Cheng Qingfeng got the news of the return of Xinchen's army, and was already waiting outside the city gate early, and when he saw his arrival, he hurriedly greeted him. Xu was in the army for a long time, and he was upright, so he only brought an entourage to greet him. The man was shrouded in black robes, wearing a mask, and his voice was hoarse, and he did not distinguish between men and women. Xinchen was originally a person who was indifferent to fame and fortune, and he didn't care about those superficial articles at all, and after arranging for the deputy general to lead the troops to be stationed, he rushed to Cheng's mansion with Cheng Qingfeng and the others.

At this time, Cheng Qingfeng had actually ruled the three northern states, but he didn't expect that he was still living in the old alleys. Although Willow Lane is not far from Huiyuan Temple, it is not as rich as Shuanglong Lane across the street, with only some dilapidated courtyards, and Chengfu is in this deserted Willow Lane. Although Chengfu is deserted, the scenery along the way is very good. The ancients had clouds: the water of the Jin River in front of the Huiyuan Temple, the green leaves and silver flowers are clear to the bottom, and it is the Jin River that meanders in front of the willow lane.

It was Qingming, and the slanting wind and drizzle gently swayed on the weeping willows by the stream, just like the green silk that the beauty of the bath was scattered on her back, so Xinchen thought of Li Miao again, the woman with a soft appearance and a strong heart, and her slightly better mood instantly fell again, stopping to gaze at the willow branches swaying in the wind. Cheng Qingfeng saw that Xinchen suddenly stopped, and his face was sad, and he also stopped and asked, "Your Majesty, what's sad?"

Xinchen walked again, and said lightly: "I just remembered an old man!"

When the two stopped, the mysterious man in the black robe had already taken a few steps, but at this time he suddenly stopped, and Xinchen faintly saw that the figure under the black robe was trembling a little, and asked Cheng Qingfeng casually, "Who is he?"

Cheng Qingfeng also looked at the lonely back, and said meaningfully: "A sad person!" Xinchen stopped asking and continued to walk forward.

Walking a hundred steps, I saw a lonely alley by the Jinxi River, Cheng Qingfeng stopped, pointed obliquely with his arm, and said: "Your Majesty, please!" Xinchen then entered the alley, walked dozens of meters, and finally saw the thatched courtyard gate. Cheng Qingfeng stepped forward and pushed open the courtyard door, leading Xinchen into the courtyard.

Although the courtyard is small, it is cleaned up, except for a corner of the rattan trellis, hanging a few air-dried gourds, there is nothing else. Xinchen paid attention to the gourds, and there was only one characteristic, that is, big. Cheng Qingfeng saw Xinchen looking at the gourd on the rattan trellis, walked closer and said: "Your Majesty is smiling, you have nothing to do, do some small crafts, and you can also make up for one or two." Xinchen noticed that there were still some water scoops made of gourds piled up in the door of the Cheng family's wide open house, and it turned out that the few on the vines were left seeds, so he turned around and said: "General Cheng Gaojie, admire below!"

Cheng Qingfeng laughed, and while leading Xinchen into the house, he said: "The poor house is poor, Your Majesty should not dislike it." Xinchen smiled and entered the house.

There was no one else in the room, and when everyone sat down, Cheng Qingfeng said: "Your Majesty wait, I must be hungry all the way, I'll go and prepare, let's have a drink or two in a while, okay?" The man in black sat alone and didn't answer. Xinchen smiled and said, "General Cheng still has cooking skills, it seems that we have a good mouth." ”

After a while, two plates of fresh stir-fry, a plate of peanuts, and a serving of dried fruits were served. Cheng Qingfeng brought a small tandoor again and warmed a pot of bamboo leaf green wine. The three of them sat around, and their hearts were about to raise their heads, when the man in black suddenly said in a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, General, I just ate before, I'll go to the courtyard for a walk." Without waiting for the two to talk, he got up and went out, leaving only Xinchen and Cheng Qingfeng in the house.

At this time, the wine was also warm, Cheng Qingfeng got up to take it, first his heart was full of dust, and he raised his hand and pointed obliquely: "The last general is the only pot in his life, this is the bamboo leaf green that has been treasured for 20 years, please taste it!"

Xinchen got up and saluted back, and said, "There is General Lao Cheng, there is no one else here, just call me Xinchen." ”

Cheng Qingfeng was not pretentious, and said briskly: "Xinchen Gongzi, how old will he be in the end, just call me Lao Cheng." ”

The two looked at each other and smiled, sat down again, and raised their glasses to drink. It smells like a light fragrance like bamboo leaves, the entrance is sweet and slightly bitter, and a stream of heat flows down the throat, as if even the heart and lungs are warm. After drinking this wine, he suddenly felt relaxed and happy, and Xinchen couldn't help but exclaim: "Good wine, good wine!" Cheng Qingfeng held the pot and filled it again, and the two drank it all again.

Xinchen was the first drinker, and after three rounds of wine, he was already slightly drunk, and he got up and patted Cheng Qingfeng's shoulder with the strength of the wine, and suddenly said: "Old Cheng, thank you for taking her in!"

Cheng Qingfeng pretended not to know and asked, "Childe, what do you mean by this?"

Xinchen said a little sadly: "A black robe and a mask, how can you cover her breath! I tested her by Jinxi just now, and I confirmed it!"

Cheng Qingfeng said a little helplessly: "Since the son knows each other, why don't you recognize each other?"

Xinchen said gloomily: "Lao Cheng, I seem to be some kind of bullshit shepherd, but what the real situation is, you won't be unable to see it." If Li Guang wants to kill her, there will be no way to live by my side!"

Cheng Qingfeng said firmly: "Don't worry, with my old Cheng here, I will keep her safe!" Then he turned to ask: "What is the plan of Gongzi about the matter of Xijing? Although my northern border is inferior to Li Guang's troops, now that I am united, I may not be invincible!"

Xinchen got up, bowed deeply, and said: "Lao Cheng, there is you in the north, it should be the blessing of all the people! However, the military affairs are the most dangerous, and the sufferers must be the people of the world, and I have experienced the scourge of war in the east for a long time, so it is not appropriate to fight again! I want to return to Beijing alone and hide in the court!"

Cheng Qingfeng's words were originally a test of the heart, if he really directly agreed to use troops against Xijing, it means that he can't withstand the temptation of power, and the care he showed before may be disguised. Unexpectedly, at this time, there were already conditions for raising troops to seize power, but he still thought of the suffering of the people, and did not want to use soldiers, but was a person who really cared about the world. So, Cheng Qingfeng suddenly stood up, bowed deeply to each other, and said: "It's my old Cheng who spends the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain. But Childe, you want to be simple, hidden in the court, how to benefit the common people?"

Xinchen humbly asked, "Is there a good plan?"

Cheng Qingfeng lifted his heart, the two sat down again, drank three cups together, and said: "The power is not guilty, the sin lies in the person who gets the power." I know that the son does not want to fight for power, but if he has no power, he has no power, and if he has no power, he will do nothing. Although the son has the world in his heart, it is difficult to benefit the common people. Therefore, the son should use the power for the common people?"

Xinchen asked again: "I'm a puppet, how do I use power?"

Cheng Qingfeng replied: "The power is for use, the war is for the bottom, and the upper is for the pastor." What is power? Oppressing people with power and subduing them in the face is the right to fight, and it will be chaotic for a long time. If you don't obey it with virtue and transform it with emotion, those in power take the lead, strictly discipline themselves, and follow for a long time, which is for the pastoral heart. The way of shepherding, touching the heart with one's own heart, gathering momentum with one's heart, then the hearts of all people surrender!"

Xinchen asked: "This way is very high, how to do it?"

Cheng Qingfeng replied: "Although Li Guang's power is very powerful, it is the right to fight, and he can use power to suppress and gather profits, so he can divide the benefits, divide and reduce the momentum, and it will collapse after a long time." The courtiers don't have to be co-opted, otherwise they will be hindered by Li Guang's early inspection. The more pure ministers there are, the less power will be contested, and over time, we will unite and unite for the people!"

The two of them were in the middle of a heated discussion, and they came on a horseback, it was the envoy of Xijing, and said: "The general knows that the northern border has been flattened, and respectfully asks His Majesty to return to Beijing to prevent foreign troubles in the Western Regions!"