot late, and the old man and the eldest young master of the Xue family were not there, so Chang and Xue's stepmother and son had less rules, but they were also comfortable.

"Mother." Xue Ji took a chopstick and stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it a few times and swallowed it, and then continued: "Why didn't the old man let me enter the office?" If I worship the marquis, it is his Zongyao's and his ancestors. ”

"It's not big or small, that's your father."

"It's all the same! No, just tell me, why? ”

Chang put down his chopsticks and hesitated in his heart. Looking at the longing in Xue Ji's eyes, she wanted to tell him, but she felt that this was not what she should say. He lowered his head and sighed, picked up the chopsticks again, and said, "Ask your father." ”

Xue Ji didn't follow anymore, pulled his sleeve and said: "Mother, tell me, that old man will only scold me and order me, what can he say to me......"

"Then ask your brother."

As soon as Chang's voice fell, there was a sound outside the door, it was the housekeeper Uncle Lin.

Uncle Lin had bad legs and feet, so he dragged his steps in slowly, bowed slightly, and then said, "Madam, little young master, big young master will come back early tomorrow." ”

Chang Shi was happy, and raised his head at Xue Ji: "Did you hear it, wait for Ming'er to ask your brother to go." ”

Uncle Lin was very knowledgeable, and after the report, he dragged out again, leaving Xue Ji secretly annoyed and unable to eat the table full of delicacies. If he asks the eldest brother, the eldest brother will answer in the affirmative, but it is ...... Xue Ji has not been afraid of heaven and earth since he was a child, and the more his father scolded him, the more bold he became, but he was afraid of his eldest brother.

Father Xue Yao was short-tempered and didn't like to talk to him about big things, so he quarreled with the father and son after a few words, and he didn't come back to make a fuss and lifted the roof of Xue's house. The eldest brother Xue Qi is different, he talks about the reason endlessly, and he can talk to him for three days and three nights without panting. It's just reasoning, and after speaking, I still ask if I'm convinced, and if I do, I have to be beaten, oh no, punishment. If you are not satisfied, continue to reason, and talk until you are convinced.

"Okay, the eyebrows are twisted, as for it......" Chang couldn't help laughing when he saw him like this. Let's eat first, don't you always think that eating is time-consuming, and you have to hurry back to the house to study? ”

"I'm done with the exam, what are you going to read......" Xue Ji was a little confused, holding the chopsticks in his hand and still not moving, just looking at the table and being stunned.

Chang was helpless, picked up some dishes for him, and said: "How persistent are you, you don't even plan to try?" ”

Xue Ji picked up the bowl, slowly took a few bites, and finally was willing to eat. After tasting these words several times, he suddenly woke up, raised his head and stared at Chang's with wide eyes: "Mother, can I go to the meeting?" ”

Chang's eyes were full of love, and he didn't know whether to laugh or reprimand him. "Your father won't let you go for your own good, but if you really want to go, can he still tie you up at home?"

Xue Ji didn't understand "what is it...... Is it for my own good not to let me go? ”

"Ming'er asked your brother to go."

"Huh? Mother? Mother! ”

In the middle of the night, the house was very quiet, and the lights in Xue Ji's house were still on, he took a book and leaned on the couch, and he didn't read a few words after half an hour passed. He was afraid of his eldest brother, he was always afraid, but I have to say that the eldest brother is very reasonable, and when he rarely makes mistakes, he doesn't listen to his father, but he is willing to listen to his eldest brother. If his father didn't allow him to enter Beijing, he would have to go even if he had a fight with the porter. But if the eldest brother doesn't allow it......

"Big young master? So soon! Come inside and it's cold outside......"

"Didn't I hear that Qing Zhongju came back overnight, why did he rest?"

Just thinking about it, there was a sound of talking outside, Xue Ji's hand shook, and he almost threw the book into the brazier, trembling all over, and hurriedly blew out the candlelight in the room, stuffed the book under the pillow, and pulled the futon sideways to the inside and pretended to sleep.

"I just saw that the lights were on, why did they go out?"

"Xu is the eldest young master is wrong, it's all at this time, the little young master must have rested......"

Xue Qi stopped at the door of Xue Ji's room, listened outside the door for a while, and wanted to push the door in, but when his hand touched the door, he paused and took it back. Secretly chuckled, sighed, and went to his room.

"Let him eat in my house in the morning."

"Yes, the eldest young master is slow, the road is slippery."

The voice gradually faded away, and Xue Ji dared to turn over and take a breath. I still remember that when he was a child, he also pretended to sleep like this, and the eldest brother could tell if he was asleep just by listening to his breathing, I don't know if the eldest brother heard it or not...... Xue Ji looked at the candle lamp on the low table next to him that was still smoking, and touched the scroll under the pillow, but finally continued to read without lighting the lamp.

Xue Ji stood up and put on a thick mink coat, walked to the window, opened a crack, and looked out. But he didn't want to open a crack and saw the light on the other side of Xue Qi's house, the door was not closed, Xue Qi turned his back to him and didn't know what he was busy with. Seeing that Xue Qi's body turned around, as if he was about to turn around, Xue Ji hurriedly closed the window again, returned to the bed and retracted the futon. Just shrunk like this, Xu was warm by the charcoal fire, and the bedding was also warm, and after a while, he fell asleep.

The moonlight was lonely, Xue Qi sat in the room and looked through the account books, taking a sip of hot tea from time to time, and looking up at the window from time to time, looking at the room where the lights were out. The night was very long, maybe it was the third watch, maybe it was the fourth watch, Xue Qi finally put the account book on the table, closed the window, took off his coat, and went to the bed to rest.

At three o'clock in the morning, Xue Ji gradually woke up, and the book was still under the pillow, making his neck uncomfortable.

Uncle Lin heard the sound and pushed the door in, "Little master, is you awake?" The eldest young master said to let you wake up and go over. ”

Xue Jizheng was wearing the tie of the big feat, and was slightly stunned when he heard the words, "Big brother got up so early?" After that, he hated to swallow his tongue, he clearly pretended to be asleep, how could he know when the eldest brother would come back......

Uncle Lin had always known about him, and he didn't pierce it, so he pushed the window open, and then turned back to him and said, "Young master, it's not too early." ”

Xue Qi really didn't sleep for long, it was two hours in the sky, Japan has been busy in the last few days, all the big orders have come, and the family is in a hurry to add trouble, how can he have the leisure to sleep, I can't wait to save even these two hours to be busy with business.

Xue Ji is unhurried, or can he drag it for a while, take care of his clothes for a while, pick up boots for a while, and even tie his hair and wipe it up.

"Little master, it's just breakfast, don't be so troublesome......"

If you can't hide from the first day of junior high school, you can't hide from fifteen, this is a truth that children know, and Xue Ji naturally knows it, so he didn't need to be urged by many people, and finally gave up the struggle and moved his steps to the eldest brother's house.

"Good morning, big brother." I have to say that only when he was facing Xue Qi was Xue Ji could be so obedient, he was stunned and bowed his head with his eyebrows bowed and did enough courtesy.

Xue Qi was also amused when he saw his behavior. He nodded to Uncle Lin and gestured to pass the meal, and then pointed to the stool next to him, his voice was very calm. "Sit down."

"It's a good thing." Xue Qi lifted the porcelain pot on the stove on the side, filled a cup of strong tea for himself, and poured another one with water and pushed it to Xue Ji, before raising his eyebrows and asking, "Tell me, what do you think?" ”

Xue Ji's gaze stayed on the tea cup in the eldest brother's hand, the dark color of the full cup of strong tea was terrifying, the eldest brother shouldn't have been sleepless all night, right? When he was young, he relied on strong tea to hang, which hurt his body......

"Kiyoyuki?"

Hearing the voice, Xue Ji finally came back to his senses and withdrew his gaze. It's just that this question is really difficult to answer, he doesn't know what he thinks, how to answer the eldest brother, what to say and what to fight for?

"Do you want to go to Beijing? Do you want to join the company? ”

"Yes."

This time the answer was categorical, Xue Jicong saw Chen Yu for the first time, saw his infinite scenery, and saw that officials such as the prefect and the governor nodded at him and flattered him carefully, so he moved his mind. Longing for power, yearning for wealth, there is nothing wrong with it, what dare not say?

Xue Qi had already guessed this answer, how could he not know that Xue Ji had not been a gentleman for so many years, had not gone out with other young masters and sons to have fun, and had been studying all day long, in order to be a champion and first, and to enter the office. Xue Qi thought for a moment, looked at him seriously, and asked, "Then, how high do you want to go?" ”

When Xue Ji heard this, the eldest brother did not stop him, but was willing to listen to him tell his ambitions, so generous, the blood that had been suppressed in his heart for many years was boiling at this moment, the look of longing in his eyes was difficult to hide, and his words were full of confidence: "If you want to go, go the highest and farthest." ”

Xue Qi asked again: "Then do you know what the results of most of the people standing at the top are?" ”

If you say that the road to your ambition requires trekking through mountains and rivers and going through hardships, it is nothing. If someone spreads out the bloody history books and tells you that the end of climbing the cliff will be to fall back to the bottom and shatter your bones, are you still willing to climb up?

Not only this dynasty, counting the previous dynasty, and then the previous dynasty, how many prime ministers and marshals enjoyed all the glory and power in the world, but in the end they couldn't escape the destruction of their families and their bodies.

Xue Ji was silent, not because he was afraid of this blood-stained past, he was just afraid that the elders in the family would not allow him to go because of this.

Xue Qi grew up watching him, and he knew what he was thinking just by looking at his expression. Then he said, "Besides, compared with your ancestors, your road will be more dangerous."

Xue Ji was puzzled and asked, "Why?" ”

"Because your surname is Xue."

If it weren't for the fact that the eldest brother in front of him was the eldest brother he was most afraid of, Xue Ji really wanted to roll his eyes and slap the table and leave. What is the difference between saying and not saying this answer? Xue Qi could see that he was impatient, so he added tea for him, pushed the breakfast he had just sent to him by the way, and continued: "Don't be impatient, you have to speak slowly." ”

"I have told you many times that when listening to the elders, you must be patient and understand etiquette."

This is reasoning again, Xue Ji really had a headache, and he didn't move his chopsticks, so he looked at his eldest brother in a daze, obviously because he didn't move until he finished speaking. Xue Qi frowned slightly, and said, "The elders can't give up, and the same is true for breakfast." ”

"I'll eat, I'll eat, you say." Xue Ji didn't have the courage to slap the table and leave, so he could only listen to what he said, while eating.

"How much do you know about your grandfather?"